The Fed 2 Rangefinder, a Soviet-era Leica clone, tuturial and overview

[@Janfey]

My grandfather bought one of these from his trip to Russia in the 50's or 60's. I have that camera now, i should test it and take few pictures someday.

[@GreggObst]

Nice video. The Fed 2 is one of my favorite of the FSU rangefinders in my collection. If anyone has the issue where the metal circle around the viewfinder scratches their glasses (and it will) then a trick is you can epoxy a suitably sized rubber washer around the viewfinder to give a buffer that won't scratch. Aki-Asahi also sells felt pads that are measured for the Fed 2's viewfinder and can be peeled and stuck on but I would advise also expoxying them since they tend to come off when rubbed against in a camera bag.

[@xsync336]

Excellent tip!!

[@marlonb.8243]

Well done tutorial. Removing the back, people need to know it's not just the baseplate that comes off...it's the baseplate and back...they're both one piece.

[@FoxtrotMikefm]

Good review, nice to see due emphasis on the "advance the film (wind the shutter) before adjusting the shutter speed - ALWAYS!" rule. I like the FED-2 so much I bought it twice! I mounted a Jupiter-8 that was requisitioned from the (far) lesser Zorki-4 on one of my FEDs. The FED-2 just feels right in the hands. A no-nonsense, no-frills work-horse. I also have a 1936 Leica-2. An absolute masterpiece of mechanical design, but, the FEDs get to see a lot more film. I just feel much less precious about tossing them in a back-pack or slinging one over my shoulder & getting out & about. P.S. My two are 1959 & 1961 models. The cameras of this 'Sputnik' period are reputedly the best. I hope you enjoy yours! ;-)

[@柳沢広幸]

は

[@GreggObst]

There are sellers on eBay that sell pinhole body caps for M39 mounts that fit the Fed 2 if you want to further extend your creative options with this rangefinder. The angle of view with those caps are about 28mm so if you have a soviet era turret type multiple viewfinder just mount that on the camera and set it to the 28mm viewfinder setting to compose or just use your iPhone camera's preview since that is also about 28mm to get in the ball park for composition.

[@NIKONOVICH1990]

The "B" setting on the shutter speed knob is actually "V" :) (vruchnuyu in russian-wich means manual, or handheld exposure) :) B is correct too, as it stands for Bulb :)

[@ualba99]

Thank you man! great video! I just bought a fed 2 and you helped me figure out so many things! Love it!

[@xsync336]

That's great! Enjoy the camera.

[@MichaelRusso]

Great camera. Love them and the Zorki-6. Only down side is the Fed-2 does not work well with all Japanese LTM lenses. Some work and some don't.

[@markharris5771]

I can't make my mind up between the FED 2 or the Zorski 4K, but at their price I could probably get both!

[@markharris5771]

Thank you for the info

[@rizkiyoist]

I have one too. Actually you don't need to cock the shutter first before changing the speed on this particular model. You only need to do this for the older types where the shutter shows the right speed only after cocked (but the wrong speed if uncocked). However if you are unsure, always cock before changing the shutter speed.

[@maysedias5247]

thank you!, very helpful

[@joaobizarro7564]

Nice video!! Thanks for it! Just bought a FED2! Just a small note.. you mentioned how you should change the shutter speed (counter clockwise), but when adjust the speed on the self timer you you did it clockwise ;)

[@xsync336]

Hope you are enjoying the camera! As long as you remember shutter first all else is small details )) Any good photos?

[@panther105]

You mean Shutter Speed... Had me scratching head for a moment....

[@eugene8524]

thanks, great review!

[@neilpiper9889]

I have a Fed 2 but the rangefinder is out when focused close. I have a Zorki 4k which is perfect at all distances. The pictures are awesome from the Jupiter 8 f2 50mm lens.

[@xsync336]

The 4k is the Soviet version of the M4. Bright and reliable.

[@philhodgkinson1460]

Rangefinder cameras are only designed with minimum focus distance of 1metre or around 3ft otherwise you get parallax problems... If you want closer you need a SLR camera of variant....

[@andreahu9907]

one question! so when you change the shutter speed do you go clockwise or counter clockwise? thanks!

[@xsync336]

To change shutter speed you can turn dial either clockwise or counter clockwise. Just do not try to go from 1/500 to B, nor from B to 1/500. Trying to make this shortcut could damage shutter mechanism.

[@Lomochrome]

Feds are actually Ukrainian for the most part. They were just built in the United SSR. Nice video. I live in Europe and they're plentiful and cheap here.

[@kalvisluks7301]

thank you i fond my grandpas old camera (the fed-2) and you help me learn to work one of this cameras thank you by the way its the real Russian one

[@xsync336]

I hope you find good photos with your camera. My Fed 2 is the camera always in my car.

[@ctimur]

film speed? I guess you mean shutter speed :-)

[@Elifilmphoto]

Yeah that's what I thought. That's the shutter speed and not film speed

[@VVIIX123]

I cant open back of it😢

[@itsevelinakp]

What film do you need, bc i don't know what film for camera to buy?

[@Toad_Hugger]

Standard 35mm film. There are a lot of different speeds, but ISO 400 is a pretty standard one. This camera doesn't have a built-in light meter, so you'll need to estimate exposure or use a handheld light meter. There are some light meter apps for phones. You can also use the Sunny 16 rule to help estimate exposure. So, when taking a picture outside on a sunny day, you'd set your lens to f16 and have the shutterspeed match your film speed. So, with ISO 400 film, you'd want 1/400 second exposure. Using 1/500 should be close enough to work too. Black and white film is much more forgiving if you overexpose or underexpose your photos than color film, so starting off with some black and white film wouldn't be a bad idea.

[@neilpiper9889]

when you said to rewind the film turn to b. B setting is bulb for long exposures. I think you meant c to rewind?no?

[@xsync336]

To set for rewind it is thru the outer ring of shutter button.

[@nemesls03]

Hi, I own a Fed 3 Type A and i have some problem with the Rangefinder Sensor head behind the lens. The sensor head doesn't bounce back up when i adjust it. Do you have any idea what is wrong or what I should do? (the screw seems a lil rusty)

[@xsync336]

Search for Fed Zorki survival site or Fedka. There are many helpful repair tips.

[@abrarafzalkhan3768]

Sir, Should i get the Canon AE1 or FeD - 2 USSR?

[@artem7804]

Abrar Afzal khan, it all depends on the experience you’re looking for. The canon AE1 is an slr which is technically superior in almost every way(more shutter speeds, auto mode which runs with batteries and the obvious benefits of it being and slr). The fed 2 is a range finder and is a true analog experience. I shoot on a Fed-5b , which is also a Soviet rangefinder , and I love it a lot! I do however, really want to get an slr , like a zenit or a praktica. So in summary , it will be easier to get into film photography with the AE1 , but more tactile and personal with the Fed-2. Good luck!

[@abrarafzalkhan3768]

@@artem7804 Thank you sooo much for the detailed review Sir. Means a lot. Need more people like you in the Tech Industry. Peace 🎅⛄

[@artem7804]

Abrar Afzal khan my pleasure! I hope you have a wonderful experience shooting and I hope your shots turn out how you wanted them to!

[@jesamani75]

What material is the shutter courtain?

[@xsync336]

Rubberized fabric. If you have a little pinhole leak you can fix it with liquid electrical tape or fabric paint.

[@jonathanmauldin8801]

How do I set the iso on this camera?

[@xsync336]

It's a film camera, not digital. The ISO depends on what type of film you buy.

[@jonathanmauldin8801]

@@xsync336 typically I shoot with a film slr and with all of my cameras I set the iso on the camera to the iso of the film I use, is that not needed with this camera?

[@xsync336]

@@jonathanmauldin8801 Excellent! Ok. With some of the Fed 2 models there is an dial atop the film advance you can set. It is actually in soviet GOST rather than ISO. However setting this dial is only for you to help remember what film you put into the camera. Changing this dial does not affect exposure in any way. Since there are no electronics in the Fed 2 every photo you take is full manual. Using either an old school light meter or a modern light meter app on your phone will be helpful to determine correct exposure.

[@13objektas]

About shutter speed im nit realy understand you say dont go short trip from B to 500, so its need go back 🤦‍♂️, but when say about 250 to B, its need go long trip, im not understant when what is corect, clockwise or not clockwise.

[@xsync336]

You can go both clockwise and counter clockwise. However the camera manual clearly states do not continue to rotate.

[@jonathanmauldin8801]

Does this camera need batteries to operate?

[@Rkolb2798]

Nope, No batteries required

[@3flyte_3flyte]

Cover the lens or you might burn a hole in the shutter.

[@idontknooo188]

Does this camera need a battery?

[@xsync336]

No battery, no electronics.

[@michalsliwinski4881]

Cały świat oszalał na punkcie aparatów z ZSRR . Biedactwa doczekały się uznania . Putin powinien wznowić produkcję .

[@davidperkins3621]

Sorry but is not a clone is a copy, there are very significant differences

[@xsync336]

To be really transparent, it's neither a copy nor a clone. They share a similar film transport design and a similar lens mount. The Fed 1 was closer to a copy of the original Leica. The Fed 2 released some original improvements over both models.

[@yipyipoman]

Wrong… the later fed 2 you could change the shutter any time… not the early fed 2. The one with the high flash socket and self timer is a later one… best to be careful a lot of cameras of this era have the same problem… kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJnVi4KZqcdpnqMsi=4gI-gpSZ0s4ULR-N

[@xsync336]

@@yipyipoman I'm just going by the information in the original user manual that was included with this camera. And since there are different variations of the camera that most people are not aware of, it's better to give safe information. These cameras are remarkable machines of their era that can easily go another 100 years. )) Thanks for your clarification.

[@Mordokraken]

USSR is not Russia, and FED2 made in Kharkiv Machine-Building Plant "FED" ( Ukraine) :)

[@neilpiper9889]

this has no slow speeds so need to be concerned about that cocking rule procedure on this model.Also you said film speed when you meant shutter speed. Just saying

[@xsync336]

The original camera manual does state to advance shutter first.

[@martirpeperino]

Not russian, soviet, made in Ukraine. Cheers!

[@mitkotasev1306]

The first capital of Russia was Kiev.

[@youtubeshit]

не в Украине а в Харькове.

[@АААААА-д9н]

Всё правильно. Камера сделана в России Советской (В СССР)

[@JustAsPlanned1]

@@АААААА-д9н Харьков был в Советской Украине, а не России

[@JustAsPlanned1]

@@АААААА-д9н Неуч, Россия называлась РСФСР, это любой идиот знает. СССР это союз республик. Нельзя называть СССР страной какой-либо национальности , в названии даже её упоминания нет.