A month ago I posted about buying a FED 5 rangefinder and promised a follow-up post about it. Well, here it is.

This camera is a beast. It’s heavy and clunky. My girlfriend suggested I call it “The Comrade,” and that’s acutally not a bad suggestion. Its shutter button is in an awkward position. Releasing the film and rewinding it at the end of a roll is a cumbersome undertaking. And I’m only so-so on the Industar 61 lens (a 55mm / f2.8) that came with it. But it gets the job done.

My girlfriend suggested I call it “The Comrade,” and that’s acutally not a bad suggestion.

I ran with a roll of Kentmere 100 rated at box speed. I developed in Rodinal 1:25 for 6:45 at 73°.

I’m glad I bought it, and I’ll probably use it again. But it won’t be a the top of my list of favorites. I have another Russian camera in my collection I’ll be using for the first time in the near future. It’s the Zorki 4. More on this camera later. Both my Fed 5 and Zorki have the same lens mount as my Canon P. This allows me to swap lenses between the three bodies, and I like that. I’ve had a Kiev (which I think is Ukrainian) on my list of cameras to maybe buy, but it has a different lens mount and wouldn’t slide into my collection with a group of lenses ready to go and compatible with it. Still on the fence about a Kiev.