FED (1), vintage Soviet rangefinder camera
 35 mm, #565494, M39 (LTM) mount
"FED" plant, Kharkiv, USSR, ca.1955

For parts or repair. Shutter works not properly, is fires when you remove the finger from release button at 1/100, 1/250 and 1/500. At 1/50 and longer curtains move extremely lazy. Body has signs of age. One screwbolt is absent on the front. One hook-end for the film cassette is absent (see last photo). Lens and take-up spool are not included, body only.

History of the camera
This camera is the first camera produced by "FED" plant since 1934 till 1955. It is the full copy of German Leica II. "FED" plant was named after Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky , Polish and Soviet Bolshevik revolutionary, leader and statesman and originally was a labour commune of homeless chidren. It was led by a famous Soviet teacher Anton Makarenko  who founded this plant in 1927 in an agricultural labour commune.

Initially plant produced drills but later copied German Leica II which was very successful and was an example for copy in many countries.

Camera has aluminium stamped body with removeable rear cover. Camera can use standard film cassetes and dual cylinder cassettes from Leica. 

Shutter is with horizontal moving cloth door. Shutter speeds were 1/20, 1/30, 1/40, 1/60, 1/100, 1/200, 1/500 and B (marked as Z).

"FED" camera had default foldable lens "FED" 3.5/50, after the WWII default lens was "Industar-10" 3.5/50.

This is the after-war variant of the camera (type 1f) which was produced since 1949 till 1953, most likely in 1948 or 1949.  Serial number is on the front, upper cover has inscription "FED/plant named after FEDzerzhinsky". Release button is solid (does not have a carving for cable, which was introduced in 1952), removable bottom has a stiffener.

Viewfinder and rangefinder are not united. Rangefinder base - 38mm, viewfinder magnification - 0.44x, rangefinder magnification - 1x.

Camera had neither flash synchrocontact nor self-timer. Synchrocontacts can be mounted in camera repair shops or hand-craft. External self-timers were produced.

Camera became base for rangefinders "FED-2, -3", "Zorki", "Zorki-2", "Zorki-C", "Zorki-2C", SLR "Zenit", "Zenit-3" and many others.

Characteristics:
S/number - 565494
Frame size - 24x36.
Shutter speeds - 1/20-1/500, B
Type of thread - M39x1/28.8
Body - aluminium.
Dimension - 135x70x50 mm
Weight - 410 g