Zarya

Zarya is a Soviet zone focus camera produced at the FED factory and is a simplified version of the FED-2 camera.

Zarya is a fairly simple camera that was produced by the FED factory in Kharkov from 1959 to 1961. It is very interesting that Zarya is one of the few Soviet cameras that do not have a rangefinder or mirror device but have the ability to change lenses.

Zarya Specifications

• Type: 35mm scale focus camera
• Manufacturer: FED plant
• Production period: from 1959 to 1961
• Format: 24x36cm on 135 film
• Lens mount: m39 thread mount
• Lens: Industar-26 2.8/50
• Shutter: focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1/25 to 1/500 sec.
• Viewfinder: optical viewfinder
• Lighmeter: none
• Flash synchronisation: sync socket “X”, sync speeds from 1/25 s and longer.
• Selftimer: none
• Weight: 900 grams

In fact, the Zarya camera is a simplified version of FED-2. Simplification was achieved by removing the rangefinder from the camera. How expensive the rangefinder was and whether production was significantly cheaper without it is a mystery to us.

The Zarya camera was equipped with an Industar-26M 2.8/50 lens and had an M39 threaded mount. As we have said repeatedly, Industar-26 is a fairly good lens, not much inferior to the newer Industar-61 2,8/50 (according to other sources, 2.8/52). In addition, it should be recalled that Industar lenses were clones of German Tessar lenses developed by Zeiss.

The lens gives a fairly sharp image and good contrast. Of course, we must understand that, like all Soviet lenses, quality depends on the specific model. You can find both a perfect lens that meets the highest world standards and a terrible specimen giving very bad and blurry images.

Zarya was equipped with exactly the same shutter as in the FED-2 camera and has shutter speeds of 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/50, 1/25 and B. A not very large set of shutter speeds, but quite sufficient for more or less comfortable photography.

Like FED-2, the Zarya camera is made of a metal body and is sheathed with vulcanite. This design style is inherited from Leica cameras, copies of which were the first FED cameras.

The body is very comfortable, and it is very nice to hold it in your hands. All controls are in place, and the process of photographing with the Zarya is very pleasant.

As mentioned above, the camera does not have a mirror or rangefinder mechanism, so focusing is done using the distance scale on the lens. But to simplify the task, you can use a third-party rangefinder, mounting it on the cold shoe above the viewfinder.

The shutter cocking and film advancing knob is very convenient, and clearly inspired by Kiev rangefinder cameras. The shutter release button is very soft and comfortable. It has a thread for the shutter release cable, which greatly simplifies the task of photographing in the dark.

Conclusion

This is a very interesting and stylish camera, which is an unusual monument to the Soviet photography industry. Being one of the early Soviet devices, this camera has a fairly good quality. The Zarya camera can be not only an interesting instance in the collection but also a good tool in the hands of a photographer.

But of course, in addition to the Industar lenses, the camera can be equipped with an even better lens, for example, Jupiter-8 2/50, which is one of the best Soviet lenses. This lens gives you stunning shots with a very nice vintage effect.

ZARYA PHOTOS