[Marxism] Post Soviet Decline, the photo equipment case

[Jon Flanders <jonathan.flanders@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

In my aging years I have become a small time camera collector. Partly
because all the 35mm classics are now being dumped for digital
equipment.

One field of camera collection is former Soviet equipment. Zenits,
Zorkis, Kiev's, Iskras, Moskvas, and of course the Fed, named after
Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the KGB.

The Fed was an almost exact copy of the early German Leica. There is a
famous picture of Picasso with a Fed hanging from his neck.  I have a
couple of them, and they are fun to use, despite the worn out shutters
that tend to "cap" if you don't pick the right speed.

Sadly, the post-Soviet era has seen a steep decline in the FSU/Ukranian
camera industry, which is desribed in a poor translation here.
http://www.dvdtechcameras.com/info/4.htm

I am sure the FSU is now over-run with cheap digital equipment made in
China and elsewhere.

You can see  good pictures of the classic Fed 2, and the ridiculously
low price these cameras now get on EBay here. Of course, the price of a
couple of cameras might be a month's salary for a Ukranian or Russian
seller.

http://cgi.ebay.com/FED-2-Russian-Soviet-35mm-Rangefinder-Camera-Leica-copy_W0QQitemZ7627347363QQihZ017QQcategoryZ15234QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Jon Flanders



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