Pass the RF - part 3 - UPDATE

And the unfortunate travelling FED's story continued....

Hi,

so here's a little update from dusty and hot Tashkent. I've been to Yangiobod flea market today looking at cameras; there were about four FED-2s, several Zorki-4s (one of them an rather obviously fake "50 Years of the Soviet Union" model), several FED-5s, a Zorki-1, a Zorki-6, and a number of Kievs and Zenits. So it's no problem getting a camera. Many of the cameras on display are in rather bad shape (dirty bodies, wrinkled shutter curtains from lying in the sun at 35 degrees every weekend, ...) so there was nothing that I would have bought right away, but I've got a couple of phone numbers. Incidentally, if any of you needs a bust of Lenin or a wall carpet with "Proletarians unite" embroidered on it in Uzbek, this is the place to go.

I met the Armenian guy again from whom I bought my Kiev-88, he amazingly enough recognised me after three years and we got into chatting about rangefinders and he mentioned that he had a FED-2 and a couple of Zorkies in good shape at home as well as a Drug in like new condition (he says). On display he had a FED-10 (first time I saw that in the flesh), a couple of Zenits and binoculars and a Sverdlovsk-4 meter. He discouraged me from the late Zorkies, saying that their wind mechanism is "capricious" and that the older, simpler ones are the most reliable. Hmm. I don't know his price ideas yet, the Kiev 88 back then was pretty reasonable at $150 for the whole kit, but then times have changed and I've got to see the camera anyway. However, he seems to know his stuff and I've good experience with a camera from him. So I've got his phone number, too, and will visit him in the course of this week.

I can of course just buy the Drug and ship it round. Or another FED-2 for that matter. But it would be good to have feedback from Remy and RFF on that.

Philipp

Philipp emailed me to ask what to do. I suggested that if he can find a FED-2 (or a Zorki, as I don't have one yet :) ) in Tashkent, he get it, shoot it and send it on its way again. I'm too curious to see the photos from Tashkent. :)

Philipp, good luck! I know things will turn out right for the camera. I just hope you are OK. That's what matters most.

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