Moskva 2

GrahamNR17 · Expire: 2012-09-06

It arrived today, complete with instruction manual (in Russian) dated 1956.

It is quite an impressive looking camera. The small lens on an arm above the lens moves when focussing and it in-line with the rangefinder on the body. All shutter speeds work fine, except when cocking the shutter at 1/250th which doesn't latch properly. If I cock the shutter at 1/100th and then move to 1/250th it is fine. I can live with that. The lens is bright and clean too, so that is good news.

Can't wait to use this one Very Happy

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

Hey! It's a Super Ikonta doppleganger - more tooling and blueprints from Jena I suppose. Verrrrrry nice indeed.

All you need now is your trusty Weston, a roll of Tri X, a bottle of Rodinal, and some rainy weather and wet streets - and you're safely back to the 1950s. "Travel through time with Yesterday's Photographic Heroes".

Happy snapping !

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

That is one nice camera. Looks like the rf might even be usable for someone with glasses?

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Nice! I look forward your result!

GrahamNR17 · Expire: 2012-09-06

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

Very nice condition. I've heard they're good and some results I've seen back that up.

PaulC · Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 2318

Here is its younger brother, the Moskva 5, 1959 manufacture, which I got last month from Grizzlybear33. She seems to have lots of them available for about $90 which is an absolute steal (there's a "mint condition" one on her list now, which this one wasn't).

And here is a sample of its output:

And here is a crop from that same photo. The scan was sized to 60MB, the same output size as a 22MP digital camera (Fuji Reala 100 film, scanned on an Epson v500 - the quality can probably be further improved by mounting the neg between glass before scanning and, of course, by using a finer-grained film):

I reckon you could print the full frame to glossy-magazine double-page spread standard and (if the subject was more interesting) the ordinary reader wouldn't notice that it was different.

There is an interesting Moskva page here http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/moskva5/ - the guy reckons they were considered professional quality cameras in their day.

GrahamNR17 · Expire: 2012-09-06

Nice acquisition Cool

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Congrats! I wish to see more samples in Gallery.

PaulC · Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 2318

While I think of it, this is a great line of cameras if, like me, you are left-handed and left-eyed. It's one of the few models where you use your natural hand for shooting and - more significantly - don't have your thumb stuck in your right eye and your nose squished against the camera body when composing.

Here are a few test photos shot with the 6x6 mask in place - is there a Moskva 5 gallery as such? Do you put them into the different galleries, Attila, or do we do that? I suppose these would be Industar 24 105/3.5, but the camera body is important with these old folders, too.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

I think good idea to make for them a Moskva 2 and a Moskva 5 thread in Gallery.