Russian folding cameras: which one to buy?

[fotomachi]

I'd like to buy a Russian folding camera... Which are the most reliable types? Moskva 1-5 or Iskra?

[Farside]

I was looking at this recently and found very little criticism of the Moskvas, don't know anything about the Iskras at all. The Moskvas seem to be well-regarded for what they are. The only real concerns I found were about the shakiness of the tripod mount and how to stabilise the lens assembly to avoid shake. The rangefinder mech seems to work well enough and focus issues aren't much of a problem, though film flatness could be.
It was for this last reason I decided against one - there's no point in putting a great deal of effort into setting things up for a wide shot when there's a fundamental flaw in the camera.

It surprises me that so many have survived for so long in such reasonable condition, but I suppose they were well taken care of, as they were very expensive items in their day and place.

[A G Photography]

I own a Moskva 4 (6x9) and it's very reliable and not so far inferior to the original Ikonta. The only problem I have is that I prefer to shot square lately but 6x9 is still very good for landscapes (and it's the same proportion than a 35 mm).

[themoleman342]

I don't know if you've looked at these before but I figured I'd send the links along anyways.

http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/moskva5/
http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/iskra2/

From what I can tell both are well made cameras and you can't really go wrong with either. I think the final choice is deciding which format appropriately fits your style.

~Marc

[Katastrofo]

Iskra is the one I would go after. Will probably be the next folder I get.