JE Labs
Rangefinder Photography
"Homage to the Leica II and the Russian and Ukranian clones it spawned"
I have always been fascinated by how things work and if I did not become a musician I probably would have become an engineer of some sort. Digital technology took over the audio world almost 20 years ago and now analog photography is on the verge of extinction and becoming the domain for a few devotees. But I am an analog man at heart who still listens to old LPs on a turntable through tube amplifiers driving horn speakers and use Bulova and Hamilton mechanical watches. So as long as 35mm film is available I will shoot with them.
My dad introduced to photography with his Yashica Penta SLR by the time I got to college I bought a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm/2 lens and eventually added a Vivitar 35-105mm zoom lens. In the mid 90s a friend traded a "user" Leica M3 with Summicron 50mm and 35mm lenses with a 12585 lens hood in exchange for a custom 300B amplifier I built. After using it for a while I was amazed at the quality of pictures it took compared to my Pentax K outfit. I decided it needed some tender loving care since the leatherette was falling apart and the shutter was not as quiet as M cameras are supposed to be so I sent it to Sherry Krauter for CLA and leather replacement. I was hooked on RF cameras. Eventually I acquired a used M6 mainly for the built-in meter and wide angle frame lines plus a couple more M lenses and then looked back to a IIIf with screw mount lenses. Before I knew it, I was frequenting camera shows and also discovered Russian Leica copies and Jupiter lenses. After that first GAS [Gear Acquisition Syndrome] attack, I stopped for several years and focused on my Audio/DIY hobby until....
Feds and Zorkis with slow speeds
FSU lenses and Accessory Viewfinders
Darkroom - cure for GAS attack?
DIY stuff
Clean Lubricate and Adjust - possible DIY solutions to hanging or tapering curtains without shutter disassembly
External link
Rangefinder Calibration at Jay Javier's site - applicable to later combined VF/RF models too
Help fund future R&D for more FREE information on this site.
Click on the above for my latest offerings.
Gallery of Images
B&W
click on image
Color
click on image
Link Resources and Forums
Fed & Zorki Survival Site - Jay Javier's great information on CLA and use of an FSU RF camera particularly the FED 1 and Zorki 1
Comrade Stoisha's Soviet Rangefinder - Amazing site for Fed and Zorki fans
Soviet Cameras - a must visit for FSU camera information particularly on various types of Zorki 1
CameraQuest - Voigtlander/Bessa dealer with tons of information on Leica, copies and lenses, a must visit
Rangefinder Forum - Friendly and helpful bunch of people but not the place to hang out if your on the verge of a GAS attack
Leica Thread Mount - photo.net forum for Barnack users
Russian Camera at Best Stuff Forums - spend some time searching the archives for great DIY and collecting info
Stephen Rothery - and the Soviet Camera newsgroup
Night Photo - A great collection of rare FSU prototypes including a neat Zorki 35M and a Fed 6TTL
Other links
Comments: je245@myactv.net
