Description
The FED was the first Leica II(D) copy made in the Soviet Union. Its production started in 1934 and lasted till 1955 with an interruption in 1941-1946 during WWII. At least seven different variations of the FED are known.
This FED is a type 1d by Princelleor type 4 by McKeown. It is also known as FED-NKVD (CCCP). Production years 1939-1941. This is the most historically significant camera made in the USSR. A large and painful piece of history is engraved on its top plate.
FED, for Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky (AKA Iron Felix), one of the Lenin’s henchmen, founder of the OGPU-NKVD-KGB. Died in 1926 at age 49.
NKVD, for Narodny Komissariat Vnutrennih Del (Interior Ministry) – the organization responsible for millions of innocent lives. In the years of Stalin’s Great Terror (mid to late 1930’s), millions were arrested, tortured, executed or sent to remote labor camps with very little chance of survival.
Doug Uptmor –
As advertised, I found this FED to have an exceptionally smooth shutter and great build quality. It’s amazing what kind of pictures I’ve been getting from a pre-war FED built more than sixty years ago. What a great old camera! Yuri provides excellent, courteous communication, too. I highly recommend buying from Fedka.com.
Wen Li –
I bought this camera last week and Yuri told me that the one sample he has right now isn’t very pretty. He offered me a chance to get the YCCP instead. Camera arrived couple days after. Yuri’s service is top notch. We need more dealers who actually care about what they are doing. If you want an old FSU camera, Fedka is for sure your ultimate source.