Category: photography

Alas…

For those who caught this earlier, I ordered a very unique medium-format Soviet-era camera – the Iskra. Unfortunately, after receiving it and testing it out, I found a mechanical problem with the shutter release mechanism (ie. it won’t take pictures). So, I’ve sent it back to the eBay seller for him to repair. Quite frustrating, but I’ll be patient and wait…

I did it. I ordered it. My first medium-format (6×6) camera: the Iskra (or искра in Russian, meaning “spark”). I wait for it. Info on this camera here and here. It was reasonably priced (I swear) and since I was looking for an introductory medium-format camera to work with I figured it was the best.

From J. M. Serrano’s site:

This extraordinary Russian folding 6×6 rangefinder medium format camera, fundamentally inspired on the formidable elite camera Agfa Super Isolette, made between 1954 and 1957 (known as Super Speedex in United States), owes its name to the underground newspaper founded by Lenin in 1900, whose letters in cyrillic characters appear engraved in red colour and in a prominent size on the front of the camera, just on the block constituted by lens and bellows.

A total of 38,722 units were made between 1960 and 1963.