"Start" is a Soviet small-format single - lens reflex camera manufactured by the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant in 1958-1964 . In total, about 76500 units [1] [2] were produced.
| Start | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type of | Single Lens Reflex Camera |
| Manufacturer | Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant |
| Year of issue | 1958 - 1964 |
| Lens mount | original bayonet mount with union nut |
| Photo material | Type 135 film |
| Frame size | 24 × 36 mm |
| Focusing | manual |
| Exposition | missing |
| Gate | mechanical, curtain slotted with fabric blinds |
| Flash | Sync contact (two sockets) |
| Viewfinder | wedge focusing screen , removable pentaprism or shaft |
| Weight | 1300 g (with a Helios-44 lens) |
“Start” was a higher-class camera than the Zenit models produced in the same years, and is considered one of the attempts to create a domestic professional photo system [3] . The camera was not widely used, mainly due to the relatively high price (125 rubles in prices after the 1961 reform [4] ) and the lack of interchangeable lenses for sale with this standard mount. At the same time, the design was not very reliable: out of ten instances of Start, which were tested in the magazine Ogonyok , not one worked for more than a month [5] . The advanced Start-2 model with a TTL exposure meter was not mass-produced.
Content
Technical Features
The main differences between the “Start” and other Soviet small-format “DSLRs” of those years were the interchangeable viewfinder and the bayonet mount of the lens with a semi-automatic pressure diaphragm . The shutter with an anchor delay mechanism worked out a full range of shutter speeds from 1/1000 to a whole second, which was also uncharacteristic for mass cameras. Such universality in the USSR was found only in medium-format Salutes , which were much more bulky and less suitable for reporting shooting on remote business trips. Despite the originality of the design, it clearly shows the influence of German Exakt cameras [6] . This can be said about two-cassette charging with a knife for cutting off a piece of the exposed film, and about combining the shutter button with the actuator of the pressure diaphragm in the tide of the lens barrel [2] .
According to the inherent capabilities, the “Start” roughly corresponded to the professional “ Miranda T ” and “ Topcon R”, which were released in 1955 and 1957, respectively [7] [8] . However, the complex design of the mechanisms required a high production culture, inaccessible to the civilian units of KMZ. In addition, the cost of optical-mechanical products of such complexity is significantly higher than that of the massive Zeniths . The retail price of even 125 rubles required subsidizing production at the expense of other divisions of the plant or directly from the state budget . Forced savings have led to low reliability of the camera and its lack of demand in the market of photographic equipment. An equally important role in the low popularity of “Start” was played by the lack of lenses with the corresponding mount: the M39 × 1 threaded optics with adapter [9] were used as interchangeable lenses. Production of "Start" was discontinued in 1964 due to the launch of the promising Zenit-4 line with a central shutter [2] .
Features
- The type of photographic material used is perforated 35 mm film ( film in Type-135 cassettes ). Instead of a receiving coil, a second cassette can be installed. The design of the locks of the sliding cover allows the use, in addition to standard cassettes with " velvet ", of curtain cassettes of the Contax type (in the USSR, the FKTs type) [10] ;
- Type of focal shutter - mechanical, curtain-slotted with horizontal movement of cloth curtains. Shutter speeds - from 1 to 1/1000 s (automatic), “ B ” (by hand) and long (not available when using a standard lens);
- The mirror is “sticky” type, that is, it lowers to the working position only when the shutter is cocked;
- The standard lens is Helios-44 2/58 mm with a pressure diaphragm mechanism: when you press the shutter button, it closes to the operating value. The diaphragm button, located on the lens barrel , is paired with the shutter release on the front of the camera like Exakta , Topcon , Alpa and Miranda cameras [6] ;
- The working section of the chamber is 42 mm;
- Pentaprism - removable, can be replaced by a shaft. The increase in the eyepiece of the pentaprism - 5 × ;
- The image size of the frame visible in the viewfinder is 22 × 33 mm [11] , which is much larger than that of the Zeniths;
- The type of focusing screen is frosted glass with Doden wedges . There were also screens without wedges, but they were not widely used;
- There are two PC-type sync contacts for connecting flash units : one for electronic (with a lightning bolt) and one for one-time ones. The sync speed with electronic flashes is 1/30 second (1/25 in the first issues [11] ). " Shoe " due to removable pentaprism is absent;
- The back cover is removable with two rotary locks. When the lid was unlocked, the locks automatically closed the two-cylinder cartridges;
- A knife for cutting the captured part of the film and a mechanical self - timer are provided;
- Tripod socket thread - 3/8 ";
| "Start" with the lens removed | "Start" with the removed pentaprism | "Start" with the rear panel removed | Release button device |
See also
- Diamond 103
- Praktina
Sources
- ↑ 1200 cameras from the USSR, 2009 , p. 226.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Alfred Klomp. The Start . Alfred's Camera Page. Date of treatment November 2, 2018.
- ↑ KMZ cameras, the story of “ZENITH” . The story . Zenit Camera. Date of treatment February 1, 2014.
- ↑ Prices for KMZ cameras
- ↑ Soviet photo, 1992 , p. 48.
- ↑ 1 2 KMZ cameras, the story of “ZENIT” . Zenit Camera. Date of treatment November 19, 2018.
- ↑ Orion / Miranda T (English) . Miranda Camera. Date of appeal October 10, 2018.
- ↑ Chris Sherlock. Topcon R Chris's camera pages. Date of appeal October 10, 2018.
- ↑ Soviet photo, 1957 , p. 43.
- ↑ Vladimir Rodionov. Cassettes for 35 mm film . Image in numbers . iXBT.com (May 1, 2009). Date of treatment November 29, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 Soviet photo, 1957 , p. 42.
Literature
- V. Dmitriev. Viewfinders and rangefinders in modern cameras (rus.) // " Soviet Photo ": magazine. - 1973. - No. 7 . - S. 38-40 . - ISSN 0371-4284 .
- G. Dorsky. The new Soviet camera "Start" (Russian) // " Soviet Photo ": magazine. - 1957. - No. 7 . - S. 41-44 . - ISSN 0371-4284 .
- Yu. Krivonosov. And we have known each other for a long time! (Rus.) // “ Photography ”: magazine. - 1992. - No. 1 . - S. 48 . - ISSN 0371-4284 .
- Suglob V.P. Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant // 1200 cameras from the USSR. - Minsk: “Medial”, 2009. - S. 40–234. - 656 p. - ISBN 978-985-6914-10-5 .