Note: This Moscow series camera article was written in my early years and sent to SY916, then the website was discontinued and the original article with pictures could not be found, so now the article is officially sent out, using my own picture data to remake the photos, the article is longer and sent out in two parts, this is the second one.
IV. Moscow (MOCKBA) - 4
The Moscow-4 camera is actually a bit unconventional, and it is also the most featureless and characterless of the Moscow series cameras. It certainly shows the casualness and bewilderment of the Muscovites when they designed and launched this camera.
There are two versions of the Moscow-4 camera, the early Moscow-4A and the late Moscow-4B.
The Moscow-4A model was only a hole in the back of the original Moscow-2 camera in appearance, i.e. a 6×6 shooting frame was added. But the shutter began to use the Moment-23C type, this shutter is not much different from the type 1, only the increase of the flash connection cable jack, since then the factory Moscow cameras can use the flash, everything else is still the same.
But to shoot 6×6 size film is only to add a 6X6 stopper clip on top of the original 6X9 (just like the 645 stopper of our Seagull 4B). But this can be inserted into the Moscow-2 6X6 film clip I have not seen a dozen Moscow-4A camera, it is impossible to describe what it is like.
Since the beginning of the Moscow-4 camera, the manufacturer has provided it with a very sturdy and delicate leather case. In recent years, I have hundreds of Moscow 2, 4, 5 cameras, but I have never seen a Moscow-2 leather box, although some Moscow-2 also comes with a leather box, but they are marked as Moscow-4 or Moscow-5, is it to the introduction of the Moscow-4A type manufacturers began to match the leather box? I wonder what the original packaging of the Moscow-2 was like.
The Late Moskva-4B camera is also similar to the Moskva-5 camera. The difference is that it still uses the same lens as the Moscow-2, namely the Indostar-32 (110/F4.5). Of course, the shutter is also used with the Moment-23C type, with the flash connection jack.
The Moscow-4 is an incestuous but non-"eugenics" child, and I found a problem when I carefully studied the production period of the Moscow series cameras: the Moscow-2 was produced from 1947-1956, while the Moscow-5 was produced from 1956-1960, and the two are perfectly compatible. . But in between there is the Moscow-4, the production period is 1955-1958, and then think about its function but so no new, can not be concluded that it is a "hybrid" camera.
It is the Moscow-2 production to the late stage, the Moscow-5 has been designed and trial production completed. If the production of Moscow-2 production Moscow-5 will be discontinued many spare parts, raw materials. And if we continue to produce Moscow-2, it is not suitable for the market (6×6 format may be popular in the Soviet Union at this time), so the clever Muscovites came up with this modern market consciousness (I say this is inseparable from the actual situation of the planned economy of the Soviet Union at that time) Now it seems that this kind of product consciousness may not be worth mentioning in modern society or in contemporary China, but at that time under the Iron Curtain But in the Soviet Empire under the Iron Curtain at that time, such ideas and market concepts were absolutely new and open.
So the Muscovites started working overtime to punch holes in the backs of the backlogged Moscow-2s, use the new Moment-23C lens shutter, change the base plate (with "MOCKBA-4" written on it) and insert a 6×6 film clip, and the Moscow-4A camera was born with a light board ......
Perhaps soon the Moscow-4A with 6X6 format would be sold out, so the production of the latest Moscow-5 camera was started, but the director of the material warehouse came to the factory director in a hurry, reporting that the inventory found a large number of shutter and lens combinations for the Moscow-4A camera had not been used up, while the original Moscow-2 body frame was not available. And this kind of shutter lens can't be used in the new product Moscow-5, the factory director had a brainstorm: "Then use the shell of the current Moscow-5 plus the lens of the original Moscow-2, and produce a new model Moscow." "What do you call it?" "Moscow-6 is not good, right, this Moscow-5 is still sold? And it can't be worse than one generation! Why not also call Moscow-4!"
The above statement is the author's fabrication and has no basis, but we are now seeing two styles of Moscow-4 type camera, which is certainly determined by the fact that it is a transitional product.
Moscow-4A camera information.
Painting size：6×9cm 6X6cm
Lens: Indostar-23, F4.5/110
Nearest focus: 1.5m
Shutter: Momeht (Momeht)-23C.
The lens has a flash connection cable jack.
Speed: 1-1/250 sec, B
Viewfinder.
Wedge Compensator Double Shadow Recombination Linkage Rangefinder
(top cover mounted folding stand type viewfinder)
Moscow-4B camera information.
Painting size：6×9cm 6X6cm
Lens: Indostar-23, F4.5/110.
Nearest focus: 1.5m
Shutter: Momeht (Momeht)-23C.
The lens has a flash connection cable jack.
Speed: 1-1/250 sec, B
Viewfinder.
Wedge compensator double shadow recombination linkage rangefinder.
V. Moscow (MOCKBA) - 5
The Moscow-5 was the most produced and closed production of the Moscow series. It is based on the mature Moscow-2 model discarded the seemingly less useful roof telescope type viewfinder, and instead opened a small viewfinder port on the upper right side of the body, in addition to changing the lens to the larger caliber N-24, 3.5/105mm, and the shutter to the Momeht (Momeht)-24C model. This shutter is based on the Momeht (Momeht)-23C type to increase the self-timer.
But don't underestimate this, but it took the Muscovites a whole decade to find the true feel of the Zeiss Ikon. I do not know much about the mechanical properties of this self-timer hidden in the lens shutter, but its technical requirements and production difficulties must not be small, otherwise the overbearing Soviets will not be polite, not because of intellectual property issues in imitation of the Zeiss Ikon camera to take in its eyes has been Lun for the grandchildren of the defeated German patent rights to take seriously, you can not see how many cameras in the former Soviet Union is copied from Germany, other aspects needless to say!
The Soviets in the Moscow camera is not not want to step in place, but limited to the objective conditions at the time, they chose to do within their means, from this point of view the Soviets are wise and rigorous, no blind mind fever may be the main reason for the final success of the Moscow series of cameras, look back at some of the cameras we developed in the 50s and 60s, some just have a prototype that does not know whether it can take pictures, some cameras factory can not play.
As a descendant who did not survive the special conditions at that time, I may not have the right to tell our respected forefathers what to do in the field of camera exploration, but I just feel that our forefathers were indeed a bit hasty and hasty. At least at this point we do not have the sanity of the Muscovites!
In addition to this, the Moscow-5 has reformed the back so that it can be taken off completely. The 6×6 film format was added to the frame, and a movable 6×6 film clip was installed on the body. Note that this type of film clip is not available on the Moscow-2 and early Moscow-4A models.
The Moscow-5 model adopts the 3.5/105 head of the sky plug structure, which can be said to be the same way as the Super Ikon camera eventually.
By this time, the Moscow was completely similar in performance to the Zeiss-Ikon, and had more flash connection jacks than the Zeiss-Ikon. But in terms of appearance, Moscow began to explore its own style, it eliminated the Zeiss-Ikon's folding mount telescope viewfinder. In fact, this is not Moscow's original, to this era this viewfinder basically changed to in-camera, is still widely popular in-camera flat viewfinder.
However, the Moscow-5 (and Moscow-4B) has a separate double-image recombination viewfinder and intuitive viewfinder, and all of them are on the right side which we are now very uncomfortable with. Because this camera is shooting two formats, there is also an extra 6X6 and 6X9 conversion twist on the intuitive viewfinder, and this direct viewfinder will have a lot of parallax when shooting at close range because it is too close to the right side.
The shutter and lens of this camera are identical and even interchangeable with the Zeiss (I have a Zeiss Super Ikon with a Moscow-5 lens), but it is superior to the Zeiss in that it has an additional 6×6 frame and flash connection cable jack. I also saw flash sockets on many Moscow-5 cameras, and they were mounted directly on the word "MOCKBA" on the top of the camera. At first I did not think it was a personal behavior, but then I saw more, and the same thing in the same location, I do not know whether it is the manufacturer added or a department of "modified machine".
Times are different, with the progress of light-sensitive materials, the fifties camera began to develop in the direction of small format, and the Moscow-5 is to meet this world trend, you know from 6 × 9 shot eight to 6 × 6 of 12, each volume can shoot a third more, the economic account is also very considerable, for a camera for the masses, this change will welcome how much of the market, welcome how many photography enthusiasts favor ah! But there are still not satisfied with the photography enthusiasts, there are many Moscow camera users themselves in the camera also dig a hole, and changed to 6X45 format, at once and can shoot 16 pictures. This kind of their own conversion of the "Moscow" is also often encountered.
Moscow-5 camera information.
Painting size：6×9cm 6X6cm
Mirror.
Momeht (Momeht)-24C type. f3. 5/105
Nearest focus: 1.5m
Shutter.
Momeht (Momeht)-24C type.
The lens has a flash connection cable jack. Self-timer.
Speed: 1-1/250 sec, B
Viewfinder.
Wedge compensator double shadow recombination linkage rangefinder.
"The Moscow series of cameras started with the Model 1 in 1946 and ended with the Model 5 in 1960. During the 14 years of production and development, these cameras were very successful. Even after four or five decades, most of these cameras can still be used today, indicating that its precision processing and the choice of materials is quite good, especially its lenses through the vicissitudes of the wind and rain over the years, but most of them are as bright as new, transparent coating, very few long mold and debonding, and even few abrasions and scuffs.
I don't know if there are other reasons for this, or if Zeiss people were directly involved in the production, but I would like to say that "Moscow camera people" are worthy of respect.
