This Soviet ‘sniper’ digital camera appears extra like a rifle than a pictures device and as soon as bought for $63,000!

In 1952 the Russian digital camera maker KMZ introduced out its Zenit (ЗЕНИТ in Cyrillic) SLR, based mostly on its earlier Zorki rangefinder fashions. Many fashions have been produced over the next years and all have been cheap cameras of strong building, if considerably missing in finesse and manufacturing continued up till 2005.

However, in 1965 KMZ launched one in every of extra uncommon cameras ever made. The FS-3 FotoSniper. However, we’re getting forward of ourselves, for there have been two earlier variations of the FotoSniper, each referred to as the FS-2.

The primary FotoSniper FS-2, was produced between 1937 and 1943 by VOOMP-GOI, in Leningrad (now referred to as St. Petersburg), with a manufacturing run of slightly below 500. The digital camera was supposed for navy use and was out there in Olive Inexperienced, and Black. The lens was a GOI 300mm f4.5 whereas the physique was a FED fitted with a particular GOI mirror field, making it a rudimentary SLR. The entire thing was mounted on a picket gun-stock.

A second model of the FS-2 was produced by KMZ (close to Moscow) throughout 1944 and 1945, after the siege of Leningrad. KMZ produced fewer than 300 outfits with a KMZ Tair-3 300mm f/4.5. Once more, all for the Soviet navy.

The FS-3 FotoSniper had a Zenit ES digital camera physique (primarily an ordinary Zenit E physique, modified with a second shutter launch on the underside, so the shutter could possibly be launched by the pistol grip’s set off that was a part of the shoulderstock. Most, although not all, got here as a equipment, with two lenses, a 58mm f/2 Helios and an improved TAIR-3AS, 300mm f/4.5 telephoto. in a customized steel fitted case or (in later manufacturing) a fitted canvas bag. Focusing was achieved by use of a big dial mounted horizontally on the underside of the lens, which operated a rack-and-pinion system to slip the entrance parts out and in. Focusing was not as slick because the trombone focusing of the Leitz (Leica) 400 & 560mm Telyt lenses, or the Novflexar Observe-focus lenses, and the focusing could possibly be a bit stiff, because of the weight of the font lens meeting, but it surely labored.

The shoulder inventory was product of lacquered aluminum and round 98,000 FS-3s have been produced between 1965 and 1982. In 1982 a brand new, improved, FS-12 appeared. It’s primarily the identical because the FS-3 however fitted with the brand new Zenit 12S physique that featured TTL metering with stop-down measurement. Roughly 110,000 FS-12’s have been produced earlier than manufacturing resulted in 1995, with many being exported.

Over time many refined variations of each fashions have been made, with slight modifications to lenses, physique variants and circumstances, however all of them comply with these main patterns.

A single FotoSniper FS2 with an unmarked GOI 600mm, f 4.5 lens was made in 1943, supposed for reconnaissance by the Soviet Baltic Fleet. It had its personal reflex finder, so a FED rangefinder digital camera could possibly be mounted. However such a protracted lens proved to be unusable at sea and so was by no means put into sequence manufacturing. In 2021, this prototype bought at public sale, for €52.800, or about $63,600!

The extra frequent FS-3 and FS-12 FotoSnipers are available on the used market at comparatively low costs and are sometimes seen as an affordable method to get began in wildlife pictures.