FED-5V is a Soviet rangefinder camera with interchangeable optics, replaced by the FED-3 camera, one of the most famous series of Soviet cameras. The “5-B” model was the simplest in this series and did not have a built-in exposure meter, as on other models of this line. It was produced from 1977 to 1991 of the last century by the Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky Kharkiv Labor Commune (Ukraine), which by that time existed as a large factory for the production of cameras and optical devices.

This model was the simplest in the 5th series and belonged to the category of available. And it’s not just about the price — this series as a whole is very unpretentious to use and even a beginner will figure it out. For almost 20 years of release, an incredible number of them have been produced and today this model is one of the most common in home attics, mezzanines and other hidden places with things from relatives.

The camera body is metal. Impeccable workmanship of exterior details and finishes. No backlash, no creaks. The gaps between the panels are minimal, the back wall reclines, but closes with two locks. The camera bodies had upper and lower parts made of electrochemically painted brass.

The camera is a typical rangefinder camera, although it has a number of features that greatly simplify the application. The first of them is a removable back cover. It seems wild, but the first Soviet cameras did not have it, instead it was possible to remove only the lower part of the case.

All controls are focused on the top cover. Here is a shutter speed setting disk, a shutter cocking and film pulling device drive, as well as a reminder of the film’s photosensitivity. The release button with the activation of the film winding mode back into the receiving coil is located between the shoe and the shutter cocking device, and the accessory shoe itself, in which flashes or various devices such as a revolver or a single viewfinder could be installed, is located at the highest point of the upper cover.

The film is loaded under the hinged lid, it is necessary to push and fasten the tail of the film in the receiving coil. Rewinding of the film is carried out using a retractable head. The frame counter is manual, there is no reset. The film is loaded under the rear removable cover.

The main disadvantage when working with a rangefinder camera was the inability to see the image from the lens. The rangefinder and the viewfinder were a separate system that provided only an informational representation of focusing. The depth of field was not visually possible to determine, so we used the depth of field scale from the lenses.