The production of the Sokol-2 camera was launched in 1977. At that time, ‘Sokol-2’ was the most advanced automatic camera with a 5-program automatic mechanism that independently chose both shutter speed and aperture. This could be done by other cameras, for example, ‘Zorkiy-10’. However, it was impossible to guess what parameters the primitive one-program machine ‘Zorky’ would choose, and there was always a risk of getting a defective frame.

Sokol-2 was the only Soviet automatic machine that allowed one to independently select one of five shutter speeds and, at the same time, go beyond the available aperture range by automatic program shift. To top it all off, the camera showed both shutter speed and aperture in the viewfinder in small but clear numbers. Such miracles of technology in those years were a rarity even in Japanese cameras, and the success of LOMO engineers was deservedly awarded with a Gold Medal at the Leipzig Fair.