Moskva-5
Contents
Description
The Moskva-5 (MOCKBA-5 in cyrillic writing) was produced by KMZ (Krasnogorskii Mechanicheskii Zavod or Krasnogorsk Mechanical factory) in the 1950s. It is said to be a copy of the Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta C, but it makes more sense to call it an adaptation. Unlike the Super Ikonta, its solid top plate has a built-in rangefinder and a dual-format viewfinder. The best thing about the Moskva-5 is the coupled rangefinder. A lever with a rotating piece of polarised glass is fixed to the lens plate. Focusing by turning the lens will rotate the glass, thus adjusting the rangefinder: very sophisticated. For accurate focusing, the two windows are 6.5 cm apart. The separate viewfinder has a larger field of view, which helps composing the picture. As stated above, a sliding frame in the viewfinder selected on top of the camera can be set to 6×9 or 6×6.
The back of the camera showing the year of production (1958), two red windows for 6×6 and 6×9 numbering, the rangefinder window (left) and the separate viewfinder window (right). The symbol to the left of the serial number is the Krasnogorsk company logo.
Dual Format
Super Ikontas were made for the 6×9 and 6×4.5 format. The Moskva-5 is a 6×6 and 6×9 camera. Since it has a fixed 105mm Industar lens, at 6×6 you have a mild tele at your disposal. To use the 6×6 size, you need to set the viewfinder to the square format. The film pressure plate is taken off to select the right window so you can see the numbering on the film back. The 6×9 red window is now blocked, so there's no room for confusion.
As a last step, the 6×6 mask has to be inserted. The camera locks right into its holes. Close the camera and you're ready to shoot.
Operation
The Moment 24c is a central shutter with speeds of B, 1 to 1/250s. To fire it, the film needs to be transported or the release button will be blocked, indicated by a red window on the top plate. To take a picture, press the button on the left of the camera top. The shutter isn't set by advancing the film; it has to be cocked at the lens by a lever.
