Smena 8

Cosmic 35 - English badged version of Smena 8 image by AWCam (Image rights)

Description

The Smena 8 was a plastic-bodied 35mm Viewfinder camera made from 1963 to 1971 by the LOMO company in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia - one of a series of Smena cameras. The Smena 8 is actually a modernized Smena 6 with a film rewind knob added (Smena 6 used two cassettes system); sadly, as opposed to the Smena 8m, the Smena 8 does not offer choice of working with one or two cassettes. It is fitted with a 40mm f/4.0 lens called T-43. Shutter speeds are B, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, and 1/250 sec, with flash synch (at all shutter speeds for electronic flashes, while 1/15 sec and B for flash bulbs). The shutter release can be locked down by turning whilst pressed (this feature unlocks the frame counter sprocket for winding the film back). The camera has a self-timer and a cocking mechanism that is not integrated into the film advance wheel. The Smena 8 was also sold as the Cosmic 35 and the Global 35 in English-speaking countries.

A further version of the Smena 8 was the Smena 9, which just had the self-timer deleted (it was basically the Smena 7 with film rewind knob added).

Specifications

Smena 8 "Great October 50" image by darerampage (Image rights)

Global 35 image by OZBOX (Image rights)

• Type: viewfinder camera
• Manufacturers: GOMZ/LOMO
• Year of launch: 1963
• Film: 35mm
• Lens: T-43 triplet 40mm f/4
• Shutter: leaf, manually cocked
• Shutter speeds 1/15 sec. to 1/250 sec. and B
• Aperture: f4 to f16
• Focusing range: 1 m to infinity
• Selftimer: mechanical
• Film transport: manual, without double exposure safety
• Tripod socket: 3/8"

Links

Cosmic 35 and cyrillic-labelled Smena (Смена) image by Just Plain Curt (Image rights)

• Smena 8 on SovietCams.com
• The Camera Site's Smena page
• Smena 8 on www.collection-appareils.com by Sylvain Halgand (in French)
• Cosmic 35 manual at Mike Butkus's site
• Smena camera versions pictured by darerampage on Flickr