Dong Feng
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| Dong Feng image by Russell Xie (Image rights) |
The Dong Feng (东风; East Wind) is a 2¼-inch square format SLR camera, a copy of the Hasselblad 500 C, made in Shanghai to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is frequently stated that the production of the camera was ordered by Jiang Qing (Mao Zedong's fourth wife, herself a photographer) personally, though an authoritative source supporting this has not been seen. The anniversary was on 1 October 1969, and a prototype was produced in '69. The camera was then made from 1970-73, though in very small numbers; notes on an example sold at an auction in Beijing state that only 97 were made.[1]
At least three lenses were made for the camera, also named Dong Feng; an 80 mm f/2.8, a 50 mm f/4 and a 150 mm f/4. The standard lens has shutter speeds up to 1/1000 second;[2] the other lenses both have speeds up to 1/500 second.
There is some variation in the style of examples seen on the Web. The camera is always covered in black leatherette, with chrome detailing. Some examples have a broad trapezoidal ridge on the front of the viewfinder hood, like that on the Hasselblad;[3][1] others have a smaller maker's badge on the finder hood.[4] One example has been seen with a black-finished lens.[4] Two styles of film-advance knob are seen; one black with a narrow ridged grip section and no folding crank,[1] the other with a broad, machined grip, striped in aluminium and black (like a zebra-striped Meyer lens), and with a folding crank.[4]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dong Feng with all three lenses, and hoods offered for sale by Beijing Poly International Auction Company on 4 June 2013 (listed on the Chinese-language Artron auction report site. Brief notes on the camera.
- ↑ Russell Xie, in the caption to his photograph of the camera states that the fastest speed only works at wide aperture, and suggests that it was added to outdo the specification of the Hasselblad.
- ↑ Dong Feng camera with the 80 and 150 mm lenses, sold at the 24th Westlicht Photographica Auction, on 23 November 2013. The auctioneer's notes suggest this may be the first copy made, since the camera body has no serial number, and the film magazine is numbered 701001.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dong Feng with small maker's badge on the viewfinder hood, and with black-finished lens, at sina.com.cn
