Zarya (Заря)

Scale-focus, interchangeable lens camera from the USSR

FED-1: the Zarya’s ancestor

In the Soviet Union, two years after the 1932 introduction of the Leica II, the FED facility in Kharkov, Ukraine (today, Kharkiv) began production of a Leica II replica, the FED-1. It was ‘the earliest successful Leica copy, and the only one achieving any measure of success before WWII’ (McKeown, 1996).

More than 700,000 were made over two periods: 1934 to 1941, and 1946-1955. The production gap was due to the war.

**Glen Echo Park**, Arcade building. Glen Echo, Md. Zarya, 55mm f/2.8 Industar-61 L/D, HP5+, 2025.

FED-2: the Zarya’s parent design

After prototype builds, production of a new model, the FED-2, began in 1955. It was in production until 1970 and nearly two million were made.

The design of the FED-2, like that of contemporary Nikon rangefinder cameras, was influenced by both the Leica and the Zeiss Ikon Contax. It had a Leica M39 (LTM) lens mount and a cloth shutter, and a Contax-type body structure with a removable back and a two-key closure.

Dawn

Zarya (Заря) means ‘Dawn’ in Ukrainian and Russian. The camera is essentially a FED-2 variant with the rangefinder and self-timer omitted to save cost. Prototyping was done c. 1958 and production was from 1959 to 1961. The short production run suggests that the camera was not so popular.

The Zarya was a USSR domestic market model. ‘As a result it was, for a long time, unknown in the West’ (Princelle, 1995). McKeown (1996) describes the Zarya as ‘uncommon’.

**Porsche 911.** Bethesda, Md. Zarya, 55mm f/2.8 Industar-61 L/D, HP5+, 2025.

Zarya design

The Zarya is a viewfinder camera (no rangefinder) with interchangeable lenses. That’s unusual; viewfinder cameras are economy models and therefore they generally have fixed lenses.

However, the Zarya was not designed from scratch. It was developed from the FED-2 which had interchangeable lenses. If the design had been done from a clean sheet, I imagine a fixed lens would have been specified. But the motive for using a parent design is to minimize the work required for design, tooling, etc. Restricting design changes serves that objective.

The Zarya has a clean look. Labelling is in Cyrillic. Заря (Zarya) is in stylish cursive on the top, with ФЭД (FED) on the back, and Индустар 61Л/Д (Industar 61 L/D) on the lens. It’s my only camera with no Roman alphabet labelling. Even the Shanghai-made Seagull (海鸥), whose face plate is in Chinese characters, has other inscriptions in the Roman alphabet.

The Zarya in use

This is my newest camera and I have put only one roll of film through it so far, but I am delighted with the results. Handling and ergonomics are excellent, the viewfinder is large and bright, and the camera’s construction is solid. It’s a nice camera!

**Spring blossoms.** Bethesda, Md. Zarya, 55mm f/2.8 Industar-61 L/D, HP5+, 2025.

References / further reading

Camera manual: orphancameras.com When I last checked (6/4/25) there wasn’t a Zarya manual, but there was one for the FED-2. That can serve, since the Zarya is a FED-2 derivative without the rangefinder and self-timer.

More references:

Gustavson, T. 2011. 500 Cameras: 170 Years of Photographic Innovation. New York: Fall River Press. The 500 cameras are from the George Eastman House Technology Collection, Rochester, N.Y. The FED-1 is on p. 243.

McKeown, J.M. and J.C. 1996. McKeown’s Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 1997-1998. Grantsburg, Wis.: Centennial Photo.

Princelle, J. L. 1995. The Authentic Guide to Russian and Soviet Cameras. St. Helier, Jersay, Channel Islands: Hove Foto Books.