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Created 4 April 2009 ... Updated 4 April 2009

Smena

A bare Smena was the name of the first series of Smena cameras. The aim of Lomo was to produce cameras for the masses, which implied inexpensive, basic cameras.

Smena cameras are currently still sold under the Lomo name. Of course these do look entirely different from the first Smena camera of the series and look a lot cheaper. Even though it's apparently not a great picture taker, I somehow like this camera. It looks somehow a lot older than it really is, probalby due to way the shutter assembly is put on, but on the other hand, it does look like a 1950s camera with it bakelite bodywork.

My Smena is the Type 2, built during the late 1950s up to 1960 and still works like new. The shutter works fine, the aperture is clean and the only issue is that the spirit level has dried up. A shame because the feature is nice and not often seen, especially not on a camera for the masses.

Specifications

Manufacturor : GOMZ Leningrad (LOMO)

Model : Smena

Type : 35mm view finder camera

Produced : 1953 (Type 1) - 1960 (Type 2)

K.D. Müller Reference : K 95670

Film : 35mm (Type 135)

Picture size : 24 x 36 mm

Made in : USSR

Material : Bakelite with a metal frame for the film gate and lens mount

Lens : T-22 Triplet F=4cm 1:4,5, serial# 55198281

Filter mount : approximately 16 mm

Focusing : manual focus ring

Focus range : 1,3 meter - inifinity

Viewfinder : very small

Shutter : Leaf shutter. 1/10 - 1/200 second and Bulb

Shutter operation : The shutter is built just like the old compur shutters where you first use a lever to tension the shutter, then another level or a release cable to trip the shutter. There is a button on top of the camera which looks like a shutter button but on my camera it does not work, so it might not be a shutter button after all.

Aperture : f/4.5 - f/22.

Self timer : none

Exposure : manual

Exposure meter : none

Battery : none

Flash : Cold shoe on top of the camera but no flash contact. So it seems that no automatic flash is possible.

Case : A nice brown good quality leather case came with the camera, possibly as option extra?

Dimensions : 120 x 75 x 35 mm (W x H x D)
120 x 75 x 62 mm including lens

How to open the film compartment : Slide the lever on the right hand side, then carefully open the camera. Bakelite it pretty brittle and when you're not careful, you might break off part of the camera body's left hand side.

Self timer : none

Spirit Level : a nice big spirit level sits on top of the camera, a nifty feature!

Collection status : to be sold

Smena weblinks

Smenas at Rus-Camera
Information about all Smena models produced.

All photos copyright of M. Koning 1997 - 2009

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