When purchasing a classic Leica always ask to view the inside of the camera. Engravings can be changed, but changing the fundamental structure of the camera is more difficult.
Notice the small differences in the interior construction of the Leica vs the Zorki copy. However one of the best ways to tell a FED vs a Leica is by looking for a couple small differences under the base plate as this set of images demonstrates.
#LEICA CAMERA SERIAL NUMBER LIST UPGRADE#
A camera registered as a Leica II could have had the slow shutter speed mechanism added to upgrade the camera into what appears to be a Leica III.
#LEICA CAMERA SERIAL NUMBER LIST SERIAL NUMBERS#
Though serial numbers can occasionally be confusing as Leica provided upgrade services well into the 1960’s. Leica cameras are well documented and serial numbered batches are easily found with a quick search online. Also check if the serial number matches for the model of camera. Such exotic pristine cameras are a sure give away. So what are some signs of a fake classic Leica? Most notably Leica did not produce a camera with a German Swastika, or as commemorative cameras for such events as the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There are fake “Leicas” altered with relatively high enough quality as to be considered serious fakes not just “art cameras”, but in most cases the work is still not good enough to fool the diligent Leica collector who knows what to look for. Many of these fakes are easy to spot with exotic colored faux leather coverings, chrome removed – polished brass ‘gold’ metal parts, serial numbering not consistent with Leica and exotic additional engravings such as German Swastikas or ‘Luftwaffe’ however not all the fakes are so easy to spot. Stupid Americans! Buying Zorkis with Leica engravings….HA HA HA HA.” But they must have done it with huge smiles on their faces, knowing they were defeating the American capitalists at their own game. “I have no idea who turned out these little gems, if it was one technician, a team of them, or a whole group of small competing companies. That is over 1.5 million Leica II look alike cameras produced by the Soviet Union’s FED and KMZ factories combined. An estimated 835,502 combined FED-Zorki and Zorki I cameras were produced by KMZ from 1948 – 1956. Zorki ( Зоркий, meaning “sharp-sighted”) is one of the most widely known Soviet photo brands. When FED returned to normal operation, KMZ continued to produce rangefinder cameras under the Zorki trademark. The KMZ plant started making the FED camera under a joint FED-Zorki logo in 1948. After the war, FED had troubles resuming production. Around 750,000 FED cameras were produced from 1934 to 1955, with a disruption due to the factory’s destruction during WWII. In 1934, true production began of the FED, a near identical copy of the Leica II. Dzerzhinsky (founder of the Soviet secret police, the Cheka’.) In 1932, a work unit was set up to plan the production of cameras. The FED factory in Kharkov, Ukraine was founded in 1926, and was named after Felix E. The records are well documented, and are a relative precise way to determine the age of a lens or a connected camera.Pictured is a Leica III, similar to the Leica II except for the addition of the slow shutter speed dial visible on the front of the camera to the left of the lens. The company Ernst Leitz in Wetzlar, Germany started adding serial numbers to their lenses in 1931. Leitz Summicron 5cm 1:2 Serial #1205718 (1954) on a Leica M3Īn early Leitz Elmar 5cm f/3.5 #102864 from 1931 on a Nagel Pupille