The
Chaika (Чайка) was a series of Soviet 35mm half-frame cameras produced
from 1965 to 1974. The name came from the call sign of the first woman
in space. Over 2 million Chaika cameras were made. There were 4 models:
Chaika (1965-1967) made by MMZ
Chaika II (1967-1972) also made by MMZ
Chaika-2M (1972-1974) made by the newly founded BELOMO
Chaika-3 (1971-1973) with selenium meter (and without "B" speed) also made by BELOMO
The model presented here is the Chaika 2M.
It is a completely manual camera, focus,
speed and aperture have to be set manually. It has a Tessar-type
Industar 69 lens of good quality. The lens has a M39 screw mount, but
the FFD is not compatible with other M39 lenses, it was meant to be
used as an enlarger lens as well, but the enlarger has never been
built. As my camera lacked a lens in the viewer, I replaced the viewer
with a spare part from a broken camera that somebody kindly gave me for
free. So there is a glimpse into upper part at the very end of the page.
Like
most half frame cameras, the Chaika series cameras are vertically orientated, so it's portrait
mode. They are similar to the Agfa Parat series, but no close copies.
The camera's main features are:
35mm film half-frame camera, picture size 24 x 18 mm
Lens: Industar 69 1:2,8/28 mm, 3 elements, F2.8-F16, min. focus 0.8m
Shutter: 1/250 - 1/30, B
Strap/tripod socket on the side, flash cable socket, no cable release socket, accessory shoe, luminous framefinder with parallax indication
Size 113 x 83 x 53 mm, Weight 363 gr
Some pictures of the camera:
Front. Big viewer and lens. Around the lens: aperture setting via the inner ring.
Shutter button towards the top, flash cable socket near the bottom. Strap.
Back
view. Finder, luminous frame and parallax indications. Film advance via lever at the bottom. Back opening tab on the left side. The rear lens in the finder is missing, see the very end of the page.
Seen from above. Accessory shoe, Speed setting via wheel with film speed indication in Gost, ASA or DIN.
Seen
from below. No tripod socket (would be necessary for B mode). You could
use the strap socket. Rewind release. Film counter (near 0 in the picture), rewind
wheel.
Camera
back open. There is plenty of room wasted, one could build smaller. The number doesn't indicate a production year.
The detachable lens has an impressing DOF. It sticks out less than
2 cm and it weighs only 45 gr. So it's an ideal street lens for a small
electronic camera. However it has to be modified, if you are interested
in more information, look at this site
(link opens in a new window). Most of the lenses finished that way and
that's why there are so many cameras for sale without lens.
The Chaika 2M is a camera easy to handle. It
takes
sharp pictures. Spacing is not tight, so you get 72 photos from a 36
roll. It's mainly for outdoor photos as there are no longer speeds.
There is a flash socket, so
interior photos are possible with a flash. Night photos are possible as
well, as
there is a B mode, but there is no cable release. So it's a personal choice if you
take the II or the 2M. The 2M has a much better finder and it has an accessory shoe for a flash or a tiny shoe meter.
Seen
today's film prices, a half frame is a nice idea. There is not so much
choice if you want one. This one is one of the better choices, not
expensive at all and it's a real camera, not a Lomo style
gadget. As there is an accessory shoe, you can install a tiny
shoe meter, use a smartphone app or rely to the sunny 16 rule. The
latter is easy, just try it for one film. Modern film is very flexible,
you will have results that are fine. So this is an easy camera and
it's much fun to play around with it.
3 Chaika models.
And, as promised, a glimpse into the upper part of the camera. My
camera
lacked the rear lens in the viewer. The viewer system is a single solid
part with 2 lenses and a mirror system for the luminous frame. I
replaced the viewer with a spare part
from a broken camera that somebody kindly gave me for free.
The access is
easy. There are only 3 screws, 2 in the back and one on the side. The
opposite side is held by the strap socket which has to be unscrewed as
well. Before taking the top off, note te setting of the speed dial, it
has to be the same when you remount the top.
The viewer system is held by the 3 screws of the accessory shoe. It's easy to take off and easy to remount.
Quite some gearing, nicely made.
The pin of the speed setting has to go into the hole of the gear.
Check, whether you haven't moved it. Put the screws and the socket
back. Done.
