Did the Russian FKD View Cameras come in 9x12cm size?

[rossn4]

Hi, I have a camera that looks exactly like a Russian FKD view camera. It takes 9x12cm sheet film holders but when doing research on it all I can find are Russian 13x18cm and larger versions of this camera. Did they make a 9x12cm size or is this camera a different brand? The craftsmanship of the camera is excellent. I am including some pictures. Thanks for any info you could provide.

[Teodor Oprean]

Disclaimer: I don't know much more about this topic than you do, but I can confirm that the Soviet FKD was not made in the 9x12 cm size.

General rule of thumb: Most Soviet products were imitations of Western designs, so it is fairly safe to assume that the camera you have is the original that "inspired" the Soviet variation.

From what I can find by searching the web, the FKD was made primarily in these two formats: 13x18 cm (with Industar 210/1.5) and in 18x24 cm (with Industar 300/4.5). There was also a 30x40 cm FKD studio camera with stand, which seems to have been made in very few numbers.

Web source for the FKD:

http://www.photohistory.ru/1207248174899423.html

It looks like the Soviets deliberately avoided producing the FKD camera in the 9x12 cm format. My guess is that they did not want to have redundant overlap with the GOMZ Fotokor 9x12 cm plate camera which started production in 1930, the same year that the FKD started production.

Web source for the GOMZ Fotokor:

http://www.photohistory.ru/index.php...07248173726714

[Teodor Oprean]

Here is an English language page describing the GOMZ Fotokor:

http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?-1675629020

[Teodor Oprean]

The basic design goes back to 1860.

Source: http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Reisekamera

"Many travel cameras were made for the common plate sizes 18x24cm and 13x18cm, but smaller and bigger sizes were available. Student cameras were made for the smaller 9x12cm plate format." (emphasis added)

[Teodor Oprean]

It's amazing that dozens of manufacturers produced nearly identical versions of this type of camera.

"The Reisekamera's tailboard variant is, regardless of the maker, quite similarly built and of almost standardised design."

Same source as before: http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Reisekamera