In 1980 Moscow hosted the summer Olympics. The Games of the XXII Olympiad are well known for the controversy that surrounded them. Many nations staged a boycott of the games in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the year before.

Amid all this controversy it is often forgotten that there were some outstanding example of sporting prowess during the games. One of the little known surprises of the games was the Soviet introduction of a new event called Rangefinding.* The USSR was very proud of their Rangefinding cameras and decided to start an event to demonstrate the quality of their workmanship.

Team FED aka “The Rangerfinders”, won several gold medals for their amazing pictures and became heroes in the hearts of ordinary Soviet folk. We have decided to pay homage to these deadstock legends!

The Fed cameras are home-grown Ukraine all-stars. Manufactured from 1934 until around 1997, the Fed line was named after Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret police, the Cheka.

The in-built rangefinder device in Feds enables the distance from the observer to a target to be measured, so that the camera can focus.

Produced from 1934 – 1955 the Fed 1 was the camera that got this classic range started. With a body based on the Leica, the Fed 1 is a little gem of deadstock history. Smaller and lighter than later models, it is rumoured that the Fed 1 was an important inter-World War espionage tool.

For full specs and buying follow this link

We have managed to get our hands on 10 pieces of the collectable and sought-after Fed 1 so be first in the race to the LOMO online shop!

The Fed 3 is quite simply a handsome chunk of a camera, a favourite with the ladies and a true collector’s item. A more beautiful and better-looking Fed, you could not hope to find! The Fed 3 has the combined rangefinder and viewfinder, which became a feature in all models after the Fed 2. The rangefiner has a narrower base to make way for more shutter-speeds. The Fed 3 also boasts the famous Industrar 61 lens we are always harping on about!

Check out the Fed 3 in the shop to find out more vital statistics!

The 3rd competitor is probably the most enduring of the Fed team as it survived longer than any other Soviet made LTM camera. They were in production from 1977 to roughly 1997.

It is the Fed 5’s built-in light meter that makes it that a bit more special. There has been much chat about the Fed 5s being radioactive because of the Selenium used to operate the light-meter. To date no one has grown 2 heads after using the Fed 5 as the radiation exposure is much less than you would experience when taking a flight.

Check out the Fed 5 in the shop to find out more vital statistics!

This rather big fella quickly followed the Fed 5. The difference between them is the Fed 5b does not have a light-meter. By leaving out this feature the clever makers of Fed saw a way to offer the other modernised features to the Soviet people at a cheaper price.

The Fed 5b does include the gorgeous multi-elemented Industrar lens, which is renowned for its remarkable contrast, resolution and sharpness. It seems like the Soviets had a thing about radioactive compounds back then as the lens was coated with Lanthium (La) to reduce flair. Again, the exposure is so negligible you would be exposed to much higher levels of radioactivity hanging out your washing on a sunny day.

Check out the Fed 5b in the shop to find out more vital statistics!

The ‘5’ series was the last of the Fed rangefinders and they are all therefore deadstock legends. However, to commemorate the 1980 games the makers of Fed decided to bring out an extra special limited Fed 5b Olympic Edition. The camera stayed loyal to the Fed 5b model but added that exclusive appeal due to their limited production.

We are very excited to reveal that we have, through blood, sweat and mud-wrestling, got our paws on 10 of these Olympic Edition Fed 5bs – just for you! First come first served!

10 Pieces only! Check them now in our store!

You’ve got 5 days to get your images published in the upcoming Diana+ book!!

Thanks to the excellent submissions of three esteemed Lomographic authors, we have a trio of primo stories for you to quickly digest. We’re putting the final touches on the new Diana+ book (scheduled for release in early 2008), and all three stories will be featured inside. Which means we need images from YOU to illustrate these Vignettes, and we need them FAST. Scour your archive, shoot ASAP, and get that stuff developed, scanned, and uploaded. The deadline is Tuesday, November 14th! That’s just a few days away!

We’re looking for the best of the best! All accepted images will earn 5 piggypoints per image and a shot at being immortalized in our upcoming Diana+ book. Not only that, but the first place winner for each vignette will receive a shiny Lomo LC-A+ camera! Get on it!!!

www.lomography.com/diana/diana-vignettes