Yes, yet another Russian camera. This one is a rangefinder - a crude copy of the Leica II/III.

A rangefinder has a separate viewfinder, but a coupled split-image prism in the viewfinder allows you to focus. It has to be said that the prism on the FED is best described as 'subtle', but then I'd use an automatic camera if I wanted speed, right?

Russian cameras are a very inexpensive way to play around with different formats and styles of photography. I'd never shoot film often enough to justify a Leica or a Hasselblad, but you can pick up Russian copies for a tiny fraction of the price. They are not the same quality, of course, but at least they give you a taster.

Which is my only excuse for buying this. I just saw some photos taken with one, and idly googled it.

The problem is that I use Opera as my browser. Google searches are entered in the toolbar. Next to the searchbox is a dropdown menu telling Opera which site you want to search, so a single click replicates your search on ebay:

This is an extremely dangerous facility and must breach all kinds of health & safety and human rights legislation. I'm hoping some fellow Opera users will some day join me in a class action suit. Anyway, next thing I know, I've done a Buy It Now. FED 5C body. 55mm f/2.8 lens. Leather case. Shipping from Russia. Grand total: £21.50. Er, ok, guess I don't have to worry.

There are a couple of oddities about the 5C. First, as per the Leica design on which the camera is based, instead of a hinged back the entire back plate lifts off:

You just turn the very solidly-engineered clasps 180 degrees and then slide the back downwards.

Second, the film rewind clutch release is fiendishly well hidden! I literally turned the camera over and over looking for it without success, before doing a web-search to find the solution. There is a collar around the shutter release, and you use a thumbnail to depress this in order to release the clutch!

I'll post some samples shortly.