hotshoe and the meter settings rings just above the viewfinder. All meter settings are made with
these controls and windows.
First, hold the camera normally, with the lens pointed away. Choose the correct film speed by
setting the correct GOST (label looks like "roct") number at the engraved marker on the innermost
ring of the meter scale. GOST conversions are found at
GOST
. Now point the camera at the subject
and note the number under the needle in the match needle window. Turn the outermost ring until
the match needle number appears in the small window. You may then select any F-stop and shutter
speed combination which appear opposite each other on the outer shutter speed ring and the next
inner ring.
Example - GOST setting is 250, match needle reads "5", combinations of f2.8 and a shutter speed
of 1/500th should give a proper exposure. So should f5.6 at 1/125th as well as f11 at 1/30th.
The Fed 5 meter is a selenium meter, has no battery, and cannot be turned off.
USING THE VIEWFINDER/RANGEFINDER
Now note the bright "spot" in the middle of the viewfinder. This is the rangefinder. It will provide a
spit image of the object in your viewfinder. Rotate the focus ring left or right until the split image
merges into a single image. If this cannot be accomplished, you are too close to the object for that
particular lens.
What you see in the viewfinder is not exactly what the film "sees." At normal distances, and with the
"normal" 50mm lens, there is little difference. Change to a wide angle or telephoto lens, or try and
move in close and other factors come into play.
Many, though apparently not all Fed 5's have a "brightline" type viewfinder. The Fed 5 viewfinder
has a field of view roughly comparable to a 50mm lens as seen inside the outer brightline frame. If
your Fed 5 does not have a brightline frame, your field of view is somewhat wider than a 50mm
lens. If you use a wider lens, say a 35mm, you will capture somewhat more than you can see
through the Fed 5 viewfinder. Conversely, longer focal length lenses take in smaller and smaller
areas, until at 135mm the lens may see only the area encompased by the rangefinder dot. The
solution here is to use one of the many available auxiliary viewfinders. These come in both
dedicated (a single viewfinder to match a single focal length), multiple brightlines, and adjustable
varieties. These are inserted into the accessory shoe and will provide the proper field of view for the
lens desired.
When moving in for a closeup you run into the problem that the lens is in the middle of the camera,
