Hello members,

Here is the photo of some Chinese rangefinder cameras with a fixed 40/2 lens. The lens is a national grade 1 lens and is said a copy of Summicron 40/2. 6 elements in 4 groups.

Lark 821 is the forerunner of Huaxia 821. Huxia 823 has added a hot shoe and multiple exposure feature.
HuaZhong at the back is a copy of Huaxia 821.



Zhang

This is Pearl River S 207, made on the imported Pentax K 1000 production line in late 1980's.



Zhang

This is an upgraded S 207, Mingca MCK 1000. Still a baisc all manual SLR with a K mount.



Zhang

West Lake is the model name of this well made compact camera.(1974-?) West Lake is a famous tourist spot in Hang Zhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang province.



Zhang

These RFs remind me the Olympus clones, 35RC and 35RD, with an advantage to mention in favour of Chinese: the location of the distance metering ring, which is closest to the body: Great!
With the mentioned Olympus there is no way to adjust the F/stop without jamming the previous focused distance ring.

Comrade Zhang, could you tell us more about these cute babies ?

Kind regards,
Ruben

Hi Comrade Ruben,

China produced many brands of fixed lens rangefinder cameras in the 80's but Huaxia series is remarkable for its 40/2 fast and sharp lens. Other similar cameras usually has a 40/2.8 or 45/2.8 Tessar type lens. Someone has compared a Sanyou brand camera's 40/2.8 lens to Nikon's 50/1.8 lens and the result is very close for sharpness. An article was published on a photo magazine for the test. And that 40/2.8 lens is only a 2nd grade lens by Chinese national standard. I have compared the 40/2 lens to a Canon FD 50/1.8, and the result of the 40/2 is at least as sharp as that of FD 50/1.8 at F8. In many way, the fixed lens rangefinder camera compared favorably to a LTM camera. It is easier to load,wind,rewind,and quieter. The most popular Seagull 205 is a favorite of many ameteur photographers.

Best



Zhang

Zhang:

I was browsing in the Chinese SY916 website:

[202.110.52.202]

for the Chinese Rangefinders. According to the descriptions of Huaxia 821/823, It seems that their viewfinders have design deficiency or problems and that would make accurate focusing (very) difficult. What is your opinion on this?

Kevin

Kevin,

The rangefinder of Huaxia 821 is not very reliable. But the brightness and contrast is fine. For the great DOF of the lens, the camera is quite tolerable for small focusing error.I think the Huaxia 823 is a better model. It is easier to focus because it has a focusing grip and it has multiple exposure feature.The coating of the lens seems a bit better for color prints.



Zhang

Zhang:

I asked my project manager who went back to China for 2-week vacation to get a Huaxia 823 for me from SY916. I got it last night and cleaned the view/rangefinder. It looks very good.

I have a question: there are 2 levers under the lens. One of them is self-timer. What is the other one (which is closer to the body) for?

Thank you.

Kevin

Zhang:

One more question: how to adjust the vertical alignment of rangefinder in 823? Thanks.

Hi Kevin,

That lever on the 823 is for multiple exposures, and that is why it is called a Huaxia 823. The verticle image of Haxia series is not easy to adjust and it is likely to go wrong even if you made it right. I usually don't bother with this and use the great DOF of the lens. At F8 or smaller, this camera can be used as a P/S and the image quality is still comparable to that of a SLR with a normal lens regardless of the rangefinder accuracy.

Cheers,



Zhang

Zhang:

Thank you. Yes, I found the vertical adjustment screw but I could adjust a little bit. I was surprised that the entire range/viewfinder assembly does not have a black "shield." I cut a piece of black paper to cover the entire R/F assembly and the viewing contrast is much improved. Now, I just need to load it with a roll of film.

Cheers;

Kevin