This camera was the first soviet panorama camera to be put into full production. It uses a curved film plane and a sweeping lens to minimize distortion. These cameras used a special film cassette with the film moving from one cassette to the other. This makes rewinding unnecessary. If as is often the case, one or both of the cassettes is missing the camera is not usable. There is no source of cassettes and to get them you would have to buy another camera.
The front of the camera has no controls only a well where the lens is recessed. The top has all the controls for this camera. In the front left corner is the wind knob. In the left rear corner is a data plate containing in instructions for setting the semaphore shutter adjust. It is interesting that only three settings are shown and the fourth, which is 50, is not. Perhaps there just was not room. In the front center is a chromed lever set in a shallow well over the lens. This is the lens and shutter set lever. Behind this are the two chromed levers that are used to set shutter speeds. Centered behind them is the bubble level. In the right front is a chrome button for shutter release and behind it is a shallow well with a chromed lever for the film counter.
The back is a U shaped piece of metal. It has a black stamped metal viewfinder in the center and nickel plated clips on each side to attach it to the body. Inside the back is a curved metal plate covered with cloth which serves as the pressure plate. On the bottom of a three eights tripod bushing. Very first model had a spring tension adjust at the bottom. This is a dial numbered from 0 to 10. Its purpose is to adjust the tension on the timing spring to maintain shutter speed accuracy. It moves in one direction only and if it has reached 10 the speeds can no longer be adjusted.
Up for sale is second version of the FT-2. There are two main identification points for the second model. First there is no adjustment dial on the bottom and second the wind lever has two wings. The shutter spring assembly has been changed and the new design is much more reliable. If you want to use the camera this model is much more reliable.
Lens | Industar-50, focal length - 50 mm, f/5 |
Lens Mount | Fixed |
Filter Size | n/a |
Focus Range | 20 m to inf |
Shutter Type | Rotating slot |
| Shutter speeds | 50, 100, 200, 400 |
Aperture values | 5 |
Flash Contacts | No |
Picture counter | present |
height | 58mm |
width | 126mm |
depth | 88mm |
weight | 725gr |
| Self-timer | absent |
| Dioptric adjustment | absent |
IMPORTANT NOTE: standard width of the film frame in FT-2 is 110mm (3 regular frames). But most photo-enlargers allow to print from 2 frames only. That is why we put two additional elements into film channel (see last picture) to restrict frame width down to 2 frames. It allows to save much space of the film. These elements can be easily removed if you want to return to 3-frame width.
Both film cassettes are present. Pictured case is missing.
