KMZ Iskra-21963

History

KMZ introduced the original Iskra in 1960 as a refined 6×6 folder with a coupled rangefinder - a meaningful improvement over the zone-focus Soviet 120 cameras of the period. The Iskra-2 arrived in 1963, continuing the design with the addition of a selenium meter cell mounted on the top plate. This followed a common international pattern: German folders like the Voigtlander Bessa 66 and various Agfa models added meters to base rangefinder designs in the late 1950s. Production of the Iskra-2 ran until roughly 1970, ending the Iskra line. No Iskra-3 followed; KMZ's medium-format attention shifted to other projects.

Why It Matters

The Iskra-2 is the more practical version of an already capable camera. The selenium meter, while uncoupled, removes the need for a separate light meter when shooting medium format with no experience estimating exposure. Selenium cells of this era often fail - the cell oxidises with age and produces low or zero output - which means many surviving Iskra-2 bodies have non-functional meters. When the meter works, the camera is a genuinely usable medium-format system. When it doesn't, it functions identically to the original Iskra. The Industar-58 resolves well at f/5.6 and smaller; wide-open shots at f/3.5 show soft edges typical of the Tessar formula in this era.

Lenses & Accessories

Fixed Industar-58 75/3.5. No interchangeable lens system. A standard PC sync socket accepts flash. No accessory shoe in the conventional sense; external accessories attach via an adapter. Filters thread onto the lens barrel at 49mm .

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Soviet advanced amateur and journalism use, mid-1960s to early 1970s.
• Noted in Soviet camera collector literature as the more usable Iskra variant due to the integrated meter.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Iskra - covers both Iskra and Iskra-2 variants
• Sovietcamera.com: Iskra - collector notes and variant identification