KMZ NKVD & KGB HALF FRAME CAMERAS
Before the end of WWII, the Soviet Union understood the importance of spying on its Allies, especially Britain and the United States. Stalin knew about the existence of the A-bomb before Truman did!!! So it's no surprise, that the Soviet Union developed concealed cameras. And having over-run more advanced photographic manufacturing facilities in Germany, Latvia and other countries, they had a lot to work with -- similar to their rocket projects, post war.
For their spy cameras, the Soviet government turned to KMZ, which initially produced a small camera with a revolutionary (in the sense that it had never been done before), electronic (AKA, battery-dependent) film winder around 1945 -- referred to as the UFA (Universal Foto Apparatus). This undoubtedly made the camera very quiet, but prone to problems, so they switched to the German Robot style of spring-loaded film advance with their new models, called the AJAX. Little is known about these undercover cameras -- they were undercover, after all, and it evolved over time with models like the Ajax 8 of 1948, Ajax 9 in 1949, the Ajax 10 of 1950, and the Ajax 11 in 1951, for example.
Not to be confused with the later ZENIT MF-1, although that is VERY easy to do (see below), the MF-1 was
a KGB spy camera from the 1950's Soviet Union.
It was originally made for the KGB -- in a separate area of KMZ. Although it has a typical half-frame image
-- 18x24mm -- it is horizontal on 21mm wide film, not vertical on 35mm film, as with other half-frame cameras.
It uses a special double lobed cassette for the 21mm wide film.
It undoubtedly was made in different configurations, but typically has a 28mm (f2.0) lens, and speeds of B, 1/10,
1/30, and 1/100. Some or all have a silent spring motor drive. No viewfinder. The winding knob on the
top makes it look like a miniature Robot camera.
Made from the 1950's to the 1990's. It is an only slightly different version of the MF-1, and as
with the MF-1, different models were made.
For example, some had a built-in meter (CDS), fixed-focus (f2.9) lens, remote control, etc. Various
lenses and accessories were available.
One version is called the F-21 Button Camera -- an ingeniously concealed version of the CdS-metered model
of the F-21. A special housing with a remote-control release attaches to the front of the camera. The camera
remains concealed while the front projects through a buttonhole. A coat button conceals the lens -- and splits
open momentarily as the photo is taken. It uses the same film cassette as the MF-1.
The serial number starts with a "T", like the MF-1, but it now appears on the front of the camera
instead of the back.
(1994) Not to be confused with the ZENIT MT-1 (visit our HALF FRAME CAMERA section.),
or the earlier MF-1, although that is VERY easy to do (see above), the ZENIT MF-1 was the KGB F-21 spy camera slightly
re-designed for sale to the general public.
Like the F-21, it has no viewfinder. The winding knob on the top makes it look like a miniature Robot
camera.
Although it has a typical half-frame image -- 18x24mm -- it is horizontal on the 21mm wide film, not vertical
as with other half-frame cameras. It uses the same special double-lobed cassette for the film as the F-21.
In the mid-1980's, progress in electronics had advance sufficiently that KMZ resurrected the electronic motor and an updated F-21 was born. Who knows, maybe there was an F-22 through F-26, as well. However, the Neozit only survived for a couple of years, and was replaced in the late 1980's by a slightly smaller camera, the Zakhod, which used 16mm film and took slightly smaller images -- 14.8x21mm.
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