Chaika (russian: Чайка) was a series of

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...

half-frame camera A half-frame camera is a camera using a film format at half the usual exposure format. A common variety is the 18×24 mm format on regular 135 film. It is the normal exposure format on 35mm movie cameras. For still cameras using the 35mm fil ...

s produced by BELOMO from 1965 to 1974. The name came from call sign of the first woman in space -

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova ( rus, Валентина Владимировна Терешкова, links=no, p=vɐlʲɪnʲˈtʲinə vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvnə tʲɪrʲɪʂˈkovə, a=Valentina Tereshkova.ogg; born 6 March 1937) is an engine ...

. Over 2 million Chaika cameras were produced. All models of the Chaika cameras have metal cases. Chaika cameras share the following basic specifications: * Film used — 35-mm in standard cassette (135 type) * Frame size — 18×24 mm * Lens — Industar-69 (

Tessar The Tessar is a photographic lens design conceived by the German physicist Paul Rudolph in 1902 while he worked at the Zeiss optical company and patented by Zeiss in Germany; the lens type is usually known as the Zeiss Tessar. A Tessar comp ...

-type) ... mounted by LTM-like thread of 39 mm diameter. * Focal length 28 mm * Diaphragm scale from 2.8 to 16 * Focusing: 0.8 m to infinite *

Leaf shutter In photography, a shutter is a device that allows light to pass for a determined period, exposing photographic film or a photosensitive digital sensor to light in order to capture a permanent image of a scene. A shutter can also be used to all ...

... behind the lens * Adjustable shutter speeds 1/30 - 1/250 sec and "B" * Flash synchronisation Flange focal distance for the lens was shorter than the standard M39 mount used by early Leica and compatible cameras - 27.5mm compared to 28.8mm for Leica - and the lens will not focus to infinity on such bodies. The intention was to use the lens to enlarge the negatives, not interchangeability with other cameras or lenses.

Camera models

*Chaika (1965-1967) *Chaika-2 (1967-1972) *Chaika-2M (1972-1974) *Chaika-3 (1971-1973) with selenium lightmeter and without "B" speed

External links

Antique Soviet Camera: Chaika camera

Chaika group at flickrChaika 3 Half Frame for the Space Age
Cameras Soviet cameras {{photography-stub