What is the condition like of this used item?

The condition of this item has been described as:

GOOD

• Heavy signs of use
• Full working order
• Has deep marks and clear signs of wear and tear
• No dust or fungus
• Film cameras - Light meter checked and operational
• Film cameras - Light traps checked and passed test
• Film cameras - Wind on mechanisms tested and operational
• Film cameras - Shutter speeds fully operational

The Smena Symbol (also marked "Смена Символ" "Smena Symvol", or called Cosmic Symbol) is a 35mm camera that features a LOMO T-43 40mm f/4 coated triplet lens. It was produced from 1973-1993 by LOMO in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia. Production estimates are in the 10s of millions. Export versions were available from German Foto-Quelle as the Revue 135 Symbol and in the UK as the Cosmic Symbol.

In essence, the Symbol is an improved Smena 8m with a film advance lever (replacing the knob) coupled with shutter cocking, which make the camera much faster and more convenient in use. Smoothly working shutter release lever replaced the crude button on top of the Smena 8M body, sadly the cord release socket was deleted. A flash is now synchronized by a hot shoe contact instead.

The lens - similarly to the Smena 8M - is equipped with symbolic scales: weather symbols as additional shutter speed scale, and the distance scale with distance symbols, meter values and feet values mixed. Below the lens tube is a second speed scale, a numeric one running from 1/15-1/250 + B. The weather symbol scale has a smart indexing system allowing double distance of the weather symbols compared to value distances on the numeric scale- that is, the weather symbols are apparently more widely spaced than the shutter speeds, which are on the same ring. The symbols are indexed by white squares appearing in holes beside the symbols; the holes are at two different distances from the body.

The aperture scale (inside the filter thread, so unusable if a filter is fitted), doubles as a film speed scale (marked in DIN and ГОСТ-ASA) when using the weather symbols to set the shutter speed.

If you would prefer a more detailed description, please feel free to call us and we’ll chat through it with you over the phone. Don’t forget to call the correct location though!

Your Peace of Mind when buying a used item from us.

Rest assured that all of our items have been lovingly checked and cleaned. In some cases, we even send them for service before sale.