LOMO Sokol-31980

History

The Sokol-3 arrived in 1980 at LOMO, roughly a year after the Sokol-2, as an engineering update driven by the transition from passive selenium-based AE to active silicon-cell AE. By 1980, the limitations of selenium cells were well understood: sensitivity degraded with age and light exposure, and the passive nature of the system made it difficult to incorporate any low-light warning or additional electronic functions.

Silicon (CdS or silicon photodiode) cells require a battery to power the metering circuit but are far more stable over time and significantly more sensitive in low light. This transition mirrored what Japanese manufacturers had largely completed by the early-to-mid 1970s, placing the Sokol-3 in line with contemporary practice, if late by the standards of the broader market.

The Sokol-3 is generally considered the end of the Sokol line at LOMO. By the early 1980s, LOMO's photographic attention was shifting toward what would become the LC-A (1984), a very different compact design developed with influence from the Austrian camera designer. The Sokol family did not continue beyond the Sokol-3.

Why It Matters

The Sokol-3 completes a technically coherent three-generation progression: Sokol Automat (selenium AE, no battery) - Sokol-2 (selenium AE, manual option added) - Sokol-3 (silicon AE, electronic). Each generation represents a specific engineering decision rather than a cosmetic refresh.

Unlike the original Sokol Automat, which can function indefinitely without any battery as a fully manual camera (with dead selenium), the Sokol-3 is dependent on its battery for all automatic exposure functions. This has practical implications for users today: finding appropriate equivalents to the original mercury PX625 cell requires attention to voltage and size matching, as direct alkaline or silver-oxide substitutes may produce slightly incorrect exposure readings due to voltage differences.

The Industar-70 50mm f/2.8 is generally regarded as a step up from the Industar-60 in sharpness and correction, though both are within the expected range of Soviet Tessar-type performance. Stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8, the Industar-70 delivers images fully adequate for prints at moderate sizes.

Lenses & Accessories

Fixed Industar-70 50mm f/2.8. No interchangeable lens system. The silicon cell governing AE surrounds or is integrated near the lens face.

Cold shoe for flash attachment. Leaf shutter flash sync speed unverified.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Used within Soviet domestic photography circles in the early 1980s.
• Like the Sokol Automat and Sokol-2, the Sokol-3 was primarily a domestic market camera with limited export and no significant presence in Western photographic literature.
• The Sokol-3 has attracted attention from Soviet camera collectors in the post-Soviet period as the final member of a coherent design lineage.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Sokol-3 - production notes and specification data