LOMO Sokol-21979

History

LOMO entered the compact rangefinder market earlier with the original Sokol, which established the basic body architecture. The Sokol-2 refined the design, introduced the Industar-70 lens (a step up from the Industar-69 used in other Soviet compacts), and refined the selenium AE coupling. LOMO at this period was also developing the LC-A (released 1984), which would take a different approach - smaller body, CdS meter, program AE - and become LOMO's most exported and internationally recognized product.

The Sokol-2 represents an older design philosophy: a moderately sized rangefinder with a proper coupled RF patch and a lens fast enough for available-light photography, automated only in exposure but not in focus. It was aimed at Soviet photographers who wanted autoexposure convenience without entirely surrendering the discipline of rangefinder focusing.

Why It Matters

The Sokol-2 occupies a specific niche: it is one of the few Soviet cameras with genuine coupled-rangefinder focusing AND automatic exposure from a passive selenium system. This means the camera can function indefinitely without batteries - as long as the selenium cell has not degraded, the AE system works from ambient light alone. Selenium cells age, and many decades-old examples show reduced sensitivity or dead zones; verifying meter function is the critical purchase check.

The Industar-70 50/2.8 is generally considered a competent performer for a Soviet compact lens - capable of sharp results stopped down, with the characteristic contrast and micro-contrast behavior of Soviet Tessar derivatives. At f/2.8 it is a stop faster than the f/3.5 Industars on the Iskra and Moskva series, making the Sokol-2 marginally more useful in lower light.

For contemporary collectors, the Sokol-2 is interesting as a study in Soviet AE design and as a functional no-battery-required 35mm camera. Prices are modest ($40-120) relative to the feature set, reflecting both availability and the general discount applied to Soviet cameras outside collector favorites like the Zorki and FED Leica copies.

Lenses & Accessories

Fixed Industar-70 50mm f/2.8. No interchangeable lens system. The selenium ring surrounds the lens face and determines aperture setting automatically in AE mode.

Cold shoe for flash. The leaf shutter syncs with flash; verify sync speed.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Used within Soviet professional and advanced amateur circles during the late 1970s and 1980s.
• Less documented internationally than KMZ cameras (Zorki, FED lines) due to LOMO's primarily domestic market focus during this period.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Sokol 2 - basic specifications and production notes