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Interesting stuff
All Cameras, Technical stuff
Rangefinder cameras Images Useful links
ussrphoto.com
Items for sale Contact: Soviet Camera Exhibition: History of the Soviet Photographic industry 1930-1992
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 The Soviets probably produced the worlds first 35mm SLR the Sport. The reason that it is only probably is their penchant for secrecy. The press had reports of the camera long before it was produced. It probably was produced before the Kine Exacta but unfortunately there is no proof either way. They also produced the only SLR developed from the Leica. The original Zenit (above) was a modification of the Zorki copy of the Leica. They added the mirror box and pentaprism to a Zorki shutter assembly 3 factory families produced Single Lens Reflex cameras (SLRs) in the Soviet Union. They were GOMZ/LOMO, KMZ/Belomo and the Arsenal in Kiev. GOMZ produced the first SLR not only in the Soviet Union and with the Sport may very well have produced the first SLR ever Unfortunately due to their penchant for secrecy we will never know if the production definitely preceded Exacta. Then after they were renamed LOMO they produced the only "advanced system camera" attempted in the USSR the Almaz.
The Arsenal at Kiev produced a series of original automatic SLRs The Kiev 10 and Kiev 15 (see below). They then produced a series of Nikon lens mount compatible cameras the Kiev 17, 18, 19,19M and 20.
KMZ and its' subsidiary Belomo made the largest number of different SLR models by far. The Zenits were designed and initially built at KMZ, then manufacture of some models was transferred to Belomo. There appears to be no logical scheme for which models were transferred for manufacture at Belomo. Sometimes a model was manufactured at both plants (such as the Zenit TTL), sometimes the cameras were made at Belomo with a changed model number and sometimes the cosmetics of the camera were changed as well. The Soviet consumers believed Belomo products to be inferior and much preferred the KMZ products. With all the Soviet SLRs there were adaptors available to make use of the the various ranges of lenses. Both the Start and the Kiev 10 came with adaptors for the 39mm screw lenses manufactured for the Zenit range. The 39mm lenses were often sold with an adaptor to 42mm. Also the Arsenal Nikon bayonet lenses were often supplied with an interchangeable back with 42mm screw thread.
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KMZ TTL