Homepage Crypto Spy sets Burst encoders Intercept Covert Index Cameras Recorders Radio Radio PC Donate Kits Shop News Events Wanted Contact Links Krasnogorsk F-21 (Ayaks) Concealed miniature camera The F-21 was a very small fully mechanical camera with a wind-up auto-winder. It was very popular with the Russian Secret Service, the KGB, during the cold war for a variety of covert operations. It is therefore often called the KGB-camera. It is also known as Ayaks or Ajax.   The F-21 was built in the USSR by Krasnogorski Mekhanicheskii Zavod (KMZ), the Mechanical Factory of Krasnogorsk, founded in 1942. The camera body measures approx. 7 x 5.5 x 2.5 cm, excluding the lens. It has three different shutter speeds (1/10, 1/30 and 1/100) plus a manual setting (continuously open). A ring around the lens allows the diafragm to be set between 2.8 and 16. The shutter is released by pressing the shutter release button on top of the camera (in the image at the right).    Once the picture is taken, the camera automatically winds to the next image, so that multiple photographs can be taken in quick succession. The auto-winder is fully mechanical and needs to be wound-up before use. To wind it up, the large knop at the top centre of the camera needs to be turned clockwise, as indicated by a white arrow. There are no batteries involved whatsoever.   Disguised as a button Because of its small size and simplicity of operation, the F-21 was ideally suited for covert activities. A variety of mechanical constructions were developed to enable the F-21 to be used in virtually every situation, ranging from a pack of sigarettes to a woman's handbag.   For surveillance and observation purposes, the F-21 was often built into a woman's handbag. In order to shoot a picture, the agent only had to lift the bottom of her handbag slightly. Another frequent application of the F-21 was to use the button of a raincoat as concealment for the lens. The image on the right shows an F-21 with a special assembly, resembling a button, mounted in front of the lens. The camera would be strapped around the waist of the agent, at such a position that the button protruded one of the button holes of his raincoat.    In this case, a brown button is used, but the camera was usually supplied with a set of matching buttons, so that all buttons of the coat would appear to be identical. The button consists of a static outer ring and an inner section that could split in two halves. The complete assembly has a fixed wire-operated shutter release lever that attaches to the camera by means of a flexible cable. The release lever could be operated by hand from, say, within the pocket of the coat. Also on the remote control is a small lever to alter the diafragm of the lens. It locks into three different settings, but also allows the diafram to be set to an 'in between' value. When releasing the shutter, the button would briefly give the lens a clear view by opening 'its doors'. Once the image was shot, the button would immediately close again. In practice, this happens so fast that the human eye can hardly see it. The spring-mechanism would then wind the camera to the next position; ready for the next shot.   References H. Keith Melton, Ultimate spy. ISBN: 0-7513-4791-4, 1996-2002 Further information Krasnogorsk (KMZ) on Camerapedia Krasnogorskiy Zavod on Wikipedia Other covert cameras Any links shown in red are currently unavailable. If you like this website, why not make a donation? © Copyright 2009-2012, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Wed,09 May 2012.19:01:26