I am somewhat ashamed of my camera gluttony, but I must admit that I own 3 Kiev 4A cameras. I absolutely love them.
I bought 2 of them on eBay (over the course of a year or so), and one from a fellow RFF member. When I bought the first 2 from eBay (from Russia of course!), I didn't have my hopes up -- I had read lots of mixed reviews of the Kiev 4 series, and I expected mechanical problems or light leaks, etc. I don't know if I was extra lucky, but I haven't had any issues with any of my Kiev 4A cameras. They all work wonderfully.
That being said, I also would encourage you to buy from a reputable seller, like Fedka or something like that. If you want the info on the eBay seller who sold me my 2 other Kiev bodies, send me a PM and I'll forward that info to you.
Another caveat: it seems that the later model Kiev 4 cameras were not as well-made. I have a 1966 model, and two later models from 1977 and 1981. These later ones are known as "black dial" Kiev 4 cameras, because they made cosmetic changes to the top plate, replacing the chrome knobs with plastic ones.
The later "black dial" models definitely feel coarser and less-refined than the 1966 model I own. I mean, they still work, but they just feel more "rough" -- the film advance feels a little stiff, the shutter release button feels stiff, etc. etc. The 1966 model is much more refined.
In terms of lenses, the most common lens for the Kiev 4 cameras is the good old Jupter-8 50mm standard lens. This lens was produced for countless tens-of-thousands of Soviet cameras like the Fed, Zorki, etc. ... it's a good performer. Next most-common would be the Helios-103 52mm F1.8 ... these seem to be a little more common on the later Kiev 4 cameras from the 1970's and 1980's. IMHO, the Helios-103 isn't as good as the Jupiter-8. It's a little less sharp and lower in contrast.
There are other Kiev 4 lenses as well, but they are more rare -- I wouldn't worry about them unless you really fall in love with the Kiev 4 series (like I did).
🙂
There's lots of good info on the net about the Kiev 4 series, a good site I found is from a guy who overhauled his Kiev 4 and he goes into lots of loving detail about these quirky cameras -- here's the link:
http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/
Best of luck with your Kiev 4 adventures!
p.s. I also recommend getting a Kiev 4 without the lightmeter. The lightmeters on these things are probably too old to work properly anyway, and IMHO they kind of ruin the cool retro sleekness of the body. Just my 2 cents.
