Best Russian RF?

I am on my third Russian camera, a Kiev 4a, which works perfectly. Good meter, consistent shutter, smooth focus. My Fed died after the first roll with a torn shutter strap. My Kiev 4am worked, but the slow shutter speeds were inconsistent. My current J9 in LTM is a reliable performer on the Canon 7. My first J9 in Contax mount had slop in the focus helical that made repeatable focus difficult. The problem is that few will spend $130 to CLA and repair a Kiev or Fed, but would send a Canon, Nikon or Leica in without hesitation. I spent $80 having a the aperture blades on a Nikkor F1.4 reset and the lens CLA'd; but would not do the same with a $2 Jupiter-8.

The solution? I bought the Kiev 4a from a Russian seller who had a high-rating and actually tested the camera with film. The J-9 in LTM was the "export" version. The lens looks like it had been set up to work on Leica's; the lens stops "just-short" of infinity as indicated on the distance scale. Why? If what has been written about the Russian Leica copies being set up for the 52.3mm standard, the J9 would focus slightly past what was indicated. I have never had any out-of-focus shots (other than my own fault) with this lens used wide-open, nearest focus to infinity.

These are with my $2 (from Richard Tillis of Woodmere camera) Jupiter-8 on my Kiev 4a, 1979 vintage. Metering with the Selenium Meter. JPEG did not do them Justice!

I put these links up under "new Lenses", but they belong here.

A Girl and her Dinosaur

Dino! Remember, Flowers are Friends, NOT FOOD!
 
Many Russian lenses suffer from dried lubricant that makes them sluggish. Some of th I-61L/D's (I have 3 of them) have the opposite problem. Their dried lubricant left the mechanical components dry and loose. They rely on grease as a packing device as well as for lubricant. These lens will "rattle loose" until they are cleaned and re-greased. They'll never have that machined smoothness of a good Leitz or Canon lens, but they should feel as smooth as a good Vivitar.

-Paul
 
O.K., after going to various sites and eb@y, all of these multi colored Fed 2's and Kievs come up, are they just painted or what? I know after doing some research that there were some colored Feds but it's like a rainbow on eb@y.

What is an average price for a working Fed 2 or Kiev 4am? I found a Fed 2 in really nice shape for 39.00 (it's blue???) and a Kiev 4am in what appears really nice for 60.00 (it's all black but looks great).
The Kiev would take my Sonnar 50mm 1.5 off my Contax IIa (so I could keep my German body scratch free) and I could add a Jupiter 12 for a nice kit on the street!

Todd
 
Some FED2 were coloured but most of the ones on ebay are repaints, the original colours are muted (see pic) so don’t be fooled by some that look like they would glow in the dark. Also any FED/Zorki/Kiev that has black top and bottom covers is a repaint, some look like they have done a nice job but most look like they have just gone over a camera with ugly chrome work and they then list it "as new" and ask $50+ for it.

As for what to expect to pay for a FED2 I'd be looking for something like this ... http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15234&item=3824983710&rd=1

Note: I'm not recommend you buy this camera or from this seller but am only using it as an example, is listed "like new" it’s got the original box, manual and metal lens cap. Its a late "dual logo" model with the mushroom style wind knob and has the high mounted acc shoe that’s a must if you want to mount most lens finders. I've also found the late models generally have good shutter curtains, not something I can say about the older models (more hit and miss). I would expect to pay around $30-40 "BIN" + postage for a "like new" FED2 unless it a rare model. On average FED2 go for $15-30 depends on condition/model.

This is a pic of my original blue FED2, note how most of the ones on ebay are much brighter. Also note the position of the PC socket in the body, as far as I know its the only original model to be coloured so any other with timers, repositioned sockets are likely to be repaints.

Edit: When buying a late FED2 check if it has strap lugs, the last models didn't so you have to use it with the leather case if you want to use a strap (what were they thinking!)
 
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I paid $35 for my Kiev 4a with a total with shipping from the Ukraine under $50 from a dealer who actually tried it out and could verify the meter and slow speed operation. Noted in his description was the sound of the shutter. My prior one sounded like "Walk Don't Run". It takes the Contax Lenses; but I had to do some filing on the Tanar 135 F3.5 retaining clip to get it to fit.

Do not buy a repaint: they are typically painted over the chrome. The paint will start flaking with use. And, if done incorrectly, will mess up the camera. Look for one that has been CLA'd.

I get great results with my present 4a, and the meter is accurate.

Brian
 
I like the Kiev's. Well, technically, I like one. I have lost badly at Russian Roulette, and even the current one (from a renouned repairman) doesn't quite cut it- the bottom shutter blinds the last mm of a frame when I do flash photography.

That means that of the 4 Kievs I've bought, none work flawlessly.

The first one is sitting on my microwave- it's got the smoothest shutter I've ever felt on a Kiev or Contax but the body top doesn't fit quite right, and the back leaks an amazing amount of light as a result.

I bought another- it died after 3 test shots, no film yet in the camera.

I bought another but this time as a "black Kiev" from Mr. Fourman. It's shutter wasn't even across the frame at 1/1000 (later model) and I sent it back. Mr. Fourman eventually (!) sent me another, and this one's shutter was broken from the box. I sent it back, and he sent another Kiev, but this one was silver. it's shutter died after a couple test shots. I sent it back. I've called and sent e-mail reminders but he seems to have forgotten about me, and I've had great dealings with him in the past, to the point that I don't want to make too big a deal over it.

The last one, from Oleg, is nice. Rangefinder is accurate. Shutter is pretty good, too, except for the above mentioned flash issue.

I have some great lenses for it- the J-12, J-8, J-9, and J-13 are all wonderful. The CZJ 50mm chrome f/1.5 is amazing, and the lens that stays on the most. I use hoods with many of the lenses as I can, the J-13 is an exception, as I can't find a teeny hood for such a long focal length, and strangely, it seems to be the only lens I have that doesn't really need one. I've shot it through bright sunlight, heavily back-lit scenes, only to find little, if any, flare. The J-9 on the other hand, needs a hood BADLY. I use one from a Nikkor of 50's vintage, push-on. Works well, and my photographs with that lens look MUCH better than when I started using that lens (and the associated big pink blotches on my prints form the flare)

Have fun.
 
I have the late model "Black" Jupiter-9 made in 1979. I have had good luck with it, and have not noticed a flare problem. I use a filter, but not a shade. On my 1st J-9 the interior had some light haze and I cleaned it out. The coating had permanent spots in it that would flare. The coating of the black ones seems to be improved over the prior early '60s lens.

Jupiter-9 Shot
 
I agree with all of the above. If any of that non-original paint got inside you will have a mess on your hands.

I don't think I've ever paid more than $20 plus S&H (typically an additional $15) for a Fed-2. They seem to be the most abundant. They are certainly the simplest in engineering and construction, so there is less to go wrong and they tend to be easier to fix.

The ones sold with original boxes, instructions and "passports" (authentication documents) tend to be sought after by collectors. They will cost you more in an auction. A good user model costs a little more than buying and processing two 36 exposure rolls of Kodachrome. If you go with a Fed-2, consider buying two of the same model. If you are working on one, you will have a functional example to help you put it back together again. The incremental cost of shipping should not be double.

Viewfinders: The Fed's before and after the Fed-2 had squintier viewfinders., The Zorki-3 and 4's have the best Zorki viewfinders (bigger than the Fed's)

Take-up spools: The later Fed-2's and Fed-3's plus the 4's and 5's have built in take-up spools. All the other Fed's have removable (meaning losable) spools.Always ask your Seller about the spool in the camera. Fed, Zorki and Kiev spools are not interchangeable. Kiev spools can be made out of disposable cassette spools, but the others cannot. If you need to buy a replacement spool, it will cost you about $8 from a US seller.

The Kiev's are really. really nice. They are better made overall, last longer, but once you have a problem, they become very complex machines to fix.

There was a period of time in the 60's when everyone seemed to make cameras without neckstrap lugs. That includes Soviets, East Germans and West Germans. For the most part the Japanese seemed to have resisted that trend, although some do surface from time to time. The Fed-2 is not too bad w/o a neckstrap and the Fed-5 handles OK too, but for some reason the Zorki-4 w/o a strap gives my wrist a cramp. Some models just grip easier than others I guess.

The best Russian Rangefinder? One that does what you want it do, consistently.


-Paul
 
My prior posts in this thread have links to two shots in the Gallery with the Kiev 4a and J-8; the entire roll came out as good as these two shots. The same is true of the J-9 in LTM; I get consistently good results with it. I have the 85mm F2 Nikkor to compare with; the J9 is somewhat softer, but yields a very pleasing portrait.

Being a good engineer, I will keep my Test Subject constant and vary the Lens and Camera used to take her picture so that you can make a fair comparison.
 
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Russian lens sample

Russian lens sample

Here is a sample from an Industar-26m, A Tessar clone. The body was a Fed-2d.

-Paul
 
Cpt.Caveman said:
Hello,

Does somebody have photo samples to share taken with these cameras mentioned?
Click to expand...
Hi-- You can locate samples in our galleries here; just search on "kiev" or "Jupiter" or whatever, and you'll see a filtered selection!
 
pshinkaw,
that is a pretty sharp lens, is that in the Austin area?

Todd
 
This is a pic I took last summer with a FED2 with a Ind-26m 5cm lens on Fuji 400 Superia film. I had bought the camera for spare parts (for $6) but when it turned up from Russia I thought it was too good to strip so I cleaned it up and put a roll thru it to see how it would go... As you can guess I had to buy another parts camera 😀
 
Here is a bit of detail from the top middle, both of these scans are from 4x6 prints. Web images don't do it justice. 😎
 
Laika,
Thats incredible for a 6 dollar camera and probably better than alot of the ones I paid way more than 6 bucks for! That Lens is really sharp.

Todd
 
Todd:

It's from the front of the State Capitol Building. The fence in the foreground is the iron fence that runs around the front of the Capitol Grounds.

-Paul
 
pshinkaw,
I thought it looked familiar, I was just up there last week, picked up some "Elgin Sausage" for supper.

Todd
 
Sausage and the State Capitol building. It's kind of a disquieting thought isn't it?

-Paul
 
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