Chopping the meter off a Kiev 4?

[paradoxbox]

I think I've seen a thread somewhere on the net about someone who's done this before, but maybe I was just hallucinating...

Has anyone ever replaced the top plate of their Kiev 4 with the plate of a Kiev 4a?

I'm debating whether I want to go through the trouble of buying a new selenium cell and calibrating it to be accurate.

I prefer the look of the Kiev 4a's but my 1959 Kiev 4 is in beautiful, mint-like condition so it'd kinda be a shame to frankenstein it..

 

[Beemermark]

dremel tool

 

[paradoxbox]

no thanks

i'm being serious

 

[wolves3012]

It's not just the top-plate that's different, so is the rewind. I've had the top off both but I can't recall the details to say if it's do-able. It's probably one of those things that yes, you can do it but why not buy a 4a for less trouble?

There is a thread on here somewhere, I think. If memory serves right, it was a thread started by Dee, try a search. I can't recall the details.

 

[oftheherd]

I can understand a desire to tinker, but to me that seems way more trouble than it will be worth, versus just acquiring another Kiev. The cost of your time versus the cost of a new Kiev versus the satisfaction of doing a successful hack. I don't think I would want to spend the time and effort, but that is just me.

 

[Coldkennels]

...and I wouldn't want to potentially wreck a Kiev which you've stated to be in lovely condition. Normally I'm all for hacks, mods, tinkering and the like, but if you're going to do it, start with a camera that looks so beaten up it doesn't matter if you accidentally botch the job.

 

[Peter_Jones]

I've done that mod - had meterless and metered donors with rusty gears (!) - also removed the self-timer. It doesn't look good at the moment, but works (shutter sometimes hangs so it needs a bit more fettling), other projects have overtaken but I'll get back to it and re-cover the body and sort out the shutter.

Unless you like meddling, it's a lot of bother for no financial gain (the meterless models do look great though) - I wouldn't bother doing that to a working Kiev though.

 

[ErnestoJL]

Paradoxbox:
I think that it isn´t worth the time and expenses trying to converrt a 4 into a 4a, mostly thinking that´s in nice shape. If you like the 4a look, I would suggest to buy a "new" 4a and shoot with both.
I too prefer the sleek look of the Contax II/Kiev 4a but I too have a 4 with a non working meter. My choice was to look for a cell replacement and in the meantime I shoot with it as a meterless camera, but that´s me.
Regards
Ernesto