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rover said:
so now rover is thinking contax, hhmmm...
🙂joe
contax iia value?
- Thread starter Pherdinand
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so now rover is thinking contax, hhmmm...
🙂joe
I just survived an ebay trip. No Contax or Kiev heading my way. Alex Photo has 3 nice black Kiev 4as listed.
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i want a contax / kiev but think that i'm crazy for thinking it.
do i really want to start another whole different system? different mount?
why would i do that to myself?
and i think that move would put me in the dreaded collector category.
joe
do i really want to start another whole different system? different mount?
why would i do that to myself?
and i think that move would put me in the dreaded collector category.
joe
F
former member
Guest
Joe,
Don't let the Canon "P" hear you talk!
And whatever you do, DON't Let the Canonator see a Non-Canon camera or non-LTM lens in the House! The real reason that I had to let it go...
I keep hearing "I'll be Back!" coming out of the drawer that it is locked into. The Nikons have broken out the 500mm F4 to keep it at bay.
Don't let the Canon "P" hear you talk!
And whatever you do, DON't Let the Canonator see a Non-Canon camera or non-LTM lens in the House! The real reason that I had to let it go...
I keep hearing "I'll be Back!" coming out of the drawer that it is locked into. The Nikons have broken out the 500mm F4 to keep it at bay.
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mums the word!
denishr
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rover said:
I don't know about Contax.. I've handled one a few days ago, and it is a bit smoother than either of my Kievs, but the price.... 🙁
I don't know... Actually, ever since my M2 went to CLA, I've been shooting with my other cameras - a bit with Yashica Lynx 14e (nice and bright VF/RF, but big and heavy), a bit even with my Nikon EM and 50/1.8 (light, but I hate the automation and mirror slap!), and lately just my Kiev 4A.
I find the Kiev closest to the "feel" I get from my Leica - sounds preposterous, I know, but it's actually not big or heavy, fits into a bag/backpack nicely, and is very quiet. The only drawback is the squinty finder - although the RF focusing is very precise, due to its long RF base.
So, to anyone contemplating a Contax, I'd recommend trying out a Kiev first, as see how you like it. Buy them from trusted sources (some were already mentioned here on RFF, like Fedka), and see how you like them. I prefer the ones without the meter, since they make for a more compact street shooters.
I sincerely recommend also doing the DIY modification of the leather case - makes a world of difference once you can detach the top part, which no longer dangles from the bottom when you shoot....
I also think that the general opinion is that Russian lenses in Kiev mount are usually a bit better than their LTM counterparts, and you can indeed find some gems in Kiev mount. In short, you can have a very nice RF shooter for way below $100. And, compared to Canonets and other classic fixed-lens RF cameras of the Seventies, this one has interchangeable (and cheap) lenses.
BTW, Jupiter 12 is generally cheaper in Kiev than in LTM mount... And a late Jupiter 12 (black finish) can be great! BTW, look for one with blueish/violet colored coating...
The only drawback I noticed with my Kiev glass (i.e. J12 and J8) is that it has rather strange bokeh - "pointy" OOF sources of light are rendered as triangles instead of circles towards the edges of the frame 🙁
In short, as funny as it may seem, it took a Leica M2 to make me appreciate my Kiev 4A more 🙂
Denis
What model Kiev is that Denis? I am guessing 4a?
denishr
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rover said:
Yes, Ralph - A Kiev 4A, with custom leather(ette) job. I'm quite proud of it - my first Kiev, which I tweaked in various (non-destructive) ways 🙂
Works quite fine, and looks nice, too...
Denis
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
well, just to add one thing, i'm trying hard not to become a collector. It's a too expensive hobby for me. (Stamp collecting was still affordable...)
This means, if the contax thing will work out for me (read: if i will like USING it out there), something else will have to leave...
Probably i will sell my yashica TLR (although i worked alot on it to align it perfectly and produces unbelievable picture quality), keeping only the CLA'd rolleicord; probably i will sell also two of my three compact RF's. Either both GSN's or one GSN and the CC with 35mm f/1.8 lens will go.
This means, if the contax thing will work out for me (read: if i will like USING it out there), something else will have to leave...
Probably i will sell my yashica TLR (although i worked alot on it to align it perfectly and produces unbelievable picture quality), keeping only the CLA'd rolleicord; probably i will sell also two of my three compact RF's. Either both GSN's or one GSN and the CC with 35mm f/1.8 lens will go.
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
William, congrats and good luck with the "stuck mirror" body 🙂
Have any lens for it already?
Have any lens for it already?
W
wlewisiii
Guest
Only my Jupiters (8m, 11, 12). They'll do for the meantime. My 4a is a really nice camera and will keep me quite happy till I can pay for Henry to fix/overhaul the III.
William
William
