Cor blimey...

[hitmanh]

Although I really like my rf645, it does suffer a little from the F4 glass... so I decided to get my little mitts on a Kiev 60, and my god, it's a beast! It is phyiscally the biggest camera I now own, including the 20d plus battery grip, makes my Yashica 14 look like a compact pocket camera, and my tripod is propped in the corner looking nervous 😀

Matt

 

[Ash]

😱

I'm SO glad I didn't invest in one of them. It looks so much larger than I ever imagined!


Good ol' Ruskies 🙄

 

[kbg32]

I had an Exakta 66 for awhile. That was a beast as well. When the shutter fired, you heard it for blocks! Great lenses though.

 

[hitmanh]

aye, the shutter on this thing isn't the quitest thing in the world... you really now when it fires 😀
The funniest thing is this comes with a strap and I can imagine serious shoulder/neck injuries happening with this thing... lol

 

[Ash]

I think the strap is more for when someone tries to rob you. You swing the camera knocking them out, steal their wallet, and make a run for it 😀

 

[hitmanh]

I think the strap is more for when someone tries to rob you. You swing the camera knocking them out, steal their wallet, and make a run for it 😀

I think caving their heads in a more likely result 😱

 

[hitmanh]

Had a wonder around the locality today, and it's not quite as much of a handful as I first thought it would be. It's not subtle, certainly, but it's actually quite nice to use, and it'll improve your upper body strength no end 😉

HP5+, 80mm, F2.8, 1/1000

Matt

 

[Abbazz]

Very nice tonality, Matt. Thank you for sharing.

Cheers,

Abbazz

 

[Ash]

Remember to lift with your legs, not your back 😀

Good to know you got a working camera. Nice pic, but be careful leaning back with something heavy at your eye level, you might fall!

 

[harry01562]

size is relative

size is relative

The camera is large, no question. Comparing it to a Canon F1N with winder, which is smaller than the full motor drive, it doesn't seem so large. There is also very little difference in weight.
For comfort and safety, I'd get one of the straps I show: the Optech. It has the fittings for the Kiev available, and it does make a huge difference. Be sure you check the fittings, as the strap comes with a choice of, I think, 3 kinds of fastening. I found the original blue Kiev strap came loose suddenly on a couple of shoots. That could have been a disaster, but I was fortunate. Camera shown is an Arax mod, with the very nice 120mm lens attached. Nice combo for a lot of shooting, and the lens is very sharp.

Harry

 

[hitmanh]

Remember to lift with your legs, not your back 😀

Good to know you got a working camera. Nice pic, but be careful leaning back with something heavy at your eye level, you might fall!

lol... I will remember, otherwise there may be a short stay in hospital involved. What I really need is a tripod on wheels I can push it around on 😀

 

[Ash]

Get a trolley from TESCO's 😀

 

[Mark Wood]

If the body's working fine, I can recommend trying out the CZJ lenses for the Pentacon Six on it, especially the 50/4 Flektogon and 180/2.8 Sonnar. (The camera fitted with the latter will be at least a 2-person lifting job!)

 

[harry01562]

Besides strongly seconding the use of the 180 Sonnar, I'd also recommend the 30mm fisheye. It's full frame, and interesting perspective, and fun to use.
It's also one of the great bargains in lenses.. I paid just under $200 for mine some time back, and never regretted the purchase. I also bought the 16mm FSU lens for my Canon SLR's for 1/2 the price of the 30.

Harry

 

[hitmanh]

hmmm, mentals images of me, sitting in a tesco's trolley, with me keiv... who wants to push? 😉


I've got my eye on bothe the CZJ lenses and the 30mm FSU lens 😀 My poor credit card is going to suffer next month 😀

Matt

 

[rbiemer]

Matt,
When I bought my Arax(Kiev)60, I also bought 4 lenses. You should've seen the evil look I got from the postman as he plunked the package on the floor and asked me to "sign here". 😀
I don't have anything but FSU lenses for mine but I've mostly been happy with those. If I had been a little smarter, I would not have got the Mir 45mm but instead got the Flektagon 50. The 30mm is pretty amazing!
I find myself using the camera and the waist level finder more often than the with the meter prism. Slightly lighter and(for me) more importantly closer to 100% VF coverage.

For comfort and safety, I'd get one of the straps I show: the Optech. It has the fittings for the Kiev available, and it does make a huge difference. Be sure you check the fittings, as the strap comes with a choice of, I think, 3 kinds of fastening.

I absolutely agree with this! The Optech strap makes a world of difference carrying the 60 around. I think that when I was looking for a different strap I learned that the fittings the Arax/Kiev uses are the same type as the Pentax LX--it's easier to find them listed/described that way.
If I get another lens for mine, I'll likely get the Kaleinar 150 for a moderate tele.
Somehow the phrase "tons 'o fun" comes to mind with these!
Enjoy yours!
Rob

 

[harry01562]

I've got my eye on bothe the CZJ lenses and the 30mm FSU lens 😀 My poor credit card is going to suffer next month 😀

Matt

Your cc may suffer, but if you get good ones, you'll be a happy shooter. Great glass, and impressive!!!!

Harry

 

[harry01562]

improving Arsat 45/3.5

improving Arsat 45/3.5

I found a Pentax PH-SA 82mm lens shade for the 45 that makes a big difference in performance. I like mine, and have gotten some nice landscape shots with the combo. I also found one of the 2x tele adapters that performs well with the 180, making a 360/5.6. Again, be sure to use the shade designed for the lens, as it makes it a much better performer.
I also bought the lens shown in the pic, the 120/2.8. It isn't much bigger than the standard 80, and is a very nice and inexpensive lens. The kit with 5 lenses + shades, filters, etc., is heavy. With coverage from 30mm fisheye to 360 tele, it also covers a lot of situations. Much bang for not much bucks. The MF stuff is selling cheap, because of the pros going digital, but the lenses seem to still go pretty steep, at least for the desirable ones. No way you can match the 30mm Arsat's price with what a Hassy 30 goes for even these days.
Tons of fun, that says it all.

Harry

 

[rbiemer]

Harry,
Thanks for the tip about the lens hood! I got hoods with the other lenses(except the 30mm) but not with the 45mm. I tend to carry the camera and one lens when I'm using this.
At some point I'd like to get a bellows unit for the Arax; Pentacon units aren't very much money lately but I've been shooting almost no medium format lately--these miniature cameras we all talk about around here have me a little distracted😉
Rob