Help me purchase my first russian Rangefinder

boarini2003

boarini2003

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Mar 10, 2006
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Hi guys, after years with an SLR, I've decided I want a rangefinder, specifially a Russian one, because of price and my fondness of my old Zenit 122. Can somebody give me a summary of what I should buy? I've checked out the Kiev 4a and the Fed 5c, and can't decide. Any help or suggestions?
 
Kiev 4AM. Contax copy, long rangefinder base, handsome camera. The Helios 103 is a great lens, and fast. I found the Fed not nearly as well finished.
 
I agree with Ted.. but also keep in mind that Kiev will lock you into the Contax lens system, which is sort of a pain if you ever branch out into M-body cameras.. still, the Jupiter-12 35mm lens is readily available in Contax mount, not so much in LTM mount

honestly, I'd say just choose one or the other.. eventually you'll have both anyway.. LOL
 
FED 2b. Most sublime. I love my Kiev 4, but for compactness and feel (plus no "Contax grip!") I would take the FED. Also so quiet. If I had to pick just one FSU camera, it's the FED 2b.
 
tedwhite said:
Kiev 4AM. Contax copy, long rangefinder base, handsome camera. The Helios 103 is a great lens, and fast. I found the Fed not nearly as well finished.
Click to expand...

Ted,

Just coincidentally, having recently acquired a Contax IIIa (at gunpoint - okay, at "less than gunpoint") I started looking at Kievs this evening.

I had "Watched" a 4AM.

On the basis of your comments - I have now purchased this 4AM!

And dammit - it isn't even 4AM in the morning yet! :bang:

Unknowingly, you have just influenced my buying decision!

You have too much power, man. You have to go away for the rest of the evening to that bar where the Gringos drink Corona and the Mexicans drink Bud Lite!

I cannot afford to have you keep hanging out here tonight ('cause BTW, I also bought a S2 kit!!!). :D
 
tedwhite said:
Kiev 4AM. Contax copy, long rangefinder base, handsome camera. The Helios 103 is a great lens, and fast. I found the Fed not nearly as well finished.
Click to expand...

Ted,

Just coincidentally, having recently acquired a Contax IIIa (at gunpoint - okay, at "less than gunpoint") I started looking at Kievs this evening.

I had "Watched" a 4AM.

On the basis of your comments - I have now purchased this 4AM!

And dammit - it isn't even 4AM in the morning yet! :bang:

Unknowingly, you have just influenced my buying decision!

You have too much power, man. You have to go away for the rest of the evening to that bar where the Gringos drink Corona and the Mexicans drink Bud Lite!

I cannot afford to have you keep hanging out here tonight ('cause BTW, I also bought a S2 kit!!!). :D
 
Welcome aboard boarini2003! You came to a good place to talk FSUs!

Here's some links to similar threads/questions/opinions.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14059&highlight=FSU
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9921&highlight=which+FSU
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5877&highlight=FSU

When you get a few possibilities in mind, you can go to this Russian Made Rangefinder Cameras forum page and use the "Search this Forum" option for looking up posts/comments about particular models.

Good luck, have fun!
 
Well, you could learn to live without a meter just as well with a FED 2b! :D
(sigh) No one ever listens to me....
 
I have Kiev 4M with meter, camera left production line in 1978. Meter is quite accurate and doesn't need any batteries. If you like built in meter you can look for Kiev 4 with meter.

Eduard.
 
Built in meters are highly overrated.

The ONLY thing they offer is speed of use.

If you are looking for an excellent all around meter at an excellent price, get the new Sekonic 308S. I know of no other meter offering such capability in such a small and accurate package. For a few bucks more, you can get a Sekonic 358 (which is what I use) and be set for almost any metering situation you may find yourself in.

Tom
 
good choice with the Kiev.. it's my favorite FSU.. the handling is a little funky, what with the 'Contax grip', but that's part of the charm.. and the Kievs are arguably the quality of all the FSU cameras.. if possible, find a late 60s or early 70s model.. the first two digits of the serial number will tell you what year it was made
 
The Kiev would be a better choice than the FED 5. This FED appears to have been a cheaply made offering from FED. It has some plastic parts and a very thin metal top and base. I don't believe that it is a fair "sample" of the FED range. My example works well, but looks to be easily damaged, particularly on the exposed plastic parts. FED's 2 3 and even the 4 are nicely made cameras, even better after a CLA! Enjoy your Kiev, it's a good choice.
 
fidget said:
The Kiev would be a better choice than the FED 5. This FED appears to have been a cheaply made offering from FED. It has some plastic parts and a very thin metal top and base. I don't believe that it is a fair "sample" of the FED range. My example works well, but looks to be easily damaged, particularly on the exposed plastic parts. FED's 2 3 and even the 4 are nicely made cameras, even better after a CLA! Enjoy your Kiev, it's a good choice.
Click to expand...

Fidget,
I'm going to put in my own $0.02 here, and both agree and disagree with you!

Personally, I think that the FED 5 is an excellent way to break into FSU RFs. They can be purchased new in the box, with excellent I-61 lenses. Yes they are ugly, and the exterior finish on them seems to be rather poor, but the mechanisms are reliable. For me the FED 5 allowed me to get into the whole FSU RF 'thing' without a lot of pain.

Cheers,
Kent
 
boarini2003,
Oh man, are you in for a ride! The Kievs and the FEDs are vastly different experiences and I use both. The Kiev 4a was my first FSU camera and it is very nicely made. The FED5 is ugly as sin but it has worked as it should every time.
Some things to consider:
I generally prefer the meterless FSU cameras--the meters are good in that they are always there but "sunny 16" works just as well.
The FED 5 doesn't have strap lugs and is also too big for most pockets so it's not as easy to carry around.
The "standard" lens on each of these(J-8 for the Kiev and I-61 for the FED) can be very good but the FED will lead to a broader range of choices beyond the 50mm.
I ultimeately decided on the Zorki 3m as my main shooter (I like it so much that it's off getting a CLA now) because of the big 1:1 viewfinder.
Just my two cents worth.
Glad to have you aboard!
Rob
 
boarini2003 said:
Hi guys, after years with an SLR, I've decided I want a rangefinder, specifially a Russian one, because of price and my fondness of my old Zenit 122. Can somebody give me a summary of what I should buy? I've checked out the Kiev 4a and the Fed 5c, and can't decide. Any help or suggestions?
Click to expand...

Russian RFs are a slippery slope. I had a Canonet GIII and a Yashica GSN when I decided to try a KIev 4AM. A great camera, but then I was curious about the Feds, and the 2b came along... which led to a Zorki3M... then another Kiev...

It's like trying to eat one potato chip.
 
I raise my voice for the Zorki 6 as a first FSU. A long rangefinderbase, get's loaded like a SLR and you don't have to be careful when winding the film.

But your decision doesn't matter, once you get the feeling for a FSU you will end with all of them :D
 
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Copake_Ham:

George, I had nothing to do with the S2 kit.

Honest
 
"Bet you can't eat just one!" -- How true! I started off with a Zorki C, and now I've got a Zorki 4K on the way, because I wanted the Bigger VF, Back loading, I-61L/D, longer speed range... Now, I almost find myself looking at Feds... uh oh.......
 
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