How About a Kiev 35A?

[Steve M.]

As I get older, the size of cameras that I'm willing to tote gets smaller and smaller. It's actually not the weight so much as the size. I can get shots of people w/ smaller cameras that are impossible to get w/ a larger one because people dismiss you as a tourist/amateur and basically ignore you. An M camera may be quiet and stealthy, but to me they're also big and noticeable.

So, is the Kiev 35A a possibility, or is it what it is... a Russian electronic camera? Yikes! Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist to even consider this, but I figure that since the Minox 35's have pretty spotty reliability, why not get a Kiev copy at a much smaller price? It won't hurt as much when it dies and gets thrown in the trash later.

Are there any Kiev 35A users out there? Or people that owned one and migrated to the Minox later? And lastly (since photo quality is a dead issue if the camera is, well, dead) does the Kiev have comparable IQ to a Minox? Thanks.

 

[Mark Wood]

Yes I have one and in a strange sequence of buying events, I bought it years after a Minox 35GT, just out of intrigue.

It's a camera that's renowned for having all sorts of problems, all well-documented on the WWW, ranging from electronics to the camera back and even the shutter blades letting light in. I bought mine new from "grizzly33bear" through eBay a few years ago and...well...it actually works remarkably well. I was initially shocked at how loosely the back fitted but it doesn't let light in and everything else seems fine.

How does it compare with the Minox? Well with more than 20 years of using the 35GT and a lot of film behind me, I can say the Korsar lens is incredibly good and very sharp. (None of the blurry LOMO nonsense here.) The odd-shaped iris of the Minox does lead to some weird flare effects with pictures including the sun but the Kiev actually seems to have these slightly better controlled, although still fairly similar in behaviour. The aperture priority metering is also very good. My Minox has always had a tendency towards some underexposure (easily controlled with the 2x switch and the film speed setting when you get used to it) but the Kiev gave me a beautifully exposed roll of Fuji Provia 100F which was a very pleasant surprise.

BUT.....it has its quirks. In particular, the body shell is so thin that you must advance the film holding the camera only between the top and bottom plates. If you squeeze the back inwards, the film gets trapped and you end up with frames whose overlap is proportional to how hard you've squeezed! It also doesn't have the 1/3 stop film speed settings of the Minox. It also feels very rough in general in comparison with the Minox, especially the film advance but with a good example (and they're reputedly rare, I was apparently very lucky), they are a very capable little camera. I rather like mine but breath a sigh of relief every time I put batteries back in it and it still works!

 

[batterytypehah!]

I've owned one, and it is the only camera I ever wished a crushing violent death on. It's a portable light leak. My experience was pre-Internet so I never realized this is simply a basic design flaw until years later. The housing material contains fibers that conduct light. That's why all Minoxes are painted. Kiev did away with that. You've been warned.

The real deal Minox 35 goes for very little money these days.

EDIT: Also, the 35A is a copy of the first model Minox 35, the EL. I would at least get a GT. The x2 compensation switch and self timer are worth it.

 

[Steve M.]

Hey guys, this is some of the funniest stuff I've read in a long time. Yet, it also sounds about what I expected. batterytypehah's experience sounds like mine w/ Fed 2 cameras. I finally gave my last one away to a fellow member here who had offered to try and fix it for me. I felt such a relief knowing it wasn't in the house w/ me anymore I PM'd him and told him to just keep it. Mark, what can I say....you live a charmed life.

The lens parts sound right too. I have a 61LD lens here that is amazing, but I had to buy a Bessa R to get to shoot it. Maybe I better put this idea behind me and go w/ what any sane person would do and look for a Minox.

 

[batterytypehah!]

I currently have four of the Minoxes (2x GL, 1 each PL and GT) but they all need to be film tested before I would sell them. I really need to get around to doing that.

If you shop on ebay, I would advise to bid very conservatively. Unless the seller has film tested it, don't assume it works. They all "click" but that's not the shutter you hear, it's the double exposure lock.

Another pretty common problem is that the focus ring can get loose. Easy fix as long as the screws are still present, of course. And make sure the ASA scale hasn't rubbed off.

Finally, have you held one? The size doesn't work for everybody. I have slender hands but even so, I can't work the Minox like I would a bigger camera. The classic "grip" is to operate focus and aperture with the side of your index finger.

 

[Mark Wood]

A charmed life? Not really, you should see the number of Kiev 4a bodies I've got through trying to get one that works properly!! Then there's the Kiev 88CM which, just when you think you've sorted out the light leaks, another one appears in a totally unexpected place. (Actually, thanks to a very patient repairer, that works well now. "Now" meaning this week of course.)

Other quirks I'd forgotten include the fork for the rewind crank that appears to be fashioned from a bit of bent drinks can and the wires routed through various holes in the film cassette chamber. The back also rocks from side to side, opening up gaps with the top plate as the catch doesn't quite...err...catch. Then there's the lump of paint on the pressure plate that put a scratch along the first film I tried...

I should have added though that I do think that the Kiev lens can be pretty much the equal of the Minotar.

You get the picture, it's a typical FSU camera of its era. Potentially excellent lens, it's just the problems with what it's attached to that can (and often do) ultimately limit its usability. It can be a fun little camera, just for the satisfaction that something so crudely made can give excellent results but the only sensible bet with cameras like this is the Minox. (Or any other camera really...)

 

[batterytypehah!]

Here's a fanboy site about all things Minox 35. In German, but Google Translate does a decent job on it.

http://www.gsteinbach.de/anfang.htm

 

[Steve M.]

Thanks everyone. I came to my senses and bought a Minox 35 MB from one of the sponsors here, Precision Camera. More than I wanted to pay, but everything is these days. And if it works consistently, the money is well worth it. I've learned my lessons about cheap cameras, Either consider them disposable, or, given the cost of a CLA these days, just buy from a reputable dealer w/ an exchange policy. It comes down to spending the money one way or another, either in replacement cameras, repairs, or just buying a good one to begin with.

Still, there's that Fed 5 I have that I bought solely for the lens, and the camera turned out to work perfectly. Smooth film advance, accurate RF, good shutter speeds, no light leaks. Guess what? I've tried to sell it repeatedly, and even at $20 US no one wants it because they assume it's just another non-working, or barely working Fed. Can't say that I blame them either.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Still, there's that Fed 5 I have that I bought solely for the lens, and the camera turned out to work perfectly. Smooth film advance, accurate RF, good shutter speeds, no light leaks. Guess what? I've tried to sell it repeatedly, and even at $20 US no one wants it because they assume it's just another non-working, or barely working Fed. Can't say that I blame them either.

I'd say nobody is buying your lens-less FED-5 because... it's a lens-less FED-5. The lens is the only reason to buy one of those huge, ugly clunkers.

 

[Steve M.]

Don't forget that it doesn't have strap lugs either 🙂

I know, I know, it's a beast! But so is a Leicaflex...no, that analogy won't work I suppose. A camera is worth what it will do, for me though. Yes, my Fed 5 is big and heavy...but it's film tested. Works perfectly. Smooth film advance. Accurate focus. Sigh. I guess the only way to sell it is to put it on ebay with "SOLD AS IS! NO RETURNS!" prominently displayed, take some blurry photos (maybe just one), describe how I bought it in a garage/estate sale, somehow get my 100% positive feedback down to 75%, and get $44 for it on an auction. I am not making this up. That's apparently how you get top dollar on ebay. I'd rather just have it around, in case someone breaks in I have something to throw at them.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been guilty of falling for a couple of those auctions, too. One was a winner -- my Contax, $130 for the body, which has worked flawlessly for two years without so much as a C, let alone an L and A. And one was my "desert" Zorki-1 that I'm still in the process of cleaning sand and silt out of. I'm too stubborn to write it off as a parts camera, and say what you will, that is one heck of a well made camera. Responds nicely to cleaning and has very little corrosion, even though it clearly took a bath.