Kiev 4 shutter problem when changing speeds

[Eugen Mezei]

Two of my Kiev4 (I must look how the third acts) do the following:

When I cock the shutter anything works fine. The two rollos are coupled and they travel upwards together. When I press the shutter button they travel downwards as they should. I can do this hundreds of times and everything works just fine.

But...
When I change from a faster to a slower speed the two rollos travel a little bit upward but don't dissengage, they remain together. I can then fire the shutter and everything runs as it should.
Not so when I change from a slower speed to a faster one. Then the lower rollo moves downwards without the upper one. That one remains in his up position. Ofcourse this means that the film gate is open for several seconds and the frame burnt. Pressing the shutter button lets the upper rollo travel downwards and close the gate. Cocking the shutter again (without changing the speed) brings both rollos up together again.
So it happens only once. When I do a second exposure without prior changing the shutter speed, this exposure works fine. And the next, and next, and.... etc. As long as I don't change the shutter speed from slower to faster.

 

[kyonthinh]

I have that problem with Kiev 2A too, forgot the comment but I think your camera needs CLA.

 

[Eugen Mezei]

Is this something I could do myself? I have no camera tehnicians here I would trust. Sendign it out half a continent away is also no option.

 

[mburns]

Of course, no camera should expose film like that. But, consider this defect as a reminder to set the shutter speed after winding.

 

[wolves3012]

First thing to check would be the shutter lock. Take the back off (probably easier with no lens too) and hold the camera upside down. If you look in the centre of the back, just above the film-frame, you'll see a small catch. Press the shutter button (shutter not cocked yet) and you'll see it move. Now cock the shutter, slowly, while watching that catch. You should see it ride over the two bumps on the lower shutter blind and drop behind each one in turn.

I suspect yours is failing to do that, which means there's not much holding the lower curtain up when the shutter's cocked. You can bend the catch towards the blind if needed, to make it work. The easiest way to do that is with the shutter locked open on "B". Obviously, you need to be pretty careful doing this since the catch is fairly delicate. You also need to be careful not to bend it by much or it will foul the lower blind.

 

[wolves3012]

Of course, no camera should expose film like that. But, consider this defect as a reminder to set the shutter speed after winding.

I think that adjusting the speed to a faster one, after cocking, is exactly the problem he's having.