Kiev 4a aka "World's Finest 35mm Rangefinder Camera"

One of these actually engraved "Protax" would be an interesting curiosity.

But as to one of the earlier comments, it's true that the prewar Contax RF design (which the Kiev copied) is pretty bombproof.
 
I don't remember that ad. I guess I was too much into SLRs at the time. I had a small Olympus PS RF of some kind and although small, didn't excite me as much as an SLR. I probably saw the ad and just wasn't interested. I used to devour Modern Photo, Pop Photo, and Petersons. I expecially perused the ads for things I wished I had but couldn't afford.

Does anyone remember the SLR, I think sold by Spriatone, but maybe Cambridge, that was a Russian SLR (I don't recall which), with the olympic logo covered up by its new US name?

Stephen, thanks for the trip down memory lane. I not laughing like some, as I have a Kiev 4am that takes good photos when the photographer behind it is in good form.
 
Same phone number !!!


ADDRESS:
119 W 17th St
New York, NY 10011-5401
COUNTY: New York
URL: www.cambridgeworld.com
PHONE1: (212) 675-8600
PHONE2: 2124630093
CONTACT: Steve Rablaux
TITLE: Manager
EMPLOYEES: (est.) 5
REVENUE: (est.) 1,215,000
SIC CODE: 594601
CATEGORY: Retail
 
oftheherd said:
Does anyone remember the SLR, I think sold by Spriatone, but maybe Cambridge, that was a Russian SLR (I don't recall which), with the olympic logo covered up by its new US name?

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The Zenit 12XP. It was a good SLR in its class, if there were others in this class. H. Keppler wrote a nice piece about it in Modern Photo in 1981 or 82, presenting the Zenit with a 300mm (or 400mm Astranar "Girl watcher" Lens) as a suitable inexpensive stand-by for safari photography.

A working Kiev is quite good. BTW, was the Kiev in the Cambridge ads really a no-name Kiev? The 'nameless' front plate appears to be so only in the rendered pictures that accompanied the ad. Buyers, I think received a 4A with Kiev engravings. Subsequent ads (also in 81 or 82?) which appeared in the Cambridge pages show a named Kiev with the usual engraved bi-lingual label.
 
ZorkiKat said:
BTW, was the Kiev in the Cambridge ads really a no-name Kiev? The 'nameless' front plate appears to be so only in the rendered pictures that accompanied the ad. Buyers, I think received a 4A with Kiev engravings. Subsequent ads (also in 81 or 82?) which appeared in the Cambridge pages show a named Kiev with the usual engraved bi-lingual label.
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The ad in question is from 1983, AFTER the named Kiev ads.

Stephen
 
What fun !

At least TOE ,the UK importers recognised the deteriorating quality problems of the later Kievs , so , they are probably the most likely to be still performing OK with decent original non USSR lubrication and thorough re-engineering where required .

However, TOE have been known to state that these export cameras were much better than may be expected . By this time , the best went for export instead of, in the early 50s Party favourites .
My mint boxed 1976 4a is surprisingly good .. but can't beat my Oleg Sourced/CLA Kiev 4 of the same year. Maybe USA cameras were also of best available quality ?
 
I purchased, resealed, played and sold 4AM, last year.
Didn't like it, Contax bayonet, grip and focusing is not my cap of tee, at all. Feels awkward to me.
I purchased, repaired and sold several FSU cameras since previous year.
Almost nobody wanted Zorki, Moskva and FED-2 here. But Kiev 4AM, which is considered to be worst in quality among those Contax copies, was sold by same day and I was receiving e-mails with offers for a while after.
I have my used, cheap Bessa R delivered to my place, by previous owner, because no local interest.
Where are few "user" Barnacks in Toronto for sale under very good price, listed for a while now.
So, this advert might be right, have no clue why people likes FSU-copy-Contax here so much.
 
Followed different local market places extensively and Kiev bodies are slightly rare items to find. Contax mount objectives are more common and even seen more compared to LTM versions. And perhaps thanks to early Kiev II copies their image is good enough and people tend to ignore late production quality issues
 
Ko.Fe. said:
I purchased, resealed, played and sold 4AM, last year.
Didn't like it, Contax bayonet, grip and focusing is not my cap of tee, at all. Feels awkward to me.
I purchased, repaired and sold several FSU cameras since previous year.
Almost nobody wanted Zorki, Moskva and FED-2 here. But Kiev 4AM, which is considered to be worst in quality among those Contax copies, was sold by same day and I was receiving e-mails with offers for a while after.
I have my used, cheap Bessa R delivered to my place, by previous owner, because no local interest.
Where are few "user" Barnacks in Toronto for sale under very good price, listed for a while now.
So, this advert might be right, have no clue why people likes FSU-copy-Contax here so much.
Click to expand...

Maybe for the same reason people here on RFF were so in to FED bodies back when RFF first started out, before so many were Leica lovers (opens secret trap door for run to shelter). Buy a FED and put a Leica lens on it. Pleased a lot of people.

Although I haven't done it yet, that was my plan when I got my Kiev 4am. But so far, in 35mm, I am still using my Contax and Fujica SLRs more than RF, and the Kiev lenses don't seem that bad either, so I have yet to get any Contax lenses for my Kiev. But some day, maybe the 15mm (sigh).
 
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