Kiev 4AM - Additional Lenses?

[ch1]

As a follow up to the great prior info I got that confirmed my "new" Kiev 4AM has a Helios 53mm lens - what other FSU lenses will fit this camera?

Would eventually like to get a 35mm, an 85-90mm and a wide (say 24 or so)

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Pretty much all the FSU lenses available in LTM are available in Contax mount for the Kiev.

The J-8 is one of them, for example. Of course, the J-12 should mount just fine, so I hear.

 

[jonasv]

The Helios-103 and the J-8 are so similar it probably isn't worth getting a J-8 unless you're a real die-hard 50mm shooter and want to compare the results on them. A J-3 (in Kiev mount of course) on the other hand might be worth it for the extra stop - f/1.5.

Furthermore a J-12 35mm f/2.8, excellent lens, tendency to flare (that is an understatement) so use a hood. And the J-9 85/2 is excellent of course.

All are available in Kiev/Contax mount - don't know about wider than 35mm though...

 

[ch1]

Thanks all. Sounds like all I need to do is be sure that the FSU lens has a Contax mount regardless if it is a Jupiter or a whatever.

Guess it's time to start prowling eBay.... 😱

 

[dexdog]

Also, the Russian lenses for the Kiev are a fraction of the price of the Zeiss lenses. Quality control is an issue with Russian glass, but overall the ones in Contax/Kiev mount are supposed to be more reliable/better made. I used to own a really excellent J-9; I could not tell the difference between this lens and my Contax 85/2 Sonnar. Also used to have a good J-8 that I donated to a fellow RFFer.

If you feel like spending more money, consider genuine Contax lenses, or the Nikon RF lenses with 'C' engraved on the barrel. Such Nikons were made for the Contax RF cameras in the 1950's. As you can guess, the Nikons have outstanding reputations

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Also, the Russian lenses for the Kiev are a fraction of the price of the Zeiss lenses. Quality control is an issue with Russian glass, but overall the ones in Contax/Kiev mount are supposed to be more reliable/better made.

Yeah, tell me about it. I was tracking this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7607061628&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

It went out of my range this morning. It may be worth it, but no thanks. Not today, anyway...

 

[pshinkaw]

Anyone using any Bessa R2C lenses?

I'd like to see some results from these.

-Paul

 

[dexdog]

Oh, forgot to mention in my last post that standard Nikon RF mount in 28mm and 35mm will work on the Kiev too, with the DOF covering the difference in the Nikon and Contax helicals.

 

[Jocko]

Not forgetting the Orion-15 28mm lens - which I believe is not rangefinder-coupled in the Kiev version.

Unfortunately they seem to be rather rare: the story is that most were sent to the UK, but they seem as scarce here as anywhere.

Ian

 

[rpinchbeck]

Don't forget the excellent Voightlander SC-Skopar 25mm f4 and 21mm f4 lenses for the Contax/Kiev mount.

Cheers,

Russ Pinchbeck

 

[rbiemer]

Here is a pretty good page of what's out there:

NATHAN DAYTON'S PAGE

My copy of Princelle's book is buried but I'll find it tomorrow AM and see what he's got to say about FSU options for Kievs.
Rob

 

[wlewisiii]

George, the J-12 is an excellent lens in the Kiev mount. I loved mine.

That said, buy the CV Color Skopar SC 35/2.5 instead. I got one of those and never used my Jupiter again. It's a utterly astonishing lens - as any modern lens with modern coatings will be I suppose. For the very wides, the CV's are the only ones worth buying - the few FSU options are overpriced and underperforming. The Zeiss lenses perform well but are _way_ overpriced.

Normals - I liked the Helios as it has a signature that is actually distinct from the Jupiter lenses. The Soviets did a decent job on the design and it's well worth it. OTOH, the 50mm Sonnars are what made the Contax a world class camera system. Find at least one of them - CZJ 50/2 or 50/1.5 or Jupiter 3 50/1.5 or Jupiter 8 50/2.0 - so that you can see the difference. That difference is especially noticable if you get a CZJ 50/1.5 pre-coating... 😱

However, for long lenses, the Jupiter 9 85/2 & Jupiter 11 135/4 are easily the equal of the Zeiss lenses. Get the cheap copies - no one will ever see one whit of difference unless you tell them.

Gack. I really need to get myself another Kiev... maybe a nice cheap 4AM with a j-8... 😉

HTH,

William

 

[Doug]

The only additional lens I have for my Kievs is the J-12, and I was impressed at its quality. Let me see if I can find a sample to show... Ah, here we are, shooting almost into the light too without a hood... BTW, don't forget a matching external finder!

 

[rbiemer]

Here is a pretty good page of what's out there:

NATHAN DAYTON'S PAGE

My copy of Princelle's book is buried but I'll find it tomorrow AM and see what he's got to say about FSU options for Kievs.
Rob

He (Princelle) doesn't have anything listed thta hasn't been mentioned here, George. I thought I remembered seeing the Russar 20mm in Kiev mount somewhere but I must've been dreaming. So for anything other than 28,35,50,85, or 135 you're going to need to look at other(more expensive 🙁 ) companies lenses.
Rob