Kiev 4am

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Pfreddee

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How many of you who own a Kiev of whatever iteration find yourself picking this camera up in preference to your other FSU cameras? I am amused with myself, and a little bit bewildered, since my Kiev 4am my go-to FSU camera most of the time. I would have to say that my Zorki 6 is in second place and the others get used about equally. But the Kiev is my favourite. I think it was Roger Hicks who described the Contax, (from which the Kiev was derived) as the triumph of engineering over design, and I agree with that assessment, wholeheartedly. Be that as it may, I think it's a wonderful camera, quirks and all. And if you haven't tried one, I recommend the camera and the experience.

Thanks to all who reply.

With best regards,

Pfreddee(Stephen)
 
When I was 15 y.o. i fell in love with a Contax II. Many years later I got a Kiev 4 which was almost the same. For a long, long time it was my everyday camera. Today, If I have to pick a camera, I allways think of the Kiev, even being a couple of Contax II waiting for some film, as well as some others in same situation.
Cheers
Ernesto
 
I don't have a preference for the Kievs in my collection but nor am I biased against them. The Kiev 4 was my father's and as such has sentimental value that means I don't use it much, not wanting to damage or break it. The 4A, on the other hand, gets regular use. For me, I find the "Contax grip" hard to master and it's the only negative side to the design. Mine has something of a hair-trigger so, whilst trying to keep the grip right, I'm too often getting pictures of my feet! Other than that, I love the bayonet-mount, wide baselength, the metal shutter (no worries about sun-holed curtains) and that mechanical zzzip sound the shutter makes is very sweet.
 
The Kiev 4A is my favorite Soviet camera for several reasons. I like the wide RF base length, also the focusing wheel for the 50mm lens (focus and shoot with one hand). The Contax grip seems to come naturally to me. Also, I find the shutter speeds easier to set than those on the LTM Zorkis and FEDs, where the slow speed numbers are so close together that's easy to miss the speed you want and end up with the next slower or faster speed.
 
I use one, and like it because of the glass. Russki Kiev lenses are better and have less issues than M39 types. The Helios-103 is an especially great lens.
 
I first got my Kiev 4 along with a FED3a, purchased from a friend. I really only wanted the FED3, because of it's nice stepped top plate and curves, but my friend strongly recommended I also got the Kiev.

Now, after some 4 months with them I can only say that the Kiev has grown on me: the focus precision, the fast lens, the ease of shutter speed selection... no, I wouldn't part with my Kiev 4 now!
 
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I had a Kiev once, not a bad camera, but certainly not a Contax. The older models seem to have a better rep than the 4am, but many need a basic CLA. Their price is certainly right - a good deal for the money, and most J8's are nice lenses if the glass is good.
 
I have a Kiev 2, and it seems a decent enough camera. Whoever owned it before me loved it enough that they replaced many of the original Kiev parts with Contax parts. A real Contax film spool is generally worth more than a complete Kiev. Unfortunately, the original lens was in bad shape, the internal coatings were hazed, so I found a minty Jupiter 12 on eBay for $40. The Contax mount lenses are generally less expensive than their screw mount brothers.

The other day I found a complete Contax II at a used camera shop. It was only $50, so I picked it up. Of course one of the shutter ribbons is broken (the other ribbon appears to have been recently replaced). I'll try replacing the ribbon myself and see what kind of luck I have. According to the serial number, the camera was made in 1936, I suppose it's worth the effort to repair it.
 
Coldkennels said:
I'm still holding off on buying one. You guys aren't helping; please stop! 😛
Click to expand...
Repeat after me "I don't need the accurate focussing, the non-fading, nice even-exposing metal shutter or the bayonet mount and I couldn't possibly cope with the Contax-style grip". That ought to work 😀

P.S. the cheapest-best is a 4A from pre-'75 ish, don't get a metered one. 😉
 
Know what you mean. I have 3 different 4-models, one bought CLA´ed, 2 from flea markets. They are all running smoothly; never seem to have any of the weird problems that I have with my LTM models. Even got one with a meter that is spot-on compared to my Lunasix. The Helios 103 is amazing IMHO one of the best rangefinder lenses around. Allthough they are quite clumsy to handle, I like them so much that I am considering getting a couple of extra lenses (Jupiter 12 and 9) for them. Hmm...better get a few items in the Classifieds to pay for that...
 
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