Kiev 4am

[santino]

Hi! 🙂

I've been thinking a lot of buying a Helios 103 from moscowphoto for 10 bucks or so but there was still that custom's office shipping issue etc. so I couldn't decide to get one. Today I purchased a Kiev 4am with Helios 103 + case from the bay in mint condition for 18 euros. 😀 🙂

Sorry, I couldn't resist to post that, I'm kinda exited, finally I'm getting a Helios 103 (the kiev could be good performer too, wh knows and I'm curious about quality because everybody says that late produced kievs are junk).

 

[Stanton]

I have both an 1982 and 1983 manufactured Kiev. Never had a problem with either. It may be that quality control was a problem, but not in my experience. Dave

 

[physiognomy]

Santino,

From what I have read there were some issues with the latter models, but that was mostly sorted out after '82... I have held a couple of Kiev 4am's and found them to be a little 'rougher' than my '63 Kiev 4 (that has developed light leaks), but still nice cameras... I would liken the distinction to holding a nice early FED/Zorki & then picking up a FED 5... You notice the difference, but it's more of a tactile thing rather than anything functional.

Here's some info you might be interested in:

"...official production started in 1979. This is the period of the lowest workmanship at Zavod Arsenal. A certain amount of these cameras did not work at all when leaving the factory. Unverified rumors from the east, claim that in 1981 a delegation from the central authorities in Moscow suddenly arrived at Zavod Arsenal in Kiev. The production from the last two months was rejected, destroyed, and sent directly to the city dump.... From 1982 onward Zavod Arsenal managed to increase quality a little bit. They also fulfilled the original plan of 5000 cameras a month - but the Contax quality was gone. The final series of the Kiev 4 M and Kiev 4 AM cameras left the factory in 1986." Quoted from here (click link).

Peter

 

[Photog9001]

what irritates me most about mine is that if i don't take care, it tends to rip the film out of the canister when i'm done shooting it. ok, perhaps i should have said "i" tend to rip... instead of "it", after all it's me doing the winding,.. but care needs to be taken. oh, and the shutter is a bit sluggish as well.... apart from that - I LOVE IT! don't remember for sure, but i think mine is an '84 model...

 

[JohnM]

I have a 1983 4am - the fit and finish is not great as the tolerances seem to be all over the map, but it works fine where it counts. (Even before I had it CLA'd.)

I would call the later Kievs 'unique' as opposed to junk. They really grow on you - I've spent $100 caring for a camera that originally cost me $20-something. After a good tuning and new skin from Akihiro Asahi, it's become a very kind user.

I would get an inexpensive rubber hood for the Helios. (Bower makes one - $6 US) Mine flares pretty impressively at times without it.

 

[Xmas]

The earlier cameras were pretty enough to fondle - oops, to German standards. The later ones are build like late T34 tanks when the panzers were at the gates of the factory - Leningrad and Stalingrad.

Many of the Helios tend to need more black paint internally and benifit from a hood.

Noel

 

[santino]

thanks for the info!

mine should be a '84 modell.

 

[Nikon Bob]

I have a 79 Kiev 4a and would not call it junk. The only problem that I had was uneven film spacing cured with a simple clean up of the friction clutch on the take up spool. It does have a gritty shutter release that will likely be fixed when I clean the internals this winter. That aside it works very well with print film. I have no comment on the Helios lens as mine has a J8M only to say that if it performs as well as the J8M on mine you won't be disappointed. I do use a vented hood from Heavystar on the J8M.

Bob

 

[rbiemer]

Santino,
Please let us all know how you like(or don't like, as the case may be) the Helios lens! I've been thinking about one but haven't quite decided to buy one yet--the J-8m lenses I have on my Kievs are just fine so I don't really need one...not that that has stopped me from buying before😀
Rob

 

[santino]

I don't really need the helios either (becausr of J8) but I've got to have it, it isn't expensive and who knows, it could turn out as good performer!