Kiev II vs Contax II

SCOTFORTHLAD said:
Without wishing to divert the thread from it's main topic,I have often wondered what happened to the Contax Technicians who were drafted to FSU in 1945 with their equipment ,as part of German/FSU war reparations,and began to produce the Kiev versions.
Did they stay in USSR,or were they eventually repatriated?Presumably they were non-military people,it must have been a very difficult experience.

I would be interested if there is any info' amongst us.

Brian.
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I have often wondered about that very same subject.
 
There was an interesting article whose link has been posted in a previous thread. It spoke about the Schott Jenaer Glaswerk (part of Carl Zeiss Stiftung I think) workers who were requisited with their families by the SMAD (Soviet Military Administration, occupied Germany) to go work at Lytkarino (LZOS plant) and Kranogorsk (KMZ plant). I hope I can find it back.
 
As I know, all German specialists (skilled workers, engineers, etc.), who were departed to USSR after the WWII, were returned (in good health) back to Germany in late 1940es- early 1950es.
 
and in thge end...

and in thge end...

Thanks guys,

I suppose my question was rhetorical and I always knew the answer in the end. My Kiev 4 light leak will not go away and the focusing/RF seems a bit suspect at times. Getting a Contax II from HS now, 86 on his list. May get s.t. from fedka to get me thru til then, may be a Kiev II, so its not either/or but lets get both! I have been concentrating on my TLRs over the last few months but feel the pull of the RF again. The GAS is coming back!

regards

Stephen
 
Stephen

There is not much functional difference between the C and K, the early K are pretty similar, and you should he able to get a 'user' Contax body resonably cheap while you wait, for HS.

The only initial differences are in the finish, reduction of parts (screws) and with (some) later lenses the black paint. The FSU rationalised the design, e.g. shutter ribbon, and added flash synch. The FSU chrome is harder wearing if not as shiny.

If you wanted to chase after your leak you could load a chrome film, and case and tape off leaky points, in succession to try and identify the source. The chrome film allows the side of film with the leak to be more easily identified unless you can do complementaries (colour) in your head.

You also need to look at your J12 unless you are sure that the leak occurs with other lens as the j12 flare can appear similar to a leak. If the J12 has an untreated rear element bevel of ground glass you need to paint this carefully with two coats of black board paint first. My most annoying leak dissappeared after this. I rebuilt the camera first, good fun if you like that sort of thing.

You may need to replace the internal black paper as Russ Pinchbeck describes, etc.

What sort of leak do you have, what is its colour, and does it entend into rebates?

The rangefinder should be really solid unless it needs a rebuild...
 
stephen_lumsden said:
Hi
I enquired about getting a Contax II from Henry Scherer and its basiclly going to take 10 months and about $600-700 for a Contax II with a post war Sonnar (coated). I am looking at Fedka.com who have slightly newer Kiev IIs, $235 which I can forward to a technician who can do an ok overhaul for about $100, fairly quickly.

I know the quality of the Contax is better, but just how much in comparison to the earlier Kievs (I have a 4 btw) ?How, in general do the results compare? BTW I would like to stick with the Contax 11/Kiev as I have the J-12. Anyone in a simialr boat?

regards

Stephen
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No need to pay that much. You can get very good Contax II's on eBay for between $200-$400 - shop carefully. Also, despite all the hype about Henry Scherer (he is talented no doubt), he's hardly the only person qualified to repair Contax -- there are many good camera techs that will take on that job and do it well, for less and faster too.
 
Coming back to this I feel like a hamster on a wheel...

I actually got a contax ii from HS in 2008, did not really use it till 2022 and now really like it. Thinking about this again, but for a backup body. There seems to be a lot of honest vendors like okvintagecamera.com and sovietcamerastore.com with some also on eBay. HS is way too expensive these days also. I have a lot of lenses so will stick with them and may jettison my M42 stuff to make way.

Deciding between a 1954 Kiev ii for about 190 USD or a 1953 Kiev ii for 249, both serviced (have to have the Cyrillic models). Which one to go for?
 
stephen_lumsden said:
Coming back to this I feel like a hamster on a wheel...

I actually got a contax ii from HS in 2008, did not really use it till 2022 and now really like it. Thinking about this again, but for a backup body. There seems to be a lot of honest vendors like okvintagecamera.com and sovietcamerastore.com with some also on eBay. HS is way too expensive these days also. I have a lot of lenses so will stick with them and may jettison my M42 stuff to make way.

Deciding between a 1954 Kiev ii for about 190 USD or a 1953 Kiev ii for 249, both serviced (have to have the Cyrillic models). Which one to go for?
Click to expand...
Who serviced them? How recently? Body alone, or do they come with a lens? If the latter: does the year of the lens match the body?
If the 1953 Kiev II comes with a lens from that year: I would get it. Schott glass.
 
I have in the past owned a Contax and a Kiev from Fedka at the same time. The Kiev from Fedka was probably the nicest FSU camera I have ever seen. Also, I have owned two FEDS from Fedka. All three performed flawlessly and did not need to be to be serviced. In my opinion, Fedka is well worth the extra money. That said I would take the Contax over any FSU camera everyday. If you can afford It, I would recommend buying from Fedka to have a camera to play with while you wait for a Contax. The Kiev can then be a back up and a user for shoots where the Contax might risk being stolen or damaged.
 
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