kiev quality - or useability ?

Quick question: On a Russian seller's site I see a black Kiev 4AM on offer. Did the factory make black Kievs, or is this just a paint job? If it's from the factory, I want to buy it.

Ted
 
tedwhite said:
Quick question: On a Russian seller's site I see a black Kiev 4AM on offer. Did the factory make black Kievs, or is this just a paint job? If it's from the factory, I want to buy it.

Ted
Click to expand...

Hi Ted.

The vast majority of black Kievs are indisputably repaints, and until proven otherwise that has to be assumed in any particular case. However, Princelle (1st ed.) describes two (one assumes very rare) variations of an apparently authentic black Kiev 4M. He does not list a black 4AM, but as seemingly authentic black Kiev faceplates appear on e-bay, it is not impossible....:)

Ah. the certainties of the FSU world.....

Cheers, Ian
 
Thanks, Ian. I suspected as much. On the other hand, it does look in the photographs (and the photos are quite good) like a high quality job.

Ted
 
I have indulged in several all black repainted fed / Zorkis and can confirm that instant brassing is built in !
and , even from photos some are much better finishes than others - but black cameras are neat !!
 
OK ... I have completed my ''set '' , added a Kiev 3 , 1954 to my asterliks Kiev 2 - it wasn't my fault - he accepted my offer of $90 plus the additional $10 shipping [ saving $25 on his price before shipping , which would have been more from another dealer ... excuses, excuses ... ] and two cameras in a box are not as obvios as two cameras arriving separately - just like the big extra heavy box arriving from Oleg , with the 4a and 4m.
Downside ?
Closing down all the '' watching '' stuff on e-bay , 'cos funds from selling toys is exhausted .
have to go ..
dee
 
dee
You need to set up a signature.
'My name is dee and I have not bought a camera all day.'
You can alter it daily.
'My name is dee and I have not bought a camera for two days.'
e.g.
Noel
'My name is Noel and I have only one camera (+three lenses, filters hoods etc.) in the post.'
 
Re: Kievs...

In this part of the world, Ruben is the local expert on FSU gear and I have
learned much from him. Last year, I bought the Kiev 4a which was a long
running production model; mine was made in 1960. And, the long Kiev RF
base is great.

The Kiev's have a couple of minor, annoying quirks:

- spacing between negative frames is uneven.

- In advancing the large winder knob for film advance and shutter cocking,
it is easy to inadvertently change shutter speeds, with a slight, accidental
upward pulling on the knob.

The above being said, the special quality of the Jupiter lenses, especially
the J8, is legendary.

If you want a Kiev, go for it. Some of the better Sellers are:
Oleg at okvintagecamera.com, Yuri at fedka.com, and in eBay
it's leon1965jazz and alex_photo.

Cheers, mike
 
Hi, Mike:

My Kiev 4AM only has uneven spacing between the second and third frames (wide). The rest are normal.

Unlike my new IIIf, which has uniformly very tight spacing between the frames.
You can still get a pair of scissors between them, but you have to take care.

Ted
 
As Max said, if you get a Kiev, once you get used to it, sooner or later it will lead to a Contax. Conversely, if you get a Contax it will lead you to a Kiev.

It is that if you get used to it, and the few particulers of that cameras do not disturb you so much, they are an inexpensive alternative to other RFs with same capabilities at just a fraction of the price.

Russian optics are very good and inexpensive, all of them are excellent copies (sometimes improved ones) of prewar Zeiss lenses and the difference between them usually isn´t other than the price.

Zeiss lenses are still available at usually reasonable prices so buying them isn´t impossible.

Then, a Kiev is a good choice, but be carefull, it helps develope addiction.

Ernesto
 
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