Kiev RF TTL !

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Amazing ! :eek:

first surprise from the Princelle 2nd ed, the prototype in 1962 of a Kiev TTL rangefinder based on the 'usual' Kiev body. It had dual meter indications both in a window on the top plate and also inside the viewfinder.

The lens was the same Rekord 50/1.8 than on the Kiev 5.

This book is starting to pay itself ! :eek:

Edit: typo, the lens on the Kiev 5 is a Helios-94 or something like that, this particular Rekord was never produced (neither was the ttl kiev, sigh...)
 
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Notice he said PROTOTYPE! Many modern-day innovations probably were gleams in somebody's eye long before they actually showed up in production cameras. I've read that the Leitz factory had designed prototypes of the M series before Adolph ever invaded Poland, but they didn't show up on dealers' shelves until 1954.

Keep in mind that in the SLR world, through-the-lens metering was around by the mid 1960's, even though they were all-manual cameras at that time. Given the manufacturing conditions in the FSU, the bosses seem to have been more interested in production numbers than in quality as such. Any number of websites make the point that, at least with some brands, quality and dependability declined as time went on.

Take the matter of meters. By today's standards those old selenium meters are pretty well useless, even though they may still work to some degree. I have a couple of Kievs with meters on top, but I wouldn't bet the house on their accuracy. I happen to think that, given the situation, a Kiev 4a (non-meter model) is a better bet now as well as a better-looking camera.
 
dll927 said:
I happen to think that, given the situation, a Kiev 4a (non-meter model) is a better bet now as well as a better-looking camera.
Click to expand...

that's why I have two of them.. what's the point in getting a bigger camera with a meter you can't trust?
 
work in progress

work in progress

I'm realizing a model of kiev4 ttl. I have taken cue from a plan of
leica IIIf ttl discovered on the web. I'm using a yashica exposimeter and put it in place of original kiev meter.
Ciao. Carlo.
 
Amen. I only have one 4a so far, but that one I got from Yuri at Fedka, and it's in pretty darned good condition. What really impressed me about that transaction was that, before he sent the camera, he e-mailed me and said the Jupiter 8 had "minor cleaning scratches" on it, so he was including a Helios-103 also. When the camera arrived with both lenses, I thought that was damned good business. He's to be recommended in my book. I might mention that there was no extra charge.
 
Nikarlo - where is that website about the IIIf ttl? That sounds interesting - even if it was a little ahead of its time. Would that make an M-7 jealous?
 
Hi Carlo,
Can you share the link to that plan of IIIf ttl you found on the web? Sounds interesting!
Kai
 
I' not be able to find the address no more! Perhaps it is in the bookmark, but I must still find again it. I've find it trough photo.net.
Do you speak italian?
Carlo
 
Brilliant! Not sure how I missed this thread in PN. Thanks, Carlo. Let us know how you get on with building your Kiev 4 TTL. I'd personally like to make a digital Zorki, just for the fun of it!
 
Carlo,
I missed your question in your last post... si, parlo italiano, ma non perfetto! Capisco tanto piu bene che parlo! Noi siamo d'Australia... penso che rimaniamo qui per alcuni più anni prima di andare indietro "downunder".
Tanti saluti da Friuli-Venezia-Giulia,
Kai
 
Now, how a combo of Kiev-4A and Sverdlovsk-4 would work out..
 
JoeFriday said:
that's why I have two of them.. what's the point in getting a bigger camera with a meter you can't trust?
Click to expand...

Extra weight could be beneficial to low speeds (1/5, 1/10s) with the camera handheld. I often use kiev 4m. The meter on kiev 4m is pretty accurate (1-1/500s at f/8). I bought sevrdlovsk 4 and like incident light mode.

pangkievrange
 
After thinking about it for a while, it seems that adding a TTL meter to Kiev-4 is possible. I see a few practical problems though:

1. The shutter speed marks are non-linear on the selector limb, which excludes the use of potentiometer. But as only discrete speeds can be specified, 9 resistors with value corresponding to 1/2-1/1250 speeds selected can be used instead. If I recall correctly, there are non-rotating grooves for each speed to where the selector limb descends, maybe they can be used to close the appropriate circuit.

2. No idea how to fit the ISO selector ring.. maybe the film reminder in the rewind knob can be reused? Still in this case it would require some way of taking the current from the rotating film rewind axis.

3. Calibration. Are there analog CdS meters that don't require calibration? Otherwise it is yet another control to think of.

4. Jupiter-12 will block the metering cell. Solution: use J-12 without metering.

5. The layout. It may be possible to fit the elecronics in the RF compartment, but there isn't any easily accessible place for batteries. And removing top casting just to replace batteries sounds like a bad idea.

Nikarlo, could you tell us more detail on your plan/implementation?
 
I bought two kiev4 for parts and i've eliminated the aluminium meter lodging. Then i take apart an Exakta hs-2 reflex (like but not the same of cosina/yashica fx3) and i take the meter cell, the circuit, the battery holder, the iso and time selector (the difference between 1/1250 and 1/1000 will be acceptable for me).
I will put time and iso selector and circuit in the housing of kiev meter, the cell in a place in the right of the shutter, than I will paint silver the shutter center...yes it will not meter with j12....
And for the battery housing....I will put it near the rewind knob.
Sorry for my "spaghetti" english! :-(
Ciao, Carlo.
 
Ah, I see.. my Kiev is meterless. Maybe it'll be possible to fit a button cell behind the bayonet though, like with the metering cell.
 
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