Kiev RF winding - small idea

[ruben]

As some of you may know, I am quite obsessionated with making our Kievs better user-friendly, specially regarding the winding mechanism. After having three bodies already oiled/greasead, a good improvement is felt, but, interesting, although there are among the three differences in terms of winding smoothness, there is almost no perceptible difference among them, after the lubing, regarding the finger force you have to apply.

When does it matter? for many friends it may not and that's good. But myself, I would like to be able to shoot several consecutive frames from a subjet, without needing to separate the camera from my eye in order to wind. That's how I get to oil and grease.

Have I achieved it ? Nope. No doubt after the lubbing the winding became greatly improved but still not as desired.

Yet some minutes ago a small idea came. Not a bid deal, but a small help. Apparently it is much easier to wind the camera in vertical position than in horizontal position.

Therefore, while viewing the subject through the viewfinder or turret finder, without loosing eye/viewfinder/subject contact, just quickly turn the camera to vertical position for easier- winding and then turn it back for firing the shutter. Meanwhile you may have got a lucky glance about how your final image may look if shot in vertical position.

Still not my final word, but a small and nice help, I hope.
Cheers,
Ruben

 

[clarence]

I've always wondered if it would be possible to attach a small lever to the wind knob. It would certainly make winding much easier and faster (and less painful).

Clarence

 

[dexdog]

Actually, there was a 1950s vintage accessory rewind lever called "Accu-wind" made for the Contax RF camera. Saw one on eBay about a month ago, sold for $83 USD. Should also work on a Kiev. I did not put a bid on it because I had never used one, and was uncertain whether it would be useful enough to warrant spending the money.

 

[ruben]

I've always wondered if it would be possible to attach a small lever to the wind knob. It would certainly make winding much easier and faster (and less painful).

Clarence

I wondered too, but the idea is un-applayable, so far as we are talking about a simple lever, because the winding knob also marks the shutter speeds, meaning that the supposed additional lever will change starting positions as you change speeds. BUT,

Some technical guy at my job immediately recognized the problem and proposed me to enlarge the winding knob with an additional circular ring 4mm wider than the original knob, to be inserted around the original, taking advantage of the existing screw holes. This idea of enlarging the knob was in fact applyied in the Kiev 4AM and 4M, the latest Kiev model.

Advance and retreat. The Kiev 4AM has a more user-friendly knob but less user-friendly gears. So at the end of the day you remain with a very slight improvement.

Desperation.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[tkluck]

Never had a problem winding mine w/o taking it from my eye (strong fingers?). Shotting with my left eye, that's something I can't do with any lever wind. By the way this is one of the few things I like about my Rollie 35 (and one of the reasons I keep it): left handed lever.