Kiev Time

[ruben]

Once upon a time some one asked about a FSU camera for street shooting. I replyied that these cameras are not suitable for street shooting since they are slow to manipulate. I said then that these are cameras rather for love.

Now I myself have put all other cameras aside, and am doing street shooting with my Kievs. My long gear detour since I entered RFF has ended. In some time I will start selling almost all non-Kiev gear I have been acumulating.

After discovering the source of the hard winding, the last obstacle has been removed for me in my inner dream of making the kievs fully operational in pair with the most advanced manual rangefinders.

As for the issue of the curtains distension, all I can say by now is that yesterday I performed some things to another Kiev and the results comfirm what until now was only an assumption. I am not going to detail by now, since I am waiting for some book to arrive to give me more comfirmation what I am talking about. Yet a certain site comfirms it already, although keeping some secrets too, since it belongs to a repairman (http://www.zeisscamera.com/Contax/Tech2.html#Shutter Tension) Warning: when he talks about counter clock wise he is meaning tensioning from the begining - not distensioning

The process of distension is quite dangerous to perform since the means provided to do it require both care, knowledge and hand dextery, beyond what is written at the KSS. The element of hand dextery can be minimized if you know in detail what exactly to do. And for this a full pictured explanation should be given, including what to do in case of accident during the process the curtains loose all tension and you should perform the tensioning from the begining.

As for the issue of lubrication, I will like to retreat a bit from some sentences or words like "massive" and the like. But I have more knowledge here too to transmit. (Sorry Noel but the Zippo stuff, after testing, didn't make me to dismay as award winning, let us leave it for the lighters). Lubrication is the second phase after cleaning, and when cleaning, a new item can be used: compressed air, enabling smaller amounts of liquid cleaners, and lubricants afterwards, to reach farther. As i never touched a Contax, I cannot make comarizons. But I can stress I have 3 Kievs performing astonishly smooth. And I do intend to show how to do it.

But this inner gear small talk, although being quite crucial, is not all. For fast and friendly manipulation, the Kievs require our further intervention regarding marking. The existing marks are less than necessary and too small. On this issue I will show new things.

Finally I have to retreat a bit from another assertion I made in a discussion here with another guy, whose name I do not remember, who claimed that the Contaxes and Kievs are to be used specially with one lens, since otherwise they turn ackward. I said the opposite then, claiming the Kievs are system cameras. Today I would say that using and exchanging two lenses is a good start, until high dextery developes. With the help of big and supplementary markigs I am changing these two lenses on my Kiev, at the same speed as i did when younger and prettier with my Olympus OM SLRs.

Oh yes, some kind of eye relief will be showed too, specially directed to users the professional glass scratcher - the Kiev 4am.

So we are left just with the issue of auto-exposure. During my detour with the myriad of RFs around I have found that having an auto-exposure camera is not such an edge as it may be seen beforehand. Yes you can click faster, but what exactly are you clicking is to be seen. Besides, at street shooting you are pre-setting all the time, like it or not (and I do not). But at street shooting too pre-setting exposure and depht of field is a single action. Even advanced professionals using digital autofocus cameras are continuously presseting focus to avoid shutter lag. Presetting exposure having a small digital meter wristed to your arm, is not that slower, nor cumbersome.

Yes, I am done. Kiev mon amour.

Cheers.
Ruben

 

[alternatve]

Excellent!

After much hassle, (sorry DVD!) my kiev 4a is finally coming to me! Unfortunately for it, it is not going to live a charmed life in a glass box in some airconditioned, climate controlled box. Quite the opposite, I plan to use it everywhere I go, paired with a early model fed with a collapseable lens when the funds come in. And I'm training my speed with a Japanese SLR for now, my self metering rules slowing me down considerably. Strangly enough, I find myself focusing faster with a squinty viewfinder on a FED 3, instead of a bright and clear Minolta X-700 viewfinder. Though we're on opposite sides of the world, I think I've found my mentor for my dive in the world of Kievs! =D

Samuel

 

[ruben]

Hi Samuel,
What mentor ? I hardly have seen "Earth" after navigating hopeless for long 3 years. If you intend seriously to go Kiev, then start thinking of yourself as part of a crew without capitan, in a frigatte after the killing of Marlon Brando.

I have already read discouraging remarks about do-it-at-home Contax shutter fixing, including "that English book" I am waiting to. It could be the case that whatever I learn about, I may have to keep for myself only, or for prived exchanges, out of not enough evidence I am right.

Well, if you have got a Kiev 4, that "is not going to live a charmed life in a glass box in some airconditioned, climate controlled box.", now you must buy a decent case from Alex photo goods:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=330066417533&rd=1&rd=1

At any event, I strongly recommend you that the camera strap will not be attached to the case but to the camera itself. If you go for the abovementioned type of case, you will have to adapt it a bit, like anything else with Kievs.

From these cases you can cut the original strap, and make out of it a new one to attach to the camera,

You can paint it black with "Coxy black shoe colouring" (liquid),
or give it an appealing bordo-like tone by polishing with "Tarrago" reddish shoe cream (cream).

Most of the times, these cases come with a rear pocket for film type or whatever.

And they are the only ones to fit tightly.

Honour your Kiev, buy one.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[TVphotog]

I for one really hope to see some 'How-to' sections from you sir. I 'fixed' the shutter on my 2A with the shutter from my 3A. This was due mainly to seeing your reports on your Kiev travels. Help me use my Kiev!!!!

 

[ruben]

It is not as simple TV, yet thanks for the compliment.

I have softened 3 of my Kievs already. Now how can I assert that my indicated speed 1/500 is indeed 1/500 and not, let's say 1/400 ?

Secondly, there is a site threating that in case you miss the screwing and the spring totally releases. then you will have to re-engage it at a very specific gear point, otherwise you'll loose the 1/250 speed at all, and/or B speed.

Now, it is true that this site is the one of a $300-plus overhaul repairman. Yet responsibility towards the members here calls me for either being able to disclaim these assertions or being able to show how not to make the mistake in case the assertions are true. A long mileage away, that is the truth.

We all need a father, me including. Yet we are sailing inside the Bounty.

Cheers,
Ruben


Post Mortum:
Better than the Titanic.


AND POST SCRIPTUM !
Nevertheless, one thing I openly say without doubt. After dealing with all the minor issues in the way of softening the shutter knob, starting with the re-winding knob, via cleaning and lubrication, etc etc, blah blah blah, the hard bone is in the correct cleaning lubricating and DISTENSIONING of the shutter curtain.
Being able to point there, took me three years and plenty of distracting GAS.

 

[TVphotog]

I read that site and he will not do Kievs... the site author also discourages against other CLA services. As long as it works and takes pics, I can live with the rest😉

 

[alternatve]

Ruben,

Well then, if you are not the captain, then you are the first mate. But yea, it's a sharing kind of thing. The camera I bought comes with a case, and it's going to stay in there inbetween film changes. My SLR is getting scratches on it's bottom even though I am careful to place it down slowly. I heard it's a good way to stop light leaks as well! If my Kiev 4a works out well, and I like the system, a 4aM and a Jupiter 12 will be on it's way here. 😉

Samuel

 

[dee]

I love my Kiev 4 and my 4 am - but the cases are not really up to standard - The old Kiev 3 cases are much better - but I am so luckily awaiting a Kiev 3/ 2 with proper cases ... but I shal simply take whichever camera with nice case - otherwise it stays safe in the later cases - but I quite like the darker brown later cases ...[ mine is awfull tan ! ] any comment ?

 

[ruben]

The old kiev cases, which no doubt are much better, need the following adaptation for a Kiev 4am:

a) You will have to remove the lower 3/8 screw (intrument: screwdriver and patience slow work in order to damage the leather at minimum)

b) The screw hole of old kievs is not placed at the same point like the others, so attaching the case to the camera will be done in other way.

c) From the moment you have removed the unusable 3/8 screw compound. there is not much use too for the strap being attached to the bottom of the case instead to the camera. So remove them as well (insturments: screw driver and cutting plier. Here too be patient, and be patient to avoid damaging the case bottom.)

d) In order to fit the 4am to place in your old case, you will have to lower the small holes at both sides of the case, to make space for the camera 'ears' (I don't know the exact word in English, but I mean those protrusions in every camera where the O-rings are inserted. (instrument: punch pliers, this is the one making holes for belts, etc, and is cheap [$10, or less])

e) But before lowering the holes, carefully study the exact position of the new ones to be punched. If my memory doesn't fault me, the new hole (for 4am model) is a bit towards the front of the camera at the side of the small wheel, while the other one goes straight below the older one.)

f) Once you have the correctly placed new holes, cut the case from the new holes up to top, making a kind of channel to enable the case to mount and dismount up to place. VERY IMPORTANT: this channel should be very close to half a centimeter, no broader, since we are going to use it for holding the case attached to the camera, via pressure of the O-rings. (instruments: cutter knife and metal ruler, or small dents scissors - Marking the lines with a felt pen will not harm either)

g) Now that the case fully fits the 4am, mounts and dismounts with relative ease, we should attach the O-rings. NOT TRIANGLE RINGS, NOR ANY OTHER THING, JUST METAL O-rings. Do it with the case dismounted.

h) In order to mount the case, do it while the O-rings are in perpendicular position to the camera, like flying wings. Now mount your strap to the O-rings, and you will notice that when you lift your camera with your strap, the O-rings make a very strong pressure over the surroundiung parts of the case, thus keeping it in place, and making a relatively easy case dismounting.

Cheers,
Ruben

PS
The snob Kiev user like me, who never forgets making his camera fancy, may purchase "Tarrago" reddish shoe cream for his brown leather case, obtaining an outstanding deep bordo/brownish tone. But never use the Tarrago attached sponge, and apply the cream with home bathroom cotton, at small amounts each time.

 

[alternatve]

Polishing leather reminds me of when I was in high school, buffing my army boots into a high sheen till I could see my teeth glisten, never mind that they'll get dull and marked after a long tiring day of repetitive drill under the hot sun.

As leather is leather, whether it's used to make boots or a camera case, I suppose I can use the same stuff I use for my boots, which is Kiwi boot polish. I won't try my other stunts which involves burning of that stuff on my boot and all though.

 

[mike goldberg]

Ruben,
VERY IMPORTANT!...

You mentioned "eye relief" above.
Please post a photo of the rear of your custom case, showing the
hole around the Kiev's round, left RF window protrusion. The thickness
of the leather keeps the eye, quite naturally, a few mm. distant from the
camera body in focusing.

Those who don't have the precisely correct case, may be able to cut a
hole, approximately 15-17 mm. in diameter for this purpose.

Thanks, mike
PS: You can easily do the photo in Carmine's digicam;
the little Tulip symbol engages the close focus ;-)

 

[ruben]

THE KIEV OLDER CASES

come with a round hole around the viewfinder eye viewing window. In case the Kiev 4am viewing window protrudes a bit or still scrathes your glass, which may be or not the situation, then you can reduce the thickness of the camera window surrounding metal ring.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[ruben]

Why not put a thin circle of felt around the eyepiece, instead of hacking it?

This is a very important question, and my answer is that glass wearers using FSU cameras and a few others, are in desperate need to bring theit eye and glass as close as possible to the viewing rear lens, in order to see the frame of the image.

Users of cameras with frame lines and space between the lines and the window frame, do not live this drama, as they can waist this in-between space and not pressing their glass against the viewfinder.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[John Bailey]

glasses scratched

glasses scratched

That's what happened to me Saturday using my Kiev. I don't use the cases.
I was pressing my eye (glasses) up to the vf and totally forgot about my glasses.
I now have more scratches. But I enjoy using it.