Nevermindthebolex
Newbie
Hey. I'm new to the rangefinder world and just purchased a Kiev 4 with the built in light meter. I've read a few manuals but still cannot figure out how to use the light meter and left dials to determine what aperture and shutter speed to use. If anyone can break it down for me (like I was an infant) I would REALLY appreciate it.
Peter_Jones
Well-known
The peculiar numbers on the left dial are for the Russian GOST system, not ASA. Check out the Kiev Survival Site (KSS) , plenty of helpful advice on there.
Bear in mind the meter, although responding to light, may not be working as it should.
A quick search on this forum will bring up useful exposure charts to compare to what your meter is telling you.
I'm sure someone will give you a step-by-step, forgive my quick n cheap answer - just finished work
Bear in mind the meter, although responding to light, may not be working as it should.
A quick search on this forum will bring up useful exposure charts to compare to what your meter is telling you.
I'm sure someone will give you a step-by-step, forgive my quick n cheap answer - just finished work
pschauss
Well-known
The light meter is operated by the two rings which surround the rewind knob. Rotate the inner ring until the red pointer points to the ISO setting of the film that you are using. Now rotate the outer ring until the needle on the meter lines up with the black diamond on the scale of the meter. Look at the outer ring to find the shutter speed and the corresponding f stop will be oposite that value on the inner ring.
HTH,
HTH,
Highway 61
Revisited
Hey. Looks like you've been dropped over the good zone.
More seriously : beats me, 'cause a five seconds basic Googling job would have brought you there :
http://mikebutkus.com/chinon/russian/kiev-4/kieva-a-splash.htm
Nevermindthebolex
Newbie
Thanks for the help. What I am confused about is when I adjust the outer ring (so the needle lines up with the diamond), am I looking for the value on the outer ring that lines up with the red pointer? And if thats the case then looking across from the outer ring number (that has lined up with the red arrow) will yield the same f stop every time because the red arrow never moves.
I guess more simply asked, if the f-stop is across from the value lined up with the red arrow wont that tell me the same f-stop everytime?
I'm sorry i am so brain dead with this. once again your help is appreciated.
Ed S.
Member
My table of ASA-to-DIN-to-GOST says ASA 200 = GOST 180, and this seems to be correct. But I’ve used mostly color, and Walgreens might adjust the prints a little (my negatives look ok though).
One procedure you might consider doing is carrying along a trusted SLR with similar lens, that you can use for comparison metering.
Selenium cells do not last forever, but last much longer in the dark than when exposed to light. The Kiev’s selenium cell is old, and might have spent much time with the cover open (being left exposed to light).
Opening the cover and pointing the cell at a light (not the sun!) should get the meter needle to move. If not, try slowly rotating the film speed dial to see if the needle moves. If it does not, then your Kiev might need service.
Alternatively, if the needle moves, it might be right on or it may be off by a few stops. You will have to experiment. Do several comparisons with scenes metered by your SLR to get an idea of the condition of your meter.
Note that the Kiev’s meter gets light just like a hand-held selenium meter, not like the one inside an SLR: make sure that the meter does not get sun when metering a dark scene from a bright location, as this can affect the reading considerably.
I find this forces me to keep the current reading in mind, and to notice lighting changes. This makes shooting slow, since I don’t want to have to meter every shot, and I’m not good at judging lighting changes. But it reduces wear on my Kiev and forces me to develop a skill that is mostly masked by modern SLRs.
My Kiev-4’s meter works (when not specifically being used to meter a scene, I close the cover), but seems to be about 1 stop off. I set the camera up, do a couple of measurement comparisons, then re-adjust the film speed ring (watch the needle) to give me a direct reading from the dial. This way when I adjust the ring to get the meter needle on the rhomboid, I have no conversion / offset to remember. When it’s on the numbers, there’s a stop conversion to consider.
You might have good luck with this method.
One procedure you might consider doing is carrying along a trusted SLR with similar lens, that you can use for comparison metering.
Selenium cells do not last forever, but last much longer in the dark than when exposed to light. The Kiev’s selenium cell is old, and might have spent much time with the cover open (being left exposed to light).
Opening the cover and pointing the cell at a light (not the sun!) should get the meter needle to move. If not, try slowly rotating the film speed dial to see if the needle moves. If it does not, then your Kiev might need service.
Alternatively, if the needle moves, it might be right on or it may be off by a few stops. You will have to experiment. Do several comparisons with scenes metered by your SLR to get an idea of the condition of your meter.
Note that the Kiev’s meter gets light just like a hand-held selenium meter, not like the one inside an SLR: make sure that the meter does not get sun when metering a dark scene from a bright location, as this can affect the reading considerably.
I find this forces me to keep the current reading in mind, and to notice lighting changes. This makes shooting slow, since I don’t want to have to meter every shot, and I’m not good at judging lighting changes. But it reduces wear on my Kiev and forces me to develop a skill that is mostly masked by modern SLRs.
My Kiev-4’s meter works (when not specifically being used to meter a scene, I close the cover), but seems to be about 1 stop off. I set the camera up, do a couple of measurement comparisons, then re-adjust the film speed ring (watch the needle) to give me a direct reading from the dial. This way when I adjust the ring to get the meter needle on the rhomboid, I have no conversion / offset to remember. When it’s on the numbers, there’s a stop conversion to consider.
You might have good luck with this method.
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Once you have the red pointer lined up to your film speed, you can mostly not worry about it. After you have turned the dial to get the needle lined up with the diamond, you then look at the outer ring and will see(if the scene is in the sensitivity range of the meter) shutter speeds lined up with apertures. This gives you a range of speed/aperture choices that are equivalent exposures. You can then pick the speed/aperture that will work best for you and your subject.
I would agree with checking the meter against a known good meter to be sure the Kiev is metering correctly.
Rob
I would agree with checking the meter against a known good meter to be sure the Kiev is metering correctly.
Rob
SimonK
Established
And if the meter is really dead, then you can stay with the FSU experience and get a Leningrad light meter. I bought a mint Leningrad 4 on ebay for less than $10, and it is absolutely spot on when compared to the meter in my Nikon.
Nevermindthebolex
Newbie
Thanks very much for the help guys! Looks like I've got some light meter leg work to do.
Santafecino
button man
Oleg will replace the meter cell for not much money, and it's fun to have one that works.