(OT) Kiev 35A

[brians]

Off topic since the Kiev 35A -is- a Minox 35 (non RF) copy, but I'm wondering how many of you own/have owned/or use a Kiev 35A camera. I've got one, but I've never really shot with it. I just know that the last time I shot with it, the exposures were a slight bit underexposed and I got a few overlapping frames. The lens are very sharp though!

I have heard that it's good to set the exposure 2 stops under as to "fool" the electric shutter into taking "normally" exposed pictures. Still, I think it's quite a neat little camera. I'm not sure if the overlapping frames came from putting my thumb on the film back while reloading or not, but I'll try it out again and post the results once I get my film scanner 🙂

 

[varjag]

Never shot with it, but an opinion exists that 35A is a very good performer when in good mechanical condition and with well-calibrated circuitry. Sadly it isn't usually the case: they were built in 1980s when Soviet camera industry degraded to pathetic condition.

 

[keithslater]

I owned one, almost made it throught a full roll of film. The shutter would no longer trip.
Waste of money.

 

[lubitel]

I own a minox. and was shooting about half a year with very low battery. Untill I noticed that the meter was showing strange shutterspeeds. for example 1/125 in dimly lit room, when I know it should have been 1/30th.

so do you have a good battery in there, and does this battery have the right voltage? If the voltage is a bit off, that could lead to false readings.

Does kiev have this 2x button for overexposures?

 

[brians]

I own a minox. and was shooting about half a year with very low battery. Untill I noticed that the meter was showing strange shutterspeeds. for example 1/125 in dimly lit room, when I know it should have been 1/30th.

so do you have a good battery in there, and does this battery have the right voltage? If the voltage is a bit off, that could lead to false readings.

Does kiev have this 2x button for overexposures?

I have 4 LR44 button cells in the battery chamber inside a transparent sleeving the seller provided for me when I got it. I would like to see how a Minox battery would work for it though. It doesn't have a 2x overexposure button, but there is a wheel under the kiev that selects the film speed, so I could overexpose it a couple of stops it through that.

What's funny is that the Kiev 35A manual actually tells you to "rap on the top of the viewfinder" if the meter is not working properly... I read somewhere that it gets stuck (either in the OVEREXP. or the UNDEREXP.) extreme regions. Never dealt with a camera like that 🙂

 

[kiev4a]

I have a 35A that fogged film. Solved problem by painting the inside of the back with flat black paint--there were some spots in the plastic shell that were translucent. I shot a couple of rolls or film and it worked fine, with very sharp photos with nice contrast.

 

[Mark Wood]

Having used a Minox 35GT extensively for the best part nearly 20 years (with one complete service and exposure meter change by the UK importer during its lifetime) I think I can safely say that remarkably erratic exposure (usually inexplicable and quite frankly, gross underexposure) is the general order of the day! The Minotar lens is very sharp but take a photograph with any bright light source included (especially the sun in a sunset!) and the flare pattern is terrible. I guess this is probably the result of the crazy shape of the aperture blades as much as anything else. Never has the "flawed gem" phrase been more appropriate - I've taken some of my best (mind you, that's not saying much!) photographs with this camera so it's hard to be too critical but...

The Kiev 35a seems to be a more or less exact copy of the 35GT, except for a more limited range of film speeds, so couple this with 1980s Kiev build quality and so I suppose that ultimately, it's not really surprising what you get.

 

[phototone]

I have a couple of Kiev 35's and also a Minox equivalent. The Kiev does not have a backlight compensation button. I really can't tell the difference in sharpness between the two brands, as they are both outstanding. I almost always bracket my exposures by changing the ISO setting on either camera. I have not been disappointed by the clarity of the images I get, and some of my Gallery images are made with each camera. Mostly b/w scenic's. I did not try to use my Kiev's before I coated the insides of the removable backs with black felt-tip marker, paying particular attention to the "lip" edges of the back where they mate to the camera body. I have not had a single instance of fogging, and I have carried these Kiev's around with me in my shirt pocket in broad daylight for hours at a time. I have also never experienced overlapping frames. The really good thing about the Kiev 35a cameras is that you can still purchase them brand new from a few vendors for under $50.

 

[P C Headland]

Having used a Minox 35GT extensively for the best part nearly 20 years (with one complete service and exposure meter change by the UK importer during its lifetime) I think I can safely say that remarkably erratic exposure (usually inexplicable and quite frankly, gross underexposure) is the general order of the day! The Minotar lens is very sharp but take a photograph with any bright light source included (especially the sun in a sunset!) and the flare pattern is terrible. I guess this is probably the result of the crazy shape of the aperture blades as much as anything else. Never has the "flawed gem" phrase been more appropriate - I've taken some of my best (mind you, that's not saying much!) photographs with this camera so it's hard to be too critical but...

The Kiev 35a seems to be a more or less exact copy of the 35GT, except for a more limited range of film speeds, so couple this with 1980s Kiev build quality and so I suppose that ultimately, it's not really surprising what you get.

Hmmm, never had any problems like that with my 35GT. It has worked flawlessly in -20c and in the heat of an Italian summer. Never had any problems shooting near to the sun either (taking care with the exposure of course). If I'm shooting portrait and the sun is off to one side, I turn the lens door towards the sun.

Paul

 

[brians]

I love this camera. I used 400 negative color film, but I have my camera set at 100. 2 stop overexposure helped a lot for me. I've also found out what causes frame overlaps. Don't rest your thumb on the camera back while you're winding. This pressure causes the film going to the takeup spool to "lag" or fall behind in the 2x winds!

I know this might be a really crappy camera in terms of production and although I'm not very proficient in the metric system (for focusing), I've found this to be such a delightful, yet worry-free camera to use. It was only $30 bucks and the MC KORSAR 35mm/2.8 are really sharp!

BTW, I have the olive drab painted color, the one that people say that has horrible lightleaks.... luckily, I bought mine off of a really honest US ebayer. I'll post some pics in a week if my neg scanner arrives! 🙂

 

[MattiasL]

I have a Kiev 35A, but I don't use it much. I have solved the light leak problem with black tape. Last time I used it, I was surprised that the lens is so sharp. Right now it's loaded with a roll of Fujichrome Astia that i will cross-process. I had almost forgotten the camera... A nice little one.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Without question the worst camera I have ever owned.

Excelsior, you fathead!
-Chris-

 

[brians]

You think so Chris?

I actually like it. Luckily, I got two working specimens tested by two reliable sellers, so it's working much better than anyone claims it to be. YMMV!

 

[chojna]

I have owned a Minox 35 since 1978 & have never experienced the problems described in this thread
The only thing I have noticed is that for some reason on colour slides it always seems to overexpose yellow
Never owned a Kiev 35 - got lots of other Russian cameras but not this one
I think I have always been put off by what I have read
Perhaps I'll try one after the above tips

 

[Mark Wood]

Reading my post again, it perhaps sounds more negative than it should. It's just that every so often, I get very underexposed (1.5 to 2 stops) pictures from my Minox 35GT. I'd always assumed that it was a problem with my camera but when "Amateur Photographer" magazine tested a new 35GTE a few years ago, they found exactly the same problem. There's no doubt that it's absolutely fine with colour negative film but I have an annoying tendency to use transparency film which really is asking for trouble with the vast majority of compact cameras that have autmatic metering. Judicious use of the 2x compensation switch (and occasional bracketing with the film speed dial) usually sorts out any problems if I want to ensure that I get a usable picture. It's a camera I really wouldn't want to part with.

Apologies, this is blatant "I love me" stuff here's a link to my favourite picture taken with the Minox by way of an apology to it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/arts/apictureofbritain/showrecord?Id=48711

It was taken on colour negative film and more than likely (I really can't remember!) the 2x compensation switched on - sorry, that was just a pathetic attempt to show off! I suspect that like most FSU cameras, if you find a properly functioning 35A, it will give results on a par with the Minox and that's got to be good.

 

[brians]

I actually agree that it is a really crappily made camera. I'm hopefully going to be getting a Minox GT pretty soon, so let's see how that goes!

Yeah, if the Kiev provided a 2x compensation, I don't think I would mind as much. I was planning to shoot slide film with the Kiev, but now I feel a bit uncomfortable doing so. Maybe I'll x-process and see what kind of results I get!