Surprise favoured Kievs ...

[dee]

Think of clearing some of the Kievs and found that top of the list to keep is a 1970s ex Oleg K4, working exquisitely , less than perfectly re-renderd in silver paint and tan leather .
This was a trial for the subsequent Contax rebuilt in the same finishes by ex-Arsenal Techs .
Next to keep is the virtually mint 1970s K4a , with UK TOE box / passport etc .
Then the Contax III bodied Hybrids with Kiev parts and one K4 top plate/meter ... KIIi/K4 with gifted KNeB faceplate also Arsenal Tech created .

This appears to overrule the genuine original Kiev II of 1951 and 1952 etc.
It appears that tinkering with reality is my forte plus a preference for newness in the face of antiquity in that I would select an immaculate Kiev IIa 1956 over the tired earlier versions .

I guess this borne out by the re-imagined as new 'Leicas' from various ex-USSR sources which I am still hanging onto.

I guess that these inexpensive , often maligned cameras were an ideal source for reinvention .

Maybe it's an extension of my career in creating 'authentic' period interiors for leading London Hotels .

A touch odd though .

respect
dee

 

[jgrainger]

If that's the Kiev in your profile pic, it does look tidy.


I've sometimes tried to find perfect cameras but haven't really found the perfect experiences and photographs as a result of that.. Meanwhile the imperfect but fine cameras have ended up as reluctant keepers - at odds with my quest for perfection.
I'm gradually coming round to the idea of not becoming a collector, helped by the greater difficulty and cost of finding perfect LF gear - though certain aesthetic items of gear can go towards helping to build an experience if working with other people.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I had several Kievs. The only real imperfection is in crude shutter speed selector. I had it even in twice serviced Kiev II.
Maybe it is the nature of mechanism. Contax IIa has this eliminated.