R
ruben
Guest
BUYING THE TICKET AND ABOARDING THE SHIP
I thought to write some introduction but things will come along the walk.
What we need to start, is a Kiev we are ready to sacrifice. Perhaps we have one, perhaps we'll have to buy one. In no case, a nicely working kiev is to be put at risk till the end of our trip. I, myself, have started contacts with several dealers.
In case you are going to buy a kiev for our pending training, the model I most recommend is the newest you can find, from the type 4am, meterless Kiev. They are the best bargain. This means the most efficient working condition at the lowest price. As for the exterior look of it, which those of us acquinted with older models high style cannot stand, I will show you how to change its look totally, into a most appealing looking camera, no one is selling alike. Kievs 4am have other advantages, some of them of high importance, such as a bigger winding knob, making winding easier, and better placed and bigger white numbers for shutter speeds, allowing easier speed identification. Another very serious improvement is the fixed winding spool eliminating the issue of frame spacing, and to a less importance for me the rewind knob. Remember, that in the same way we may end with a Kiev for parts, we may end with a charmly camera to use.
In any case what we are looking for, and paying for, is the most precious of all: experience and knowledge. This, in the future will bring the biggest revenue.
In case you will be using a Kiev you already own, I repeat the risks you are taking. Besides I recommend it will not be a metered coupled Kiev, since its disassembly I just happen to be starting learning, as i ever owned only one. So we are not going to put at risk a good working camera, but a non working one will not be usefull either. Perhaps at the end of the training we may solve its problems. For sure not at the start.
Since some of us are going to buy a camera we will continue with Part 2, after a month more or less from now.
Until then when we meet again, those of us already having a camera for training, have the following mission to perform. I will call it The X-Ray Test of the camera, enabling us to gather a myriad of info, from which what interests us right now is most of all the shutter performance of our kiev before we open the fisrt screw.
What we have to do is to take our most trusted camera, preferently an SLR (but only if we really trust it) and look for an area around our house, in which we can identify a proper fitting exposure of f/5.6 at 1/125. With the help of a tripod or any other supporting device, we will make a series of exposures all equivalent to each other:
f/2 at 1/1000 = f2.8 at 1/500 = f4 at 1/250 = f5.6 at 1/125 = f8 at 1/60 = f11 at 1/30 = f16 at 1/30 = f22 at 1/15
After finishig these shots we will carefully rewind film, leaving a tongue out, and insert this film into our project Kiev. Once the film is within the Kiev, we will shoot blanks to advance the film to the point of our last SLR exposure, and then we will be shooting some additional 4 or 5 blank frames to be sure no overlapping will take place.
Then we will repeat the sequence above mentioned with our project Kiev, preferently in the same order. If meanwhile light has changed, we will have to do it another day at the same hour we started with our SLR.
The subject in both cases should be placed at 1 meter from subject to camera back, or at 1meter according to the SLR standard lens in agreement of both viewing and distance scale, and of course the subject will be the same for both cameras, as big as possible, as detailed as possible.
When we shoot with the Kiev, the second series on the same film, we will place it in the same place of the trusted camera and set the focus according to the distance scale of the Kiev, not according to what we may see at the kiev viewfinder.
Within reasonable common sense tolerances, we will not seek perfect exposure of our subject, but try to learn how close or far our project Kiev speeds performs, compared to those of our most trusted camera. The second thing we will learn is the performance of the shutter speeds of our kiev, according to itself. Are all speeds working consequently or not?
If everything is perfect in both series we will have from frame to frame the same level of exposure, or negative density. and both series (both cameras) will closely agree with each other.
But, like in any test, surprises may arise and we should not desperate, but take note. This negative will be sent to processing only, and no print should distract us. We will looking at the negative over a light table or against a mated window. This negative will have an extremely multiple value for us, now and in the future.
Of course, those of us waiting for our newly purchase kiev for the project, will perform the same test as soon as possible, since our other fellows are waiting.
We are starting with checking the Kiev shutter speeds, because the Kiev shutter tension is the hard bone to overcome, in order to soften the camera. At the last stages of our training, we will have this negative test for checking and refining our messing with the shutter curtains spring distension.
=============
Now is time to repeat and refine some earlier assertions.
a) If you have never opened a single screw of any camera, you are my most distinguished guest here. I promise you I will get out of my mind in trying to put the level of my explanations to your present situation. This training is purposed for giving you access to the Kiev Survival Site.
One of the reasons I love explaining things for people with no idea at all about them, is that I am forced to go and think about the basics. And the basics are the basics, the starting point from where you build either good or bad. Discussing the basics is the most productive of all.
b) If you are a Contax owner, you not only have a place of honour here, but we desperately need you. Our goal is to bring our crude Kiev performance as close as possible to your exquisite working Contax. Only you can tell us how much we are closing the gap. But you also have a lot to gain here. Do you think that Contax repairmen have learnt their craft breaking one Contax after the other ? Of course not. They have learnt breaking cheap Kievs. Perhaps here and there you will be able to obtain from this training a way to elevate a Kiev to your standards and use it in a lot of situations you will not like to risk your precious Contax. I hope so.
c) If you are a dexterous Kiev do it at home repair person, you are kindly invited to check what I am doing and openly disagree with my proceedings. Your help is most required and welcomed. No progress is the result of Amen chorus.
Ok, is every one ready to sail ? Let's see if the globe is round and our ship arrives at the West Indias, or we are eaten by the dragons.
Cheers,
Ruben
PS,
Provide your feedback.
I thought to write some introduction but things will come along the walk.
What we need to start, is a Kiev we are ready to sacrifice. Perhaps we have one, perhaps we'll have to buy one. In no case, a nicely working kiev is to be put at risk till the end of our trip. I, myself, have started contacts with several dealers.
In case you are going to buy a kiev for our pending training, the model I most recommend is the newest you can find, from the type 4am, meterless Kiev. They are the best bargain. This means the most efficient working condition at the lowest price. As for the exterior look of it, which those of us acquinted with older models high style cannot stand, I will show you how to change its look totally, into a most appealing looking camera, no one is selling alike. Kievs 4am have other advantages, some of them of high importance, such as a bigger winding knob, making winding easier, and better placed and bigger white numbers for shutter speeds, allowing easier speed identification. Another very serious improvement is the fixed winding spool eliminating the issue of frame spacing, and to a less importance for me the rewind knob. Remember, that in the same way we may end with a Kiev for parts, we may end with a charmly camera to use.
In any case what we are looking for, and paying for, is the most precious of all: experience and knowledge. This, in the future will bring the biggest revenue.
In case you will be using a Kiev you already own, I repeat the risks you are taking. Besides I recommend it will not be a metered coupled Kiev, since its disassembly I just happen to be starting learning, as i ever owned only one. So we are not going to put at risk a good working camera, but a non working one will not be usefull either. Perhaps at the end of the training we may solve its problems. For sure not at the start.
Since some of us are going to buy a camera we will continue with Part 2, after a month more or less from now.
Until then when we meet again, those of us already having a camera for training, have the following mission to perform. I will call it The X-Ray Test of the camera, enabling us to gather a myriad of info, from which what interests us right now is most of all the shutter performance of our kiev before we open the fisrt screw.
What we have to do is to take our most trusted camera, preferently an SLR (but only if we really trust it) and look for an area around our house, in which we can identify a proper fitting exposure of f/5.6 at 1/125. With the help of a tripod or any other supporting device, we will make a series of exposures all equivalent to each other:
f/2 at 1/1000 = f2.8 at 1/500 = f4 at 1/250 = f5.6 at 1/125 = f8 at 1/60 = f11 at 1/30 = f16 at 1/30 = f22 at 1/15
After finishig these shots we will carefully rewind film, leaving a tongue out, and insert this film into our project Kiev. Once the film is within the Kiev, we will shoot blanks to advance the film to the point of our last SLR exposure, and then we will be shooting some additional 4 or 5 blank frames to be sure no overlapping will take place.
Then we will repeat the sequence above mentioned with our project Kiev, preferently in the same order. If meanwhile light has changed, we will have to do it another day at the same hour we started with our SLR.
The subject in both cases should be placed at 1 meter from subject to camera back, or at 1meter according to the SLR standard lens in agreement of both viewing and distance scale, and of course the subject will be the same for both cameras, as big as possible, as detailed as possible.
When we shoot with the Kiev, the second series on the same film, we will place it in the same place of the trusted camera and set the focus according to the distance scale of the Kiev, not according to what we may see at the kiev viewfinder.
Within reasonable common sense tolerances, we will not seek perfect exposure of our subject, but try to learn how close or far our project Kiev speeds performs, compared to those of our most trusted camera. The second thing we will learn is the performance of the shutter speeds of our kiev, according to itself. Are all speeds working consequently or not?
If everything is perfect in both series we will have from frame to frame the same level of exposure, or negative density. and both series (both cameras) will closely agree with each other.
But, like in any test, surprises may arise and we should not desperate, but take note. This negative will be sent to processing only, and no print should distract us. We will looking at the negative over a light table or against a mated window. This negative will have an extremely multiple value for us, now and in the future.
Of course, those of us waiting for our newly purchase kiev for the project, will perform the same test as soon as possible, since our other fellows are waiting.
We are starting with checking the Kiev shutter speeds, because the Kiev shutter tension is the hard bone to overcome, in order to soften the camera. At the last stages of our training, we will have this negative test for checking and refining our messing with the shutter curtains spring distension.
=============
Now is time to repeat and refine some earlier assertions.
a) If you have never opened a single screw of any camera, you are my most distinguished guest here. I promise you I will get out of my mind in trying to put the level of my explanations to your present situation. This training is purposed for giving you access to the Kiev Survival Site.
One of the reasons I love explaining things for people with no idea at all about them, is that I am forced to go and think about the basics. And the basics are the basics, the starting point from where you build either good or bad. Discussing the basics is the most productive of all.
b) If you are a Contax owner, you not only have a place of honour here, but we desperately need you. Our goal is to bring our crude Kiev performance as close as possible to your exquisite working Contax. Only you can tell us how much we are closing the gap. But you also have a lot to gain here. Do you think that Contax repairmen have learnt their craft breaking one Contax after the other ? Of course not. They have learnt breaking cheap Kievs. Perhaps here and there you will be able to obtain from this training a way to elevate a Kiev to your standards and use it in a lot of situations you will not like to risk your precious Contax. I hope so.
c) If you are a dexterous Kiev do it at home repair person, you are kindly invited to check what I am doing and openly disagree with my proceedings. Your help is most required and welcomed. No progress is the result of Amen chorus.
Ok, is every one ready to sail ? Let's see if the globe is round and our ship arrives at the West Indias, or we are eaten by the dragons.
Cheers,
Ruben
PS,
Provide your feedback.
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