The Kiev that took 33 years to ship to HK

[xxloverxx]

A Kiev 4A. That is, a delayed (by 33 years 😉) xmas present.

Actually my uncle got it for me off ebay, had it shipped to Vancouver and my grandparents brought it back to HK for me 😀

Just laid my hands on it earlier tonight. First impression: wow.
Film advance and shutter speed was a bit rougher than expected, but I soon got used to it. The viewfinder was, well, tiny, compared to any other camera I'd used; the advantage of this VF is that, compared to my Ricoh 500G (which is totally useless now), it's distortion-free and the RF patch is quite bright.

It came with the Jupiter 8 and some yellow filter that has 2x marked on it (how many stops do I lose from a 2x filter?).

All the apertures and shutter speeds seem fine (well, the shutter sounds fine to me, but then I've never heard a focal plane shutter without the mirror slap before, so I can't quite tell. Looking at it fly, it seems alright)

Went over it with some cotton swabs and 75% Isopropyl alcohol (very carefully), used a lens cloth on the lens and filter, used the plastic bit from the cotton swab to jam the infinity lock (so I could focus using either lens barrel or ring) and stuck a leather strap on it (got it from somewhere in Tokyo).
It's amazing how clean some cameras seem until you use some alcohol and cleaning material on it. Then all the black and brown stuff starts to show! 😱

The one thing I can't get over: the film advance goes clockwise! :bang: and I have to make sure I wind it until I feel resistance, because there are 2 clicks winding 1 frame.

Just wondering…is there any way to check for light leaks without putting a roll of film through it?

7 more exposures on the roll currently in my FM and then I'll probably be putting either 400H, Portra 400NC or Tri-X through it 😀

 

[rustysheepdog]

Glad you like your old Kiev - I think the "film test" is the only way to check for light leaks. I got my first one about 15 years ago and had problems with a loose-fitting back, but adjusting the locking catches solved that, if I rembember correctly. My second one has been fine in all departments.

 

[Ronald_H]

(how many stops do I lose from a 2x filter?).

One stop.

Light throughput is reduced by a factor of two (hence the 2x) = one stop.

 

[xxloverxx]

Thanks!

Just loaded some Tri-X (and had a heck of a time trying to load much of anything (I really wonder how all those war photogs shooting Contax RFs did it back then)) and hope it doesn't leak to much.

I think I'll shoot this at 400, but meter for 200 due to the filter. Forgot to ask Colorluxe Express if they charge extra for pushing…

About to go down and shoot some frames. Hope it gets noticed less than my Nikon FM (it's certainly a lot quieter, but still has a very distinct "clack" sound, especially at 1/125+)

Very happy that the Jupiter 8 has a serrated grip on the lens barrel - I focus at snail's pace with the wheel (and I have yet to train my fingers to grip a "heavy" camera with one hand. I also find that the shutter delay lever (with the 2 pins sticking out) really mess up the 'Contax grip', thinking about taping that over to save some skin…)

 

[dee]

Congratulations on your new-to-you Kiev 4a - what year is it [ first two numbers denote year ]
Keep winding and firing and it may loosen up - they love being used - but like all cameras it may need a service .
Now you just need a KNeB II LOL