Too loud kiev 4a

[JOLILLO]

Hi folks, I have a kiev 4a I am working on. The leatherette needs replacement, but the viewfinder-rangefinder is clean and crispy, very goog contrast for double image. The speeds are accurate too, but in the speeds over 1/50 (the change from slow speeds to normal speeds) the camera is too loud, you can hear a big "CLANGK" and even the camera clearly shakes. I think maybe the shutter is too much tensioned. Someone of you can help me explaining the way to solve it?

 

[JOLILLO]

Com'n... 80 people loooked at this thread and noone can help me?

 

[Pherdinand]

mine is loud and shaky too, but works fine. Except at the highest speed sometimes it doesnt open.

 

[JOLILLO]

Then may be mine is not so but. It is only I become so jelous when I read about the smoothness Ruben, Richard and Ondrej say their Kievs exhibit.

 

[oftheherd]

Then may be mine is not so but. It is only I become so jelous when I read about the smoothness Ruben, Richard and Ondrej say their Kievs exhibit.

Have you tried the Kiev Survival Site? There might be something there that would help.

 

[colyn]

You most probably need to de-tension the shutter curtains.

Pitxu.

You have to remove the rear shutter box cover to access the curtain adjustment screw.

Usual tension is 8-10 turns.

I would advise he send the camera to Fedka since it probably needs overhaul. Many people will tighten the adjustment because the curtains are sluggish due to old lube gumming up the works.

 

[JOLILLO]

Well Colin, in fact my camera came from Fedka 3 weeks ago, then I suposse he jet overhauled it.... then you think I must leave it and don't touch it?

 

[wlewisiii]

Given my uniformily positive experiances with Fedka, I'd simply ask him if he & his repair folks would take a look at your camera. The Kiev will always be somewhat louder than, say, a Leica, but by that same token, it is a very different kind of sound and it's hard to know that we aren't all talking around each other.

I have used a Kiev & a Contax in very quiet circumstances in churches. I have _never_ had anyone be disturbed by the sound of my shutter. By my own sounds, well, that's another game.

To me, the Kiev/Contax models of camera remain the high point of film camera developement. Others, naturally, will disagree. Have fun deciding where you think things should be ... 😉

William

 

[Highway 61]

The speeds are accurate too, but in the speeds over 1/50 (the change from slow speeds to normal speeds) the camera is too loud, you can hear a big "CLANGK" and even the camera clearly shakes.

This is normal and due to the 1st shutter curtain brake (a metallic rod) hitting the bottom of the shutter box when the 1st curtain ends its journey.

There are sensitive variations from one model to another, it mainly depends on the machining tolerances.

De-tensioning the shutter wouldn't improve it much in that very respect.
The results of an overtensioned shutter are mainly in not accurate high speeds, so, if yours are right-on, your 1st shutter curtain drum has been tensioned fine.

The Contax II and Kiev cameras being as smooth and quiet as a Leica M is just a hoax, this is just not possible.

I have had and still have several of these cameras, some are reasonably quiet, some are louder, yet all have been overhauled and properly adjusted.
I have a pair of nice Nikon S2, you should hear the famous "KLING-KLANG" noise of their shutters...
Be happy with your Kiev 4 if it works well and has reasonably accurate shutter speeds. As for the shutter noise, if it gets on you too much, then using a leather half case will improve things as it will behave like a camera blimp, sort of.

 

[colyn]

Well Colin, in fact my camera came from Fedka 3 weeks ago, then I suposse he jet overhauled it.... then you think I must leave it and don't touch it?

What I am saying is if you think it is not working properly you should contact Fedka with your concerns.

Also not to be picky but see my sig below for the proper spelling of my name..

 

[JOLILLO]

Sorry, Colyn.

 

[Highway 61]

Find one of Ondej's posts (spyderman) and click on "find all posts by spyderman", and look through these. The photos and explanation are probably there somewhere.

Not to be picky but see Spyderman's sig for the proper spelling of Ondrej's name.

😀

 

[ruben]

Hi Jolillo,

In principle a Kiev can be brought to the top levels of unaudibility at all speeds. In order to obtain it you need:

a) to distension the shutter up to the minimun necessary for correct speeds

b) to have all the shutter mechanism clean and lubricated, both to respectable degree

c) to use an original but tight Kiev leather low case.

Additionally I have applyied to my Kiev user cameras a bit of oil to all the spaces between the curtain links. Beware: This proceeding is not backed by any source and it is out of my imagination only. I embarked in this process out of my needs of a truly silent rangefinder camera.

You should apply the oil with the help of a cotton tip, in an horizontal movement trying to aim at the spaces beteween the curtain links.

Of course we don't want that when the camera is loaded with film the oiled shutter curtains will splash oil to the film. Therefore, after you are done with the oil aplication, and after some shutter firing, you sould start a process of cleaning the curtains, or absorbing the excess of oil, again with a clean cotton tip or some very small piece of absorving fabric..

However let it be crystal clear that from all the measures I mentioned here, distensioning the shutter is the most important, alongside cleaning and lubricating.

Now let me explain the connection of things.
With a mechanically dirty Kiev you can oil or grease it and have it activated, but only at the expense of a supertensioned shutter, covering for the dirt.
But I don't think you can distension a dirty Kiev, because in the process of distensioning the shutter, most of the chances are that you will distension it from, let's say, 15 turns to 0, and then re-tension it, to let's say 6,5 turns of the concerned screw. And retensioning a lot of dirty gears will not produce, in my opinion, a consistent result.

Therefore, in order to achieve the main stage in silencing your camera - distensioning the shutter - you will have to clean and lubricate it first. Cleaning and lubrication by themselves, without distensioning of the shutter, will produce a certain amount of silencing of the shutter. But relatively to the shutter distension, this amount will be marginal.

Last remark, when I refer to cleaning the gears, I mean cleaning them to death, by loupe inspection.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[Wladimir]

 

[JOLILLO]

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😕😕😕

 

[xayraa33]

Ah yes, the Shanghai oil bath school of camera repair.