Russian Contax copies

<p>I am intrigued by the Russian copies of Contax IIs and IIIs on e-bay offered from the Ukraine. It looks as if the chance for dissapointment is great, but then we are only talking $100 or so. Are the dealers reliable? Are the lenses any good? Are the old Nikkor contax mounts compatable? Is service available?<br>

Thanks in advance for any insight you can give me. Jim</p>

<p>They are not so much "copies" as all that. They were originally made on the same tools that the prewar Contaxes were made on which were moved to the Soviet Union as war reparations. Indeed, I understand that many of the Contax workmen were also taken to Kiev to assist the setup.<br>

In fact, the earliest ones were made using actual Contax parts, and a few cameras show the Contax name stamped out and reengraved with Kiev.<br>

As for quality control. Although I would not swear that the quality of materials used was always the same, in actual fact, the major difference is in the care taken in the manufacture and assembly. Zeiss made these slowly with (for the time) considerable efforts to fit everything together carefully for a luxury market. In the Soviet Union, the goal was to produce this camera for the masses in what would have been huge quantities by Zeiss standards. You may detect here a "<em>contradiction</em> " in the terms of dialectical materialism.<br>

I have two of these, one converted back into a "Contax," the other as it came from the factory. Both work fine and the lenses for them are also very good, even the one made back into a 5 "sm" Sonnar.<br>

I'd avoid the metered version and get the Contax II descendant instead. Few of these old selenium meters work, although I have some other Soviet cameras on which they actually do work.<br>

Yes there are service facilities, and a Google™ here will bring up a few names, but I've never had cause to seek any kind of service. There are also sites on-line that show you how to DIY.</p>

<p>I've been using a Contax copy from the mid 60's known as a "no name" Kiev. Not built to anything like the Leica LTM bodies (the leatherette body covering is just glued on) it still is a solid chunk of camera with an excellent rangefinder. Focusing is done wit either a wheel on the body that you work with your right middle finger, or use the lens mount itself. The shutter release was very notchy, but a Tom Abrahammson classic softie release screwed into the Kiev shutter release fixed that. I don't use the 50 Sonnar f2 that came with it as I was able to source and prefer a 50 Nikkor f1.4 which is a really nice vintage lens from the '50s. The Nikon mounted just fine on the Kiev and focusing appears to be accurate. It is much easier to load than a Leica LTM as it has a two piece back. There is quite a lot on the web about the post WWII Contax history that makes for interesting reading. As for the camera, if you can pick up a clean one with everything that works, along with the Zeiss 50 f2 lens, you'll have a nice rangefinder. I use a small hand held mete or guess the exposure.</p>

<p>Many thanks, Christopher and JDM. I gonna go for it. I had an actual ContaxII with a Nikkor 1.4 back in the 50s and liked it very much.</p>

<p>I have used a couple of them for years. Well, up until I got my "real" Contaxes that is. I think you get a pretty good feel for the Contax experience with them.</p>

<p>There are a few models to choose from so it's best to do a little research before ordering one. One site for a quick overview</p>

<p>http://www.rus-camera.com/camera.php?page=kiev&camera=kiev4</p>

<p>I particularly like the Kiev 4 aand 4A as they are close to the Contax IIA and IIIA. The Kiev 2 and 3 are excellent, better quality (usually) workmanship than the 4/4A but often cost more than an actual Zeiss Ikon Contax. But then some of them were actually made from Contax parts</p>

<p>The Jupiter 8, 50mm/f2 lens is a very good lens as is the Jupiter 12, 35mm/f2.8, although the J 12 can be a little spotty in quality. They are also very easy for you to service yourself. There are easy to follow instructions on line if you do a search.</p>

<p>I don't like the Kiev 4M and 4AM as they are the modernized model of the 4/4A and feel cheap to me. I also don't like the plastic film rewind lever. But that's just me, many do like it.</p>

<p>Try to get one that was made in 1970 or earlier. The quality of the work is better. The first two numbers of the serial number tells the year. Thus 7003408 means that the camera was made in 1970. You can get lucky though as my Kiev 4 was made in 1974 and is excellent.</p>

<p>As far a getting it serviced do a search over at the Classic Manual Camera forum and plenty of names will pop up. In fact there are lots of guys that hang out there that can do an excellent job of it for you. One there did mine ( I don't think he is doing them at the moment...got too busy with them and wanted to get time to actually use his own Kievs) and the camera is better than I'm sure it was at new. Great bunch there.</p>

<p>Good luck, you'll enjoy the time spent with a Kiev if you decide to get one.</p>

<p>I would second a number of the comments above, except to say that I've owned Kiev-4As made up to 1974 and they've been very good. Sticking with the established dealers who have Web stores is your best bet. That's not to say you can't get good ones from individuals but it can be more of a gamble. I bought one a few months ago from a guy on eBay who I also know from RangefinderForum.com so I felt comfortable buying from him (and the camera I received confirmed that). I also bought a Kiev-IIa off eBay several months ago because I felt the seller's comments in the listing were detailed enough to trust he knew what he was talking about (and that feeling proved correct as well). With those exceptions, though, I've stuck with the established sellers -- Fedka.com and DVD Technik. The guy behind Fedka.com also has an eBay store. Another good seller on eBay is Grizzly33Bear.</p>

<p>And if you need service or an overhaul, I can highly recommend Edward Smolov (<a href="mailto:123camerarepair@gmail.com">123camerarepair@gmail.com</a>) in Brooklyn, N.Y., who used to work at the Arsenal Factory in the Ukraine where the Kiev RFs were made. Comrade Eddy earlier this month completed an overhaul on one of my Kiev-4As (a '71 model) for which he charged a grand total of $63 and that included the return Priority Mail shipping.</p><div></div>

<p>I see that you're an IU grad, Mr. Greenland. I earned a degree in journalism and history from there in 1980. I had a photojournalism class with Ira Wilmer Counts, who was a terrific photographer.</p>

<p>Go IU! And thanks for all the help.</p>

<p>Good contact with Ed Smolov, Daniel. I'd forgotten about him. He did a fantastic job on my Contax IIa and the cost was Sooo reasonable. That would be the man to send a Kiev Contax copy to for sure.</p>

<p>I've been impressed with the build quality of the 50's Kievs I currently use (1952, 1957, 1958), and for comparison I've owned Leicas in the past (M4, multiple M5s, multiple M6s, multiple MPs, M7), a Nikon (S2), and various Zeiss (Contessa, IIA). To me they seem just as well made, maybe even better then some. The Jupiter lenses I've used are phenomenal (8, 9, and 12). Big bang for the buck with these cameras. I don't have any experience with the later Kiev cameras or the Contax II/III.</p>