KMZ Start, a Soviet SLR camera

There's an interesting video posted by Kosmo Foto discussing the KMZ Start, an SLR camera made in the Soviet Union starting back in 1958. It's less than 10 minutes and you can find it here:

. Also at this link in the description of the video is a link for further reading on Soviet cameras.

 

This video is apparently the first in a series of videos to come looking at camera designs over the years. You may want to consider subscribing to the channel.

It's an interesting camera.

Here is Che Guevara using one

 

I did a post on it at http://photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00c7Ga, but I cant' get that URL to work, perhaps linked to the problems of late here on P.net? or is it an incomplete URL? Donno.

Edited September 6, 2021 by JDMvW

I did a post on the Start a while back. Most things have been covered on photo.net over the years. Lets hope all this isn't lost if photo.net fails.

 

LINK --- --- --- https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/the-start-the-ussr-exakta.5520769/

Finally got to it

https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/soviet-start-camera-with-jupiter-11-4-135.484837/

so in this case it was an incorrect URL

 

In the days before the current OS here, you could post images directly. That no longer works, so you have to scroll down past the alphabet soup....

I got around to watching the video, a good appraisal of the camera. But I find the way the picture jerks upwards between scenes quite annoying.

This thread got me to wondering if cameras are being made in the Russian Republic currently and I found this:

The Russian Zenit Camera is Coming Back... to Battle Leica in Luxury

Actually they did come back and then stopped production in 2005 it seems. But they are making what look to be some nice manual focus lenses in a few different mounts. I wonder if there is any camera production in Russia.

I got a free Start a few years ago. Alas, it had a fatally mugged shutter, and I took it apart. If you ever do find a working one, take very seriously the rule never to change shutter speed until it is wound and cocked. You can get away with this on some old Leicas and their spawn, bit not,apparently, on a Start.