My New(Old) Kiev 4!

[mike_pender1]

I've been wanting one of these for awhile, so I finally broke down and bid on

one from the Ukraine, it arrived in PERFECT condition! I am really pleased with

the condition, haven't run any film though it yet. I did have a question about

the film spool/cassette that came with it. Should I use the cassette or just

take the spool out and use it? Could I re-wind the film out of the cassette

when the roll is completed inside the camera? I've never used a combo with the

cassette and spool. Also, the spool looks as if the film leader may need to be

cut down to fit in it. Thanks again.. I'm looking forward to using my Kiev!

[mike_pender1]

Another pic..

[mike_pender1]

And.. the film cassette/spool

[jeff bishop]

I'm not familiar with your camera at all. The film cannister looks like a standard 35mm cassette that you would bulk load film into. So, if this is 35mm, that's just a re-useable film cassette.

[kevin_roach]

I've used these cameras but never came acrooss an enclosed spool like yours. Is this in the

supply side? I guess if you're spooling bulk film this is what you could use.

 

The inner part can be used as a take-up spool and a regular 35mm cassette used as the

supply side. rewind back into the 35mm cassette. I guess you could use the enclosure on

the take up side though I don't see any good reason to do so.

 

I always carried a swiss army knife with a scissors when shooting these. To cut down a

leader. I suppose you could dremel a longer slot on the take up spool but that just seems

like too much work.

 

The first two digits of the serial number tell you the date of manufacture.

[roseberry guitars]

Hello Mike, excellent choice in a FSU camera. I've had a few and all worked very well. Can have great lenses too.

 

I still keep one of the Kiev 4a's as a back-up to my Contax IIa and IIIa.

 

I have a couple of those canisters but never tried them so cannot comment on if they work or not. I just made my own take-up spool.

 

If the cannister insides doesn't work as you want it to it's very easy to build your own take-up spool from an empty film cannister. Check Mike Elek's web site for easy to follow directions.

 

http://www.elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/repair/spool.html

 

Good luck and post some photos when you get it al set up.

[glenn_mabbutt]

I picked up a Kiev 4a recently as well. I'm very impressed with the overall operation of it - especially the contrasty viewfinder/rangefinder as well as the *extremely* quiet shutter (I've never used a Contax-class camera before).

<p>

However, mine has a frame-spacing issue, to the point where a couple of frames overlap. Apparently this is a fairly common issue with Kiev 4's generally with the removable take-up spool. I've also had frame spacing/film jamming issues with a FED-2 that also had a removable take-up spool (although I was able to transplant a fixed spool from a FED-5), so at the moment I'm very much anti-removable-spool :)

<p>

But, as I like the camera otherwise, I'll probably get it repaired using <a href="http://www.fedka.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=48">Fedka's service</a> as I'm no good with small fiddly bits (and I don't want to ship it outside of North America), although I just sent them another camera, so I'll see if they do a good job on that one :)

<p>

As for your pic - that is a bulk-load 35mm cassette. If you're not bulk-loading, don't worry about it. The only thing I can think of that might be useful on your camera is if yours didn't come with a take-up spool - using <a href="http://elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/repair/spool.html">these directions</a> you might be able to use the interior spool of the cassette to make one yourself.

[glenn_mabbutt]

Scot beat me to it while I was typing :)

[summitar]

I also recently received a Kiev 4A from the Ukraine via baywatch. The lens was fungusu ridden, the aperture ring wouldn't turn, and the shutter was inoperable. Other than, it is servicable...as a hockey puck. Never again!

[weezul]

What you got as an extra is just a reusable 35mm cassette, films were simply sold in such decades ago. I never use such devices in my Kiev, simply the take-up spool, works OK, at least so far, although I DID have the camera overhauled by a specialist (used to cost peanuts here in Poland). Great camera, great lens, very, very sharp. A drawback is that Kiev is rather a complicated beast (comparing to a Fed for example) and repairs can be tricky and cost much too much. It is usually better to buy another working camera than having it serviced, unless one is sentimental. If your Kiev works like mine - you're lucky. All the best!

[JDMvW]

I guess I've been lucky, but so far I've been very pleased with cameras I've bought from the former Soviet Union. Many models that I'm interested in are much more common there than in the former Western countries. Both Ukrainian and Russian posts are cheaper, quicker, and more reliable than Deutsche Post in my own experience. I've also had very good luck with Czech post. What I'm looking for now is a Contax counterfeit in black made out of a Kiev 4a that works. The only regular vendor on eBay doesn't take Paypal and I'm still a little nervous about money orders to anywhere.

[lee_shively]

I have three Kievs but I've never used the cassette shown. It's my understanding that you could use two of these cassettes with bulk loaded film--one with loaded film on the supply-side and an empty one on the take-up side. By using two of them, you did not have to rewind the film at the end of the roll. I think I remember reading that the double latches on the removable back also opened and closed these cassettes to keep them light tight.

 

Kievs are pretty nice cameras as users. I bought my first simply as a curiosity, never really meaning to shoot with it. Now I have three with several lenses and I really enjoy using them. One has some frame-space issues--just occasionally frames butt up to each other without overlapping. I'm not thrilled with the viewfinders on the cameras so I use Leitz and Canon auxilary finders and I have a Russian multiple frame finder as well.

[richard_oleson]

If you use the spool without the cassette, it will fit a little loose in the camera and may be wobbly when you try to load the film. I have made takeup spools exactly as described in Mike Elek's site above, but I take the end cap off of an old film cartridge and epoxy it to the bottom flange of the spool. This makes the spool the same diameter as a factory takeup spool an things fit a bit better.

[mike_pender1]

Thanks to everyone for the good info on my Kiev! This one is really a nice camera! It is SO CLEAN!! I am totally impressed with the *Bay seller in the Ukraine! I will let you know how the first roll turns out!

[mdcarma]

Mine developed a rash.<div></div>

[tony_lockerbie]

Michael, that looks nasty!

 

Mike, the take up spool was probably just lost with your camera. I bought a Kiev under similar circumstances to you and mine was also missing it's take up spool.

 

The contax, contaflex spools are the same, so I took the spool from an inoperative contaflex super that I had in the cupboard, problem solved.

 

Tony

[luis triguez]

Michael,

 

http://www.cameraleather.com/others/

 

 

:-)

[kymtman]

Mike; when I load my Kiev 4 I use scotch tape and tape it to the spool of an empty. I first tape to the end of the film and leave an inch or so sticking out, then carefully align the tape to the spool and press the tape to the spool. This way when I rewind it will get tight to rewind when I have reached the beginning of the film. Now I don't have to go fishing in the dark for the film and no need to pop the canister. If you don't process your own then the photo lab is well pleased that they don't have to go fishing for the film.

[mike_gillespie]

Of all the Russian 35mm copy rangefinders, the Kievs are the closest to the original cameras they imitate in quality. The Jupiter 8 lenses are sometimes as sharp as the Zeiss Sonnar, only the leatherette covering always seems to be substandard in fit, I have 3 of these Kievs, all are the equal of my Stuttgart IIIA in every way except for the fit of the covering.