Kiev 90

[john_dixon5]

Does anyone have any opinions of the Kiev 90?

It seems to be quite rare.

Does it have the same built in weaknesses of the other Kiev's?

 

Thanks

 

John

[NetR]

I would only buy one to put on the shelf. The electronics are dubious. They are rare because they never worked well enough to justify oproduction in large numbers. However, it is an interesting example of what might have been.

 

By the way, your dismissive attitude towards the mechanical Kiev cameras is somewhat misplaced. The weaknesses largely relate to poor assembly and lack of quality control, rather than an inherently poor design. A well-tuned Kiev can be an excellent tool.

 

Have a look at www.commiecameras.com for more information on the Kiev 90.

 

Regards, Ross

[john_dixon5]

Ross, thanks for your reply, I actually bought a Kiev 60 from Kievcamera in Atlanta. It appears to have been flocked, has MLU, and I guess it must have been calibrated, etc., because I get perfect negative spacing, and the camera so far (only used 4 rolls of film so far) is very good. I bought the CZJ Biometer 80mm lens after, and have yet to get my film back after shooting a roll with it. It will be interesting to compare the results with the Arsat.

Although I am happy with the camera so far, I may not have bought it if I had posted questions about the Kiev 60 on this forum prior to buying it.

People say it will not stay working for very long....what will go wrong? will I start to get incorrect negative spacing, even though it has perfect spacing now?

Will the shutter jam?

Thanks,

 

John

[jim_seaman]

John,

 

I don't have an answer on the 90 but you asked:

"People say it will not stay working for very long....what will go wrong? will I start to get incorrect negative spacing, even though it has perfect spacing now? Will the shutter jam? "

 

Mine has developed a light leak (probably from the curtain but I've been too busy with other cameras to use it anyway...) by the 10th roll. You need to treat the winding mechanism gently - winding by one smooth, even stroke and not a couple of short ones or you will probably experience negative spacing issues - I did. Also, I believe there are instructions as to when to set shutter speeds - I believe its only when the shutter is cocked but check the camera manual to be sure. Mine was ok until the light leak but it seems flimsy by comparison with other cameras I own. It's heavy enough, but I keep waiting for bits to fall off or break off. It could be psychological though. I say use it and enjoy it! As in anything, if it breaks, balance how much it will cost against how much a new one costs and how much enjoyment you get out of it.

 

Good luck,

 

Jim

[bruce_hamm]

Jim,

 

I think we may be getting our Kievs mixed up. The precautions you mention resemble those to be made with the Kiev 88, which suffers from a poor overall design. Upgraded Kiev 88s, such as the Hartblei that I use, can be more reliable than factory models but when all is said and done they are still based on a flawed design. The Kiev 60, on the other hand, is a fairly robust camera if it has survived the shoddy quality control at the Arsenal factory. Most Kiev 60 owners find that if their camera doesn't give them grief after a few rolls, then they usually work well for a long time.

 

Now John, does this mean to say that if your camera is working now, will it never break down? Of course it doesn't. If you owned a Canon 1V or Nikon F5, both undisbutably robust cameras, there's no guarantee that either of those cameras wouldn't break down as well. Cameras, being mechanical devices, are subject to failure given time and heavy usage.

 

On to the original question regarding the Kiev 90: it costs a lot more than other Kiev models; it has known reliability issues; and unlike the Kiev 88, you would have a hard time finding someone who could repair one.

 

Finally, there are a lot of threads on Photo.net regarding Kiev equipment and many posts slamming it as unreliable junk. But, many people who actually USE Kievs see them for what they are: an incredibly inexpensive, no frills camera system that use excellent inexpensive lenses that produce great results. Purchase equipment from a reputable dealer that backs up their merchandise, like Mike Fourman at Kiev Camera, and you shouldn't be disapointed. Purhase from ebay, and beware.

[jim_seaman]

Bruce:

 

"I think we may be getting our Kievs mixed up. The precautions you mention resemble those to be made with the Kiev 88, which suffers from a poor overall design. Upgraded Kiev 88s, such as the Hartblei that I use, can be more reliable than factory models but when all is said and done they are still based on a flawed design. The Kiev 60, on the other hand, is a fairly robust camera if it has survived the shoddy quality control at the Arsenal factory. Most Kiev 60 owners find that if their camera doesn't give them grief after a few rolls, then they usually work well for a long time. "

 

Actually I have a Kiev 60 that I purchased through Mike at Kiev Camera a couple of years ago... It took two tries to get one that worked - frame overlap on the first one was un-usable. The frame spacing problem exists on my current camera - IF I do not make a single complete stroke of the wind lever but instead 2 short strokes... I do remember reading the proceedure for shutter speed, but I don't remember if it was with the shutter cocked or not.

 

Someday I will find some time to look at the camera a little closer and figure out the light leak. Probably a small hole in the curtain - that is also a common problem with them - but easily fixed.

 

A good source for info on them is:

http://kievaholic.com/

 

Good luck,

 

Jim

[andrew_schank]

Mike Fourman told me that on some of the Russian stuff he sells, the return rate for DOA cameras is like 20%. That is an amazing number! I beg to differ about the Kiev cameras being "robust designs with simply poor quality control". According to my very experienced camera repair person, (who had a few of mine open)they are designed and constructed poorly with cheap parts. I had three that all developed problems after light use, and two of them were "reworked" cameras. What good is a camera you can't rely on? Especially with the slew of cheap quyality medium format equipment on the used market now, I can't for life of me understand the attraction to the Kiev stuff..