The Ugly Duckling

[chuck_foreman1]

 

Hi Folks,

The New Year is well around the corner. Although I will typically keep up with CMC (Wither etc) I rarely am posting. The strange thing is.. I've been quite busy , but apparently too lazy to put something together. While many of us keep involved with the "Wekend Camera" and  week-end posts, many regrets and other moaning etc were viewed in the recent "Wither" post.  I replied to that post with the best intentions, noting .. want a good post.. make a good post.  While the phiosophy is on the mark, I fail to follow my own ..well... good advice. 
Lamenting the situation I mentioned above, I noted that I posted only twice last year; in May and June respectively. One; a long dissertation of my long journey to and through 4x5 and an exposé on two 35s of similar vintage that were "new" to me (Perfexc 55 and Kodak Signet 35) In assesing, what I've already covered, so as not to duplcate efforts and create an overview I did a search on my PC and concluded that I proceesed 867 pics (scanned ) across 26 different film cameras last year. 

The Ugly Ducklinmg I'm referring to is the sophiticaed evolutuion of the Contax II as it evolved in Kiev. 

(as P.S. see http://www.sovietcams.com/index431a.html?tmpl_into=middle&tmpl_id=271&_m_e_id=23&_menu_i_id=305)

All the bad things you've read/heard about this camera are true indeed.  In some publications (Peter Hennig.. Contax)  the continuation of the pre-war Contax was lauded as a design that lent itself to a long production life. 'implied was the design was so good, that you couldn't ruin it...well that was slightly true.. until they decided to improve upon the design with the Kiev 5






 Now I do have a long story  ( Consider skipping ..) to tell about how and why I have three of these things. A long time ago, I had read Stephen Gandy's post noting that this was the most modern design of Contax mount type. Thinking it was was rare  ( not too rare)  I pursued it and bid on two and won both. The one was overall brown from likely being in a shop window for many years. The color was faded to a rust brown and had an older Jupiter 8. I was the only bidder and it was in the US. The other in Russia looked worn, but ok,. The lens was a much more modern Jupiter 8.  As it was, the brown one was usable, but one shutter speed (50th?)  had it's pin sheared off, and the focus helicals were so dry it was very hard to focus, despite these failings, one can still use the camera. No meter, the RF was still good etc. The other one was as it should be. I used it a few times but then had the misfortune of sending it crashing to the pavement in it's never-ready case.  As I mounted the bicycle I must've stretched the clip/clasp enough that the strap came free and BOOM. down it went.  Initially I thought it was ok, but soon realized the film advance lever had pressed very hard into the housing leaving a big dent, and the RF was now badly f----d.  A few years went by, and I saw another for just under 100,00 with a the Helios lens, so I bit the bullet. This one was nicer overall with the exception of the owner engraving his name on the body.. The meter even responds to light. So now you see why I have three. If I had the skill to repair the RF on the middle one, I'd sell the newer one... I think. It was good enough for me



1969 Sunburned Model

This is a 1970s model much nicer Jupiter 8 ( I dropped this one 😞  )

 

The real catstrophe with the re-design was trying to modernize. While the Contax/Kiev III has a light meter on the top-deck it was obtrusive to say the least, but when function outweighs form as it did in the 1930s, this is what you get. Essentially, they enclosed the whole topdeck with the meter. The camera is extremely awkward in its handling (top heavy) and appearance. The modernization was to incorporate the light meter and lever advance, improved viewfinder and rewinding knob all on top of the "non-improved shutter box. 'The only good thing IMHO was the enlarged view finder with parrallax frame lines for the 50mm and (supposedly) the complete finder for the 35mm wide lens. 
I believe they altered the RF to use a more Leica Type RF than the extra long base the Contax-type used. Additionally, the lever advance while functional, was an overunderover job that was clumsy. I find the side mounted rewind knob also clumsy. It is always falling off my fingers as the direction seems backwards. I read that for all the "improvements, the "Kiev 5" production was curtailed. So yeah.. it's rare ...for a reason it was bad! And as bad as it was, it still can be used as a camera.

I have the Contax II and a Kiev 4AM so the central points are familiar. You can still "wind" the advance. The lever is finctional but oversized, long and exagerrated. I found my self winding.  The view finder is very welcome as is the oversized cap on the shutter speed selector made it ..well easier to adjust. The meter responds to light and right now I can'T re-learn GOST etc. The view finder is so much easier to use than the squinty ContaxII/Contax finder although I am already over-compensating for error.  It is of course very heavy, overweight and extremely top heavy. You have the feeling it wants to tip-over in your hands and it does if carried with a strap

I started a roll of APX400 in the summer/fall of 2021 and forgot what was in the camera and shot the majority of the roll then at 100 in Feb 2022 .. I decided to use the the Rodinal "stand development" technique when I realized my mistake when the roll was taken out of the camera. some were really grainy images, some others were quite acceptable. The few music pictures were the only ones exposed at 400, the rest were overexposed. So now, of course I had to make amends and shoot a regular 100 ASA film through the Kiev 5 to make up for all the bad stuff that happened. 

Having made my overview, I can try to start posting some results...however repetitive or boring they may be.  I'm using the the most recent iteration with the 1.8 Helios lens  generally living on it, but IIRC I also brought along the 35mm Jupiter 12. 




Jump Swing Band 




Jump Swing - David Meese




New Autobahn Overpass



Youth Hostel in Oberkassel.. (needs to be straightened

 

(Second Roll at 100  )My Yard (Mein Hof.. sounds like somebody's name ... )  (note thde light leaks 🙂 )

 

 

Kunstakademie - Art School ( right wing ) 

 

U75 Bahnweg Looking  to Heerdt

Across the Street 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by chuck_foreman1

[bruce_z._li2]

Hi Chuck, thanks for posting new articles about interesting CMC! I have never heard of Kiev 5 before, and it does look like a shotgun marriage of Contax II and 60-70's Japanese compact rangefinders. But when the conditions are right, those lenses in Kiev/Contax mount do shine like in your photos.

[John Seaman]

That's most interesting, thanks for the post. I'd never heard of the Kiev 5. Does it have the same "Venetian Blind" vertical metal shutter as the earlier cameras?

[chuck_foreman1]

@Joihn Seaman.. It does indeed. It is in most everyway the pre-war Contax. You can see there's a superstructure built on the shutter box. They also removed the internal helical.. Which meant they had to build new 50 mm lens versions with the outer mounts.

 

 

[gary green]

I love it!  Especially that big viewfinder!  Among my collection of rangefinder cameras, only my Retina IIIC (big C) and Konica Auto S2 allow me to easily see the full frame with my glasses on.

The top-heavy tip-over tendency would be annoying though.  Maybe keeping a tripod mount plate screwed to the base would lower the center of gravity enough.  Of course you would probably need a neck brace to carry it.

[Julio Fernandez]

  Very interesting post!
My experience with the Kiev-Contaxes is limited to the previous models with the light meter on top. Although handling is not the easiest, the lenses are usually great, especially the Helios-103. 

Beautiful picture of the guitarist.
 

[rick_drawbridge]

Excellent, Chuck, so good to se you assembling a very interesting post featuring a camera I knew very little about. While the results are very good, I can't say I'm encouraged to seek one out...Thanks for your time and effort.

[chuck_foreman1]

Thanks for the feedback everybody.  I read that the viewwer was "supposed" to be parallax coupled..ie moving.. that isn'T the case.  Budget cuts I guess.  Any cresdit goes to the optics. The Helios in it's unique mount is a nice lens.  While this model is something you can avoid, curiosity killed the cat and I've got three...lucky me: 

Happy New Year!