andre_la_pierre

Hi Tim,

 

You provide the answer to your question, in a way. Quality control was never the strongest point for these cameras and equipment. However, if you manage to get a good specimen from a GOOD dealer, a dealer with expertise and sufficient knowledge to deliver a good, checked and (if needed) readjusted or rebuilt and calibrated system to you, you will find these cameras and lenses to be excellent performers.

 

The quality of materials is good. The workmanship varied, so does the finish. In general, the older equipment (mid 50's to mid 60's) was the best in terms of precision and build quality.

 

I use several Kiev-88c bodies (the successor of your Salyut), as well as Kiev 60 bodies with a full range of Zeiss (jena) and Kiev (Arsat) lenses. I love them all, the Zeiss lenses beeing superior in many cases, but the Arsat's are very good performers as well. The 30mm fisheye is simply stunning. The 500mm APO tele is of top quality and tack sharp.

 

The dealer is simply crucial. He has to do the quality control that should have been done in the factory. He has to rebuilt of readjust the system and/or other components, like lenses and backs etc. If that is done well, and you handle these cameras (like any medium format system) with care, they will serve you long and well.

 

I know what I am talking about - I use not only Kiev, but also Bronica and Hasselblad medium format systems. And although it is probably not realistic to expect the same durability as my Bronica's or Hassy with these cameras, I have found them most satisfactory, robust and reliable. The optical performance is excellent - for the money, these are true bargains.

 

I like them very much - and nicest thing, most of these lenses are new cheaper as a simple rubber hood for my Hassy planar...

 

Best,

 

Andre La Pierre

Hi Evan: I have no experience with the Mutar. However, I do know the Kiev shift lenses. The 45mm is not made by Arsenal works, but by Hartblei (VRN). It's a modified Mir-26 wideangle. The same goes for the 65mm, which is also a modified Kiev lens. The 55mm is a true shift lens, actually designed as a shift lens from the ground up. Also, the 55mm is a more modern design optically, with 9 elements. That is not to say that the other lenses are inferior - these are really good lenses. The 45mm is known to be a little soft wide open, but resolution reaches really good values after stopping it down. The 65mm is also good, resolution beeing somewhat better from wide open. In general, the older Kiev lenses really peak at f11-f16. The 55mm is excellent, but also the most expensive of these three. Neither of these lenses have built in shutters - so you need a focal plane shutter body. If you can spare the money, I would say go for the 55mm. But again - all three are optically really good, well-designed lenses. They all give you plenty of tilt and shift capability. For the money, these are bargains. I have noticed no image degradation when using T&S. Performance is about equal to the Schneider, but it's a different design, certainly not a clone.

Regards, Andre

Hi Scott:

Like any lens, the 45mm Mir-26 is best when stopped down to f8 and beyond. Kiev lenses in general peak at f11-f16. The Mir-26 is known to be quite soft at wide open, but quality improves fast as it is stopped down. Do you have the MC version? In my experience, distortion is not worse than other wideangles. I've seen some very good (sharp, contrasty) work done with this lens. If you can see distortion and focus loss clearly through your viewfinder, you may have a lemon. Wide angles in general are more complex designs than other lenses, but quality loss to the extent you are describing is in my experience not normal. I own and use nearly the entire line of lenses for these cameras, as well as the Zeiss lenses available, and I like them all very much, the Zeiss lenses performing the best overall. The Kiev lenses are really good as well, especially in terms of contrast and sharpness. The 30mm fisheye, for example, is stunning.

 

My guess is that you should test your lense with tripod and slow film, and check film flatness very critically as well. If it still malfunctions, have it checked out by a good dealer. Or compare it to a Zeiss Flektogon f4/50mm, a wideangle lens which I really love. But remember: most wideangles, of any brand, at any price, suffer quality loss at wide open. Stop them down suffiently and performance will be optimal.

Hope this helpes.

Regards,

Andre

Hi Gio,

 

Both are excellent cameras for a low-cost entry in medium format. The Pentacon is a beautiful camera, but to the contrary of what is often said, the Kiev-60 is definitely *not* a Pentacon clone, but a complete redesign of the same idea. The Kiev, if you buy it from a good dealer, is the better camera in terms of robustness of the two. The finish is probably the weakest point of this camera. The Pentacon has a transport mechanism that is rather sensitive to abuse, if you flip the transport lever after each shot, the camera will overlap quickly due to teeth knocked off the transport gears. If you handle it with care, it's a very good performer. Both suffer a bit from mirror slap, the Pentacon is the worst and has a rather strong mirror vibration. A really good dealer can remedy this by improving the mirror damping mechanism. I own both cameras, among others, and my modified Kiev-60 and Pentacon are now very good performers with silent shutters and well-damped mirror vibration.

 

The 4/50 Flektogon and Sonnar 2.8/180 are both excellent lenses, well corrected and very sharp. I really love these lenses, and can recommend them strongly. For the money, these are true bargains. Try to get the newer MC versions (black with red MC engraving).

 

For the money, go for it! If you don't buy these, email me the address of the seller!

 

Hope this helpes.

 

Regards,

 

Andre

Hi Pedro,

In Europe, an excellent dealer is Roskam Optics of Leiden, Holland. The address is:

Roskam Optics

Bachstraat 39

2324 GK Leiden

Holland

tel: +31 71 5766231

 

The Website URL of dr. Hans Roskam is http://www.globalxs.nl/home/r/roskam/

 

dr. Hans Roskam is an expert on Kiev, Exakta and Pentacon cameras and has moderate prices and excellent service. Check out his informative website. Hope this helpes.

Regards,

 

Andre

Hi all,

 

I agree completely with Eric Jorgensen. I consider myself not a rough user, but I never had any problems with any of these cameras.

 

In my opinion, the dealer is very important. Also very important is handling the camera with care, like any 6x6 should be handled. There are some do and dont's that have the potential to damage the mechanics. If you take these precautions in account and have some patience learning to use the system, you have one heck of a system.

 

I like my Kiev's very much and use them very intensively. Get a good, checked and/or rebuilt Kiev from a dealer that can be trusted, and, better yet, has his own skilled technicians. The materials from which these cameras are build are of really good quality, but the poor workmanship and lack of production/quality control is the problem with standard off-the-arsenal-shelf Kiev's. Flee-market Kiev's can be abused and potentially defective. The same goes often for super-cheap offers. New Kiev lenses are much less a risk, if you have a chance to check them out first that is. Check for clear, dustfree optics and smooth mechanics, if these seem ok, the risk is only minimal.

 

I use several 88-six (with Pentacon bayonet) bodies with Carl Zeiss (jena) lenses, the metal curtain and cloth shutter versions, and some Kiev-60's also. Without *any* problem in years. Something I can't say of one of my Hassies! I have one very good dealer here in Holland (where I live), Roskam Optics from Leiden, and never had any problem, although I use the entire system heavily, also for critical work.

 

So the dealer, in my opinion, is crucial.

 

And the lenses? The Carl Zeiss lenses are just beautiful, and the Kiev

lenses are really very good as well if stopped down sufficiently, e.g. at normal working apertures. That actually goes for any lens of course, but the Kiev lenses really peak at working apertures. I own and use practically the entire line of lenses built for these cameras (actually, the Pentacon six), with the exception of the 1000mm Zeiss mirror -a really huge lens- and a certain type of shift lens. They are all very dear to me.

 

The Zeiss Flektogon 50mm for example is a exceptional good wide angle, the 120mm Biometar a brilliant portrait lens. The 30mm Arsat fisheye is simply stunning. I can hardly see any difference with my Bronica lenses, and only minor resolution differences with my mega-$$ Zeiss (west) lenses. Resolution, contrast and sharpness are very good. For the price, these are true bargains. For the price of one Distagon you can get the entire Kiev system, lenses and all!

 

Where else can you get that much value for money?

 

As far as my experience goes, most Kievs, if used with care and some attention, are just very robust and pleasant cameras. The lenses are just bargains and of high optical quality. In my opinion, these cameras do not deserve that much critizism.

 

Best regards,

 

Andre

Hi Michael,

 

The light seals are made of some kind of interwoven fibers, a bit like rope. It works well, actually, I never had any leaks. If it works, don't fix it. The dial with the red dot is a marker for fixing the prism on the body. If you move the dial ccw, and press both pushbuttons on either sides of the prism, you can lift off the prism from the body. If you re-attach the prism (a solid 'click' should be heard) you actually secure the left pushbutton by turning the the dial cw.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Andre

Likewise, Andrey. If the system is o.k., you should definitely get it for those 900 bucks. In my experience, the lenses alone are worth it. I own and use the 50mm, 80mm and 135mm, and these lenses perform superb. Actually, I never had a Nikkor that wasn't just beautiful. Go get it!

Hi from Holland!

I own a Fuji GL 690 BL and I am very happy with it. They used to call it the Texas Leica, because it's big and of good quality. And indeed, the quality is very high, and the optical quality in terms of resolution, contrast and color balance are really excellent. I have no experience with rangefinder inaccuracies, but then again I use (and own) only the standard 1:3.5/100mm lense. Slides and negatives come out brilliant and razor-sharp. A very nice and robust camera, I use it for landscapes and critical portraits.

Hope this helpes.

Regards,

 

Andre La Pierre

Hi Eugenio,

 

Multicoated Zeiss jena lenses have the *red* MC marking engraved on the front ring of the lens barrel. However, it may very well be that multicoated lenses have been produced without this marking. Generally, if you look into a lens and have bright light (a lamp)reflecting on the lens surface, if you can see this lamp in different colors, that often reveals how many (different) coating layers have been applied.

 

BTW: non-multicoated optics can be very good lenses too! Some of the best photographers I know do not use multicoated lenses. Multicoating is fine for flare suppression and contrast enhancement, color saturation when working in bright light, but one should always use a shade anyway. Multicoating has no effect in terms of sharpness or resolution.

Kees:

 

Roskam Optics in Holland (or any other good dealer) is able to modify the mirror damping mechanism for just a couple of bucks. When correctly modified, the Kiev-60 is a very quiet and well-damped camera, and is even quieter then my (older) Hassy! The mirror slap is improved significantly.

 

Hope this helps. Regards, Andre

David:

 

Ask Brenner Foto for their printed catalog (by email). Their website doesn't reflect their gigantic assortment. The catalog is loaded with Kiev equipment, lenses, accessoires, the lot, even new Carl Zeiss Jena lenses for the Kiev. Email address is mentioned above.

 

Hope this helps. Regards, Andre

Hi Kevin,

 

Kalimex in the Czech republic sell them too.

Very informative website. The URL is http://www.dedal.cz/Kalimex_CE.html

 

Pricing is not the cheapest, but quality seems to be good.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards, Andre

Hi Jorge,

 

You can send the Pentacon to Praktica service. It's in the Endelstrasse in Dresden, if my memory serves me right. If you like,

I can find the exact address. Another possibility would be to send

the camera there via Roskam Optics in Holland. This is a Praktica and

Kiev expert where I have found very good service and quality equipment at fair prices. For a rather nice price the folks in Dresden will have the camera checked, adjusted if necessary and the screen will be replaced by a good Rollei screen. All at the 'old' Pentacon factory which is now owned by Heinrich Mandermann (Schneider).

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Andre

Hi all,

 

Read about your posts regarding mirror vibration problems with the Kiev 60. My Kiev-60 is the B.I.G. (Brenner Foto) version with the mirror damping mechanism modified -- the camera is extremely quiet and with very well damped mirror action. It's actually quieter than my Hassy!

 

B.I.G. or Roskam Optics in Holland can modify it for you for a few bucks. Solves the problem permanently. If you buy a new one from them the cameras are already in very good condition - including all the modifications.

 

Regards,

 

Andre

Ahh.... Ed, in my enthousiasm I forgot to answer your questions, really. Yes, the cloth shutter is nice and accurate. It's very silent too. I own this cloth-shutter body for 2 years now with no problems. Important, however, to keep it clean and not let it get sticky. It's somewhat more sensitive to dust and grease than the metal variant, or so I'm told.

 

On this forum I have read somewhere a post from somebody who has bought a camera and lenses from Russian Camera Exchange. He was very pleased.

 

A friend of mine uses that adapter with no problems. Don't know, however, if the automatic coupling remains intact.

 

Photo Arsenal site is hosted by Russians, or so I'm told. Maybe they never check their email... I emailed them too, same result. Nice shop, however, if you like to travel to Germany.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Andre

Hi all,

 

Very sorry to hear all those negative feedbacks on Kiev cameras. Fact is, I bought several bodies (two 60's, three 88-c's), practically the entire range of Zeiss jena lenses and a couple of Kiev lenses, plus nearly all the bells and whistles. Maybe I am extremely lucky, but I never had *any* problem - no overlap on any back (I own 6 backs incl. 6x4.5 and Polaroid), no shutter jams of light leaks, nothing of the sort. All cameras have been heavily used now, several hundreds of rolls have been cranked through in 2 years. One body (3 years) has more than 3000 rolls without any problem. I consider myself not a rough user.

 

I bought the B.I.G. version via a local dealer in Holland. The bodies are rebuilt and upgraded to modern production standards.

 

I also own a Bronica (beautiful Nikkor optics) and two Hassies (Zeiss optics). Still - I really love my Kievs and Zeiss jena lenses. The Kiev lenses I own perform also very well at normal working apertures. Maybe I was lucky, but I think the quality of the dealer (not a box-pusher) and post-production control is very important. A friend of mine also uses a Kiev 88C with a couple of lenses, and also had no problems. She doesn't use it as much as I do, but nevertheless.

 

Have that Kiev properly repaired and adjusted! I once had a problem with my Hassy (shutter jammed) during a shooting, and quickly pulled out the Kiev. It was very critical portrait work for a gallery - so I used my biometar 120mm. Nobody could tell the difference from the blowups. Not even the Hassy rep that came by to have a look afterwards.

 

Regards, Andre

Rolland,

 

I would not dare to say that 70mm backs fit, but my older Hassy 6x6 backs fit nice on my Kiev 88C, no problems there. More modern backs could cause trouble, especially if electrical contacts are present, like those for transmitting the ASA values. If you are going to buy a Kiev 88©, buy it from a good dealer. You will like the camera if handled with care.

 

Regards, Andre

Ron,

 

BTW: The Xenotar is probably better (modern design), but I am quite confident you will like the "biometar" as well. About the price: sounds o.k. but do shop around!

About investing in another camera: that depends on the kind of photos you will be taking. If you want to switch mid-roll, quick reload and so forth, a system camera with swappable back would be nice. In my experience, this camera performs very well if you do not have to swap backs all the time. If you do, consider a used Bronica or (on the cheap side) a rebuilt and guaranteed Kiev 88C (with Pentacon bayonet) from a good dealer. This Exacta is rugged and well built. Handle with care, though, like any 6x6! My Hassy has been in the shop too!

 

Hope this helps.

Andre

Hi Ron,

 

The Schneider lenses are excellent, very sharp & contrasty. The model III Exacta is a fine camera, a descendant of the old Pentacon six. I has been improved to modern standards, and is in my experience a solid performer, not very prone to the (many) problems the Pentacon could develop if not handled with extreme care. The "old" Biometar design is a very nice lens - I still use all my medium format Zeiss Jena lenses daily - they are very good performers, especially for the money. In fact, I like them nearly as much as my expensive Nikkors (Bronica) and even more expensive Carl Zeiss lenses (Hassy). There is difference, of course, but barely noticeable in daily work -- only a very critical comparison reveals the quality differences at normal working apertures (f5.6-f11). This Schneider lens is a modified biometar - you'll like it.

 

Regards,

 

Andre

Jose,

 

<p>

 

See the kalimex site too about batteries you need. (see my other posting too about kalimex). Kiev USA should be able to supply you too with the right batteries. Voltage is important!

 

<p>

 

regards, Andre

Hello Jose,

 

<p>

 

Look at the kalimex site in CZ. Do a websearch for Kalimex sro. They have good and clear manuals for the Kiev 60 and 88 as well, in English, for free !

 

<p>

 

Hope this helps,

 

<p>

 

Andre

Hi Marshall,

 

<p>

 

Arthur is right, but it is a problem that can be resolved permanently by correctly adjusting the back. A good technician (e.g. good dealer!) can fix this.

 

<p>

 

I use a Kiev-88-six for years now, with 4 6x6 backs, a 6x4,5 back, polaroid and so forth and never had any problem. I use slow (e.g. thin) films also, without problems.

 

<p>

 

Regards, Andre

Donald,

 

<p>

 

Maybe your mirror does not flip up enough? Did you modify the damping rubber for the mirror?

 

<p>

 

Does the problem show up with all of your lenses, or maybe just on one lens?

 

<p>

 

Regards

 

<p>

 

Andre

Answer to the question of Brian (where to get adapters):

 

<p>

 

A good and reliable source in Germany (they ship overseas too) is Photo Arsenal in Germany. Their website is at http://www.arsenal-photo.com/

They have a good assortment and nice collectibles too.

 

<p>

 

If you need more addresses, let me know. I have some in Holland and Germany etc.

 

<p>

 

Hope this helps, greetings!

 

<p>

 

Andre