tony_lockerbie

<p>Thanks Brad, Donald, and Michael...that's exactly how it is,a kind of "we just don't care anymore " attitude. Also Brad I sent you a PM in reply to yours, but it keeps bouncing back?</p>

<p>Thanks all, and Wouter, I also have a screw mount J8, and wasn't so lucky with that one...not good at all! Still, I hear that the J8 can be really excellent if you find a good one.<br> Robert, thanks for that. Copy was really not the right word, and I guess that very early Kiev's would have been better until they used up all the German bits.<br> Marc, this is my third attempt to get a good working Kiev, and although the body is a bit tatty, all the speeds work...minor miracle!<br> Rick, thanks for that. Mine is definitely not smooth, at least not compared to the Contax. Also the Russian aroma is not present, but at least my old Zenit 3M makes up for that, with it's perfume spreading throughout the cupboard!</p>

<p>That's all folks. The Kiev is a great alternative to a Contax if you are on a budget, and the Jupiter is impressive, at least my copy is! Film was Fuji Across in Pyrocat HD, scanned with an Epsom V700.</p>

<p>No.9</p><div></div>

<p>No.8</p><div></div>

<p>No.7</p><div></div>

<p>No.6</p><div></div>

<p>No.5</p><div></div>

<p>These were all taken at or near full aperture. No.4</p><div></div>

<p>No.3</p><div></div>

<p>No.2</p><div></div>

<p>The old girl is quite nice apart from some peeling leatherette. First pic.</p><div></div>

<p>As promised I have taken a roll of film with my rather beat up Kiev, more or less as a comparison to the Contax 11A that I used a little while back.<br> It is interesting to use both of these cameras at the same time. They are basically the same of course, although I'm guessing that the Kiev is more of a copy of the pre-war Contax. They do look much the same, and the Jupiter 3 is a direct copy of the Sonnar 50mm 1.5 that I used on the Contax. My Jupiter is coated though, so I was interested to see how it also compared to the Zeiss made product, plus coated versus non - coated.<br> While the Kiev is a good honest picture taker and does seem robust, the feel of both cameras is very different. Where the Kiev feels like it's full of gravel, the Contax is super smooth, even nicer than a Barnack Leica. Still the Kiev is still working after 50 odd years, so it's not too bad!<br> The lens did surprise me as some Soviet lenses can be a lottery as you all know, but this one is really good. Maybe a smidgen less sharp than the Sonnar, but being coated it exhibited more contrast. Still, a really good lens, and one with that old world image quality that I love in the Sonnar, especially at wide apertures.<br> I took the Kiev for a walk through the coastal ti-trees to Bournda Island, just to the North of us.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks Marc. The Contarex lens tests were very interesting to me,and the colour spread of all the Rollei stuff made me come over all faint!</p>

<p>"Ansel Adams never used a Canon camera"....hah, I guess that is a prerequisite for Canonization :) He did sometimes use a Contax though, so I'm on the right path...</p>

<p>Thanks Bill! St.Ansel, wow, I maybe canonized next :)</p>

<p>Quite right Brett. If I want that sharpness I use the Opton Sonnar F2, but the newer 1.5 Sonnar performs just as well. Nice to have the un- coated lens though, it does have a nice look to it, not for everything though.<br> I have loaded up my Kiev with the Soviet copy of the 1.5 Sonnar, see how that goes. The Kiev is making slightly strange noises, hope I make it through the roll!</p>

<p>Next.</p><div></div>

<p>The 105mm Takumar is a bit of a sleeper Mike, tack sharp, or should that be Tak. sharp? :) Looks good in low light too.<br> A couple from the Duo 620....nothing too exciting, but my first try out.</p><div></div>

<p>Forgot to mention Arthur, pics for PDN can only be a max of 700dpi on the long side to appear on line, and possibly that tapering bug has afflicted your Kiev, explaining why you have no daylight pics.<br> Open her up and while looking through the back, point at a bright light source (computer monitor works well) go through your various speeds. The higher speeds will be more suspect, but you should end up with a perfectly round image impression after the shutter fires. Tapering will show as a gradual darkening of one side of the circle, worsening to no image at all. The shutter will still sound normal.</p>

<p>Arthur, I know what you mean by Russian Roulette, but to be fair, that does also apply to some degree to the Contaxes too. That shutter was always an Achilles heel, and you will often find that the top speeds are just not working. I have yet to find a Contax where the 1/500th and 1/1250th speeds are tapering so bad to be non existent.<br> I have the 11A and 111A, both of which pull up at 1/250th, so I tend not to use them with Tri-X!<br> Having said that, I have just checked out my Kiev, and it seems to be working on all speeds....so there you go...no bullet to the head there. I will take some shots with it soon, as I want to try their variation on the 1.5 Sonnar, the Jupiter 3.<br> Attached is a pic of the outfit.</p> <div></div>

<p>Thanks Mike, Rick...I hope you get some salt air soon. The Sonnar is a treasure, even looks the part!</p>

<p>Thanks Chuck. THe first pic had a bit of sunlight coming through on the wharf, making the sky seem darker, later ones had the light a bit more diffused. The Nikkor seems fine, don't know how it would go at closer distances though.</p>

<p>And with it's big brother.</p><div></div>

<p>Chuck, here is mine.</p><div></div>