vladimir_charchuk

The critical responses are way too harh. This lens is a bargain at the prices being sold. I've had one for a couple of years and I'm quite happy with the quality.

The biggest problem with the lens is flare. It's not something I pull out of my bag often but it is used more than you might think. For landscapes it makes an unltrawide lens and to reduce the amount of distortion just line up the horizon in the middle of the frame.

When is the last time you saw a full frame fisheye for a 35mm camera let alone a medium format for $200. I think if you expect Zeiss quality you'll be disappointed but this is far from adding a conversion lens on the end of your 80mm.

Regards,

Vlad

Yes you can have the numbers put back on. I had one of mine done by Mr.Hasselblad ( did a fine job for a dead man )but there is a camera repairman in the Los Angeles area that does them also. You can find one of his small ads in the back of Shutterbug.

Being a jeweler I have wanted to hand engrave them so it doesn't happen again but the lenses are an awkward shape and difficult to clamp up.

Seems you have gotten a lot of great responses to your dilema. I would reiterate getting the Hasselblad Compendium also.

I don't think anyone has mentioned that the back you have may be broken in some way. I purchased an older back once ( the kind that has the little peek hole in the back ) and after firing the shutter I could not advance the film. Sometimes these older backs can be repaired but as in my case Hasselblad didn't have the parts to make it right.

There is one thing I would add even though everything is working correctly. Change the battery if you haven't done so yet.

The first previously owned 67 that I bought had a battery in it that tested fine with the battery check on the camera and the shutter worked fine. When I installed the metered prism it would not read. I guess the shutter neads less juice than the prism does, but batteries are cheap. Stow an extra one away in your bag.

I know I'm getting in on this conversation late but if you are still interested give moscowgifts.com a try. Pavel is the guys name who runs it and I have gotten some things from him both used and new at great prices. He ships from the Ukraine. I was lucky enough to get a Zodiak from him for $145 which included shipping. It came with the case and 3 filters and only took 14 days to arrive by US Postal Service.

His emails are good but his English is a bit broken.

With just about everything in life Demetrius you get what you pay for.

That is not to say that the Kiev cannot be a good camera but don't expect the same reliability as a Hasselblad or any of the other well known MF cameras.

There is really not quality control at the Arsenal factory where the Kievs are made. There are two models, the 88 which looks like the Hasselblad and has interchangeable backs and the 60 which is like a 35mm on steroids. There are many problems with some of these cameras right out of the box. Poor film spacing, incorrect shutter speeds and incorrect light meters.

Having said all that they can be calibrated. I have done a Kiev 60 and it is much more reliable now although the 60's have less faults than the 88's. The lenses are inexpensive and some are actually pretty good. The 60 comes with a Pentacon mount so you can find some excellent Zeiss Jena lenses to fit for a relatively low price.

There is no other camera I know of in MF that you can get a 30mm fisheye lens for under $200?