Jupiter 12 seems to long for Kiev 4am?

[webb3201]

OK, I am was trying to put my Jupiter 12 lens into my Kiev 4am and it seems too long for the camera body. I suspect I am not correctly setting the lens up prior to installation. Anyone have any advice or web resources? Note, this will be my first lens swap.

[taffer]

Hmm, may be a bit difficult the first time. Let's see, what I did was:

- Set the focus at the body lens mount at infinity.
- Set the lens focus at infinity.
- Align the red dot at the lens with the one at the body.
- Keep pressed the infinity lock on the body focus wheel to make inserting the lens easier.
- Once inserted and flat, slowly turn the lens counter clockwise till you hear the click.

Did it work ?

[Azinko]

Align with the red dot on the body front plate,...there are two dots on my K4a,..one as mentioned and the one on the focussing lens mount of the body for mounting 50mm.

The little pointy cam on the front plate near v/f window is the cam to release the infinity lock and it is arranged so that the lens pushes it up when you mount lenses other than 50mm,...it is connected to the lever behind the fodus wheel on the body as mentioned by Taffer.

[webb3201]

Thanks folks. I got it up and running....now to wait on my 35mm viewfinder! The black lens looks cool on the black body. I cannot wait to try this rig.

[taffer]

Congrats !! I also have a black one on a black body and looks way cool :cool: I was amazed also at how compact the lens was when fitted in the body :)

[sockeyed]

Why don't you post a picture of your black on black Kiev - I'd love to see it. Here's my silver on silver 1960 Kiev 4 w/ J-9.

[lkgroup]

Here is my black Kiev 1983 with a Black Jupiter 12 35mm 1990.

Also I have included my Gold Kiev with a Helios 53mm 1983 1.8 lens. After I saw the M2 with the Japanesque Gold I new I had to do it. I got this cover and Snake Red which I haven't used yet from aki-asahi in Japan. Took about a week to get, and about an hour to put on.


Leo

[lkgroup]

I forgot to mention the red strap on the Gold Kiev is a Dog collar I got at the Dollar store. I'm looking for a black one, but I kind of like the red one. They make good wrist straps.

How much did it cost.....one dollar.

Leo

[webb3201]

Sorry for the blurs. Here is my Kiev with the Jupiter 12 attached. I really like the look and feel of this rig. I am trying to make myself familiar with everything before trying my first pictures.

[taffer]

Black on black, and home-made hand strap :cool:

[sockeyed]

I want a black one now.

Are you folks getting them already in black, or are you doing them yourselves?

[Roman]

I got mine from alex-photo...

Roman

[taffer]

I got mine already in black but I don't know the ultimate origin. Could be from Oleg...

[kbg32]

How do you guys like your Kievs? I was thinking of purchasing one.

Thanks,

Keith

[RML]

Here is my black Kiev 1983 with a Black Jupiter 12 35mm 1990.

Also I have included my Gold Kiev with a Helios 53mm 1983 1.8 lens. After I saw the M2 with the Japanesque Gold I new I had to do it. I got this cover and Snake Red which I haven't used yet from aki-asahi in Japan. Took about a week to get, and about an hour to put on.


Leo


Hotdikkety! I made convert!

Japanesque Gold rules! :)

[Roman]

How do you like guys like your Kievs? I was thinking of purchasing one.

Thanks,

Keith

Well, it is a camera that you use very deliberately, not one that you just throw into the bag and take along - it is too heavy and big for that; also, at first, handling is a bit unusual (the Contax grip...), and the viewfinder is kinda small and squinty.
BUT:
the camera feels very solid, is really quiet (the shutter makes a very soft 'swish' sound instead of a 'CLICK'), and best of all, the wide rangefinderbase allows for very accurate focussing with wide-open lenses in low light. That's why I use mine mostly with 3200 ASA film inside, and use the Bessa R as ma mainstay RF camera.

Roman

[webb3201]

I bought mine black, although I am not sure when it became black (factory or other). The finish looks really well done, so I think it came in black from the factory.

[lkgroup]

I have several Black Kievs. One I got from the Ukraine, it had a nice black finish but had a horrible blue cover and didn't work. I had Oleg restore it and put on a new cover from Camera Leather. After Olegs work and a new cover a first class camera.

The Second Kiev I bought from a restorer in the United States. The camera had been to Oleg and he painted it black. Again a great shooter.

The third camera I bought from a FSU collector - shooter and he said he got it from Fedka. If Yurii sold it it must be good and clean, it works very well.

I use all of the cameras and rotate them. With the regular Kiev I have I will probably need to " Cull the Herd" sometime.

I will post here first if I sell anything.

I enjoy these Kievs much more than any other FSU rangefinders I've had for their quality and consistant workmanship.

Leo

[tedwhite]

I've currently got a 4A on loan. I find it great to use with immobile subjects. The Helios 103 is a very good lens, does a fine job on skin tones. Of course I must tote along a hand-held light meter. But I'm having a hell of a time figuring out how to zone focus as I can't understand (born in the USA...) the metric system, and zoning is the only way to get fast with street shooting (as far as I know)..

Biggest gripe: Film loading. Maybe there's something wrong with this particular camera, but here's what happened. With the back off I loaded in the new film cassette (Fuji Superia, ASA 400), then rotated the advance lever to make sure the take-up spool was revolving. However, when I affixed the film leader to the take-up spool and advanced the lever, the take-up spool didn't rotate. I removed the spool and watched the two pronged gear rotate as I advanced , but I could stop it with my hand.

After something like ten minutes I finally discovered that, not only did the film perforations have to be solidly affixed to the take-up gears on either side, but I had to operate the rewing lever and stretch the film tightly - and then close the back.By the time I got the film loaded, Kennedy had been shot, the Graf Zepplin had burned, etc.

[Doug]

Yep, Ted, wouldn't it be handy to have a 72-exposure roll? :)

[Rick Beckrich]

Ted,

For easier zone focusing;

forget "metric", think "yards".

It works for me.

Rick

[Socke]

Ted,

For easier zone focusing;

forget "metric", think "yards".

It works for me.

Rick


No, won't work. I know I'm 1.80 meters but need to look up how many feet fit into that :-)

It is so easy with metric systems, 10mm = 1cm, 100cm = 1m, 1000m = 1 km ...
But 12 inches = foot, 3 feet = 1 yard, 5 1/2 yards = 1 rod, pole or perch, 22 yards = 1 chain, 10 chains = 1 furlong, 8 furlongs = 1 mile drive me mad!


By the way, I mass some 6 16/32th stone and stand 1 rod 5 inches :-)

[dll927]

Aren't we all spoiled brats? We can't expect a 40-year-old Kiev, Zorki, or for that matter, Contax or Leica, to perform quite the way my Minolta Maxxum 7 does. I'm old enough to go back long, long before there was auto-focus, or auto- much of anything! In fact, I pre-date Hydra-Matic by 2 or 3 years. (I hope that doesn't cause blank stares.) Just be patient, set the shutter/aperture, focus, and presto, you will get pictures. (Remember to take off the lens cap!!)

[Doug]

OMG, dll, do you predate Dyna-Flo too? :D

Socke, the English system has come of age for the computer generation... at least in part. Within an inch, divisions are by powers of 2... 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 etc. How modern is that? :) And the same with liquid measures: Gallons, half-gallons, quarts, pints, cups, down to fluid ounces (of which there are 128 to the gallon). See? Makes perfect sense in the digital world!

I don't have a hard time with metric measures at all, though, with a few near-equivalancies kept in mind. A kilometer is about .6 mile, a meter is about 1.1 yards, a cm is about 3/8 inch, an 11mm hex wrench can substitute for 7/16 inch... 3ml to the fluid ounce, a kg is about 2.2lb, not too hard.

[supermarcel23]

Kiev are greaf cameras.
The last ones are not so well finished as the earlier ones.
My favorites are from 1947 to 1956.
I got a lot of Kievs and it seems that if you want to know what is a Contax II for half the price then get a very nice Kiev II or IIa.
Nobody seems to talk about the pressure plate of those early kievs that give better film flatness than those from the 4 series.
Have you ever been inside a Kiev IIa and a Kiev 4 ? You will see on the first Kiev some very nice parts well finished, beautiful chrome, etc... The last Kiev reminds me some chinese toys... but they work too !
Here a picture of a 1956 IIIa just for fun...
my gallery at http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/2183

[pangkievrange]

Tedwhite,
There's a way of loading films after some practice. I use a FSU takeup spool and cut the film lead to insert into the hole with a clip inside. After alignment, I put on the back. At this point, I rotate the shutter dial and the take up spool will sit right and I'm able to close the back. Without the rotation, it's almost impossible to close the back.

Richard



I've currently got a 4A on loan. I find it great to use with immobile subjects. The Helios 103 is a very good lens, does a fine job on skin tones. Of course I must tote along a hand-held light meter. But I'm having a hell of a time figuring out how to zone focus as I can't understand (born in the USA...) the metric system, and zoning is the only way to get fast with street shooting (as far as I know)..

Biggest gripe: Film loading. Maybe there's something wrong with this particular camera, but here's what happened. With the back off I loaded in the new film cassette (Fuji Superia, ASA 400), then rotated the advance lever to make sure the take-up spool was revolving. However, when I affixed the film leader to the take-up spool and advanced the lever, the take-up spool didn't rotate. I removed the spool and watched the two pronged gear rotate as I advanced , but I could stop it with my hand.

After something like ten minutes I finally discovered that, not only did the film perforations have to be solidly affixed to the take-up gears on either side, but I had to operate the rewing lever and stretch the film tightly - and then close the back.By the time I got the film loaded, Kennedy had been shot, the Graf Zepplin had burned, etc.

[jdos2]

Easiest way to understand the metric system for the purpose of zone focusing is to realize that tall people are about 2 meters tall.
That's it. Figure your zone in people, end to end, and you got it. Someone standing about my height away? That's 2 meters. Focus, stop down, shoot, wind, done!

I'm just glad I weigh less than triple digit metric numbers.

You don't want to learn TOO much metric, or else you'll understand Europeans distain when we complain about $.60 per liter of fuel...

[tedwhite]

I've been writing all this down. I like the 16 stone and 1 rod 5 inches part.

WHAT ACTUALLY IRKS me is that CV, pandering the the metric crowd, put the metric scale in bright, easy-to-read white lettering, and the feet scale in muted, hard-to-read red.

(But I guess the "metric crowd" constitutes most of the world's other countries).

But we are making strides: No more Whitworth tools.

Well, got back first roll of Bessa L w/25/4. Sharp little lens, by golly.

Ted

[StickyVinny]

I wish I could see all these pictures of your Kievs!

[wolves3012]

You don't want to learn TOO much metric, or else you'll understand Europeans distain when we complain about $.60 per liter of fuel...
O/T but...
Can we have some at that price please? Ours is currently ~£1.30, partly due to the extortionate amount of tax (and tax on that tax, even more disgracefully).

[xayraa33]

There is nothing else as exciting as reviving a 6 year old thread, almost.

[farlymac]

I wish I could see all these pictures of your Kievs!

Not gonna happen with a thread this old, Vinny. If there are no pictures, or links that are active, it's because they've been deleted somewhere along the line, or the site is no longer active. Try looking at more current stuff.

PF