Kiev 4 ,experience so far.

[-doomed-]

I recently picked up a kiev 4 ive torn it apart , replaced light seals , and but is there an alternative to the poron that is on the Kiev survival site since i dont think the string i used is going to cut it .

I think if you own a Kiev you need to visit that site . I feel pretty confident about ripping apart my 4 after reading it .

Ive contemplated reskinning this thing in a different color. I cant wait till i can actuallly use it and feel confident that it is working well.

Its missing some screws , and im not sure where i could source replacements outside of getting a nonworking body and harvesting the parts

Heres where its at so far, basically together and ready for a test .
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/a2gti16v/camera0119.jpg
I also bought a jupiter 12 for it , i need to work on fixing the problems the 8M seems to be having .

Any info or ideas are much appreciated.

Thanks for reading

_- Scott

[SolaresLarrave]

I wish I could help with information... but I owned one of these cameras and sold it without having even loaded film on it. It's gone to Paris, France, and apparently to a good home.

If I run into something I'll let you know. In the meanwhile, hats off to you for daring tinker with one of these! :)

[-doomed-]

I used to be an auto technician before i decided to return to college. I figured what the hell , and at under $40 if i could make it work well id use it for a bit . If it doesnt work any better than it does now then oh well ill use it as a collectable .

Im tempted to try out some other Russian RF's , but id really like to get a bessa r3a or r3m , just lacking the $$$ right now , maybe ill have to do some sidework to round up the cash.

I also checked out your blog btw , cool shots .

[SolaresLarrave]

Wow, thanks! :) Good luck with the mechanical adventure. I'm very clumsy with these things. Ocassionally, I do something well, but not always. Just the thought of lifting the top plate of a camera gives me the chills.

[Bob L]

I was able to get screws for my Kiev from Oleg at OK camera, give him a shot at :
info@okvintagecamera.com
He is first rate when it comes to FSU cameras.
Bob

[Santafecino]

My Kievs take wonderful pictures. The 50mm Helios is a great lens, as are the J-12 35mm and J-9 85mm. They really are bargains and just need a little TLC every so often. But what a great rangefinder and what a quiet shutter.

You will appreciate the turret viewfinder if you pick one up.
--Lindsay

[xayraa33]

great cameras with an accurate long base rangefinder.

if you get lucky and get a Kiev 4 with good film frame spacing and no light leaks, then you got a camera that can't be beat for the price you pay for it.

[rbiemer]

and but is there an alternative to the poron ...?
Try this:http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Finest-Complete-Camera-Light-Seal-Foam-Kit-PROOF (http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Finest-Complete-Camera-Light-Seal-Foam-Kit-PROOF_W0QQitemZ110291381073QQcmdZViewItem?hash=ite m110291381073&_trkparms=72%3A1205|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A13 18&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14)
Good product, excellent seller (a member here, in fact). And the kits have enough to do several cameras. Which you may need if the FSU bug bites!
Good luck and welcome aboard!
Rob

[BillBingham2]

Where is the site for the take apart for the 4?

Please share!!!

It sounds like a fun project.

B2 (;->

[rbiemer]

Bill,
Here:http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/ (http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/)
Check out the "Cleaning and Repairs" section.
I can't speak for Doomed but I'm betting that's the site he means.
Rob

[mnmleung]

Bob,
re Oleg at okvintagecamera.com
I e-mailed him asking for a Kiev 4 a few months ago and I got one which was not on his site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mnmleung/2864651418/

Definitely worth contacting him. Ming

[ruben]

Dear Doomed,

I have not enough words to substantiate the importance of the Kiev user to CLA himself the camera. Once you master it you will have a great camera for life. Additionally only you will be able to convert it into an extremely soft instrument, and a camera at the top of the top of among the silent shutters ever produced.

Kindly allow me two tech advices. When you clean the gears you should clean to death. by loupe inspection. No self mercy. It takes time.

When you grease the gears, use small amounts. You may be forced to apply big amounts here and there, but clean the remainings.

And work with your camera always cocked at 1/250.

The most important tool you must have is a plastic parts box, enabling you to follow the path of reassembley.

Crisis are to be expected. It is a cold war of patience against nerves. Thanks to the parts box, at crisis time close the box, insert the camera within a sandwich plastic bag, and resume your work when you are absolutely calm.


Cheers,
Ruen

[bolas]

If anyone needs i have original user's manual to Kiev 4 and 4A.
But there is a little problem, it's in ... polish ;) But ... if anyone needs it really, i can try to translate it.

[-doomed-]

Thanks to all who have chimed in , i will be ordering that kit so that i can replace all the light seals , and hope to be shooting with this thing soon

[40oz]

Go Kiev. That's all I've got, sorry :)

[MXP]

I recently picked up a kiev 4 ive torn it apart , replaced light seals , and but is there an alternative to the poron that is on the Kiev survival site since i dont think the string i used is going to cut it .

I think if you own a Kiev you need to visit that site . I feel pretty confident about ripping apart my 4 after reading it .

Ive contemplated reskinning this thing in a different color. I cant wait till i can actuallly use it and feel confident that it is working well.

Its missing some screws , and im not sure where i could source replacements outside of getting a nonworking body and harvesting the parts

Heres where its at so far, basically together and ready for a test .
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/a2gti16v/camera0119.jpg
I also bought a jupiter 12 for it , i need to work on fixing the problems the 8M seems to be having .

Any info or ideas are much appreciated.

Thanks for reading

_- Scott

Have you been able to take off the front of your Kiev without taking off the top?
I have not been successful with that.......

[-doomed-]

i just took the whole damn thing apart , im just like that though , i like to see how it works. With that knowledge i feel confident i can make it a decent shooter .

I also got the J-12 today i paid about $20 for it total and it looks brand new.

[bolas]

(...) I also got the J-12 today i paid about $20 for it total and it looks brand new.

Speaking of J-12 ... few days ago i used mine for the first time. First time with J-12 and first roll of slide film ever ... unfortunatelly my exposure meter also was used for the first time that's why most of photos are burned (overexposed) ...

Camera of course Kiev IV from early 70's. Film: Fujichrome Sensia 400 ...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/2945101556_dab69b70c7_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2944237467_9a1a7101f1_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/2944238679_7fe4b7fd2b_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2945103212_24103858a3_o.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2945103608_71ddae620a_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2944240659_f78309e4d0_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2945104694_ed43be2265_o.jpg

[-doomed-]

i actually have my kiev for sale , i havent really been able to really use it since i need to redo all the light seals ,i never got to use the j-12 i sold it off already , oh well , maybe one day ill fix one of these , or if this one doesnt sell ill fix it

[bolas]

Silly question ... can i change lens in my Kiev 4 when the film is loaded ? Will it not damage the film inside ? Shutter all the time is closed but ... well, anyway - it's better to ask before :)

[fanshaw]

Yes you can, but it is safest not to do it with the camera exposed to direct sunlight.

[ruben]

i actually have my kiev for sale , i havent really been able to really use it since i need to redo all the light seals ,i never got to use the j-12 i sold it off already , oh well , maybe one day ill fix one of these , or if this one doesnt sell ill fix it


Dear doomed,

My humble advice is that you don't sell your Kiev, for which you will get pennies and pain, but leave it resting at some closet, as a spares camera, untill the day you feel you want to buy another Kiev and renew your fixing and CLA attempts.

Because even if you get some 20 bucks back, you will be throwing away something 10 times more valuable: your gained experience so far.

You look to me to be a bold person ready to enter fixing adventures. I myself am of slow tech understanding, and quite clumsy in the art of looking-thinking-understanding-and not touching unless you know what you are going to do. Therefore my moderate skills with the Kievs evolved occasionaly along three years. It seems to me you are a better runner.

But what the Kievs may give you back, the day you achieve a certain minimum - no money will measure it. It is not about owning an oldie. It is about owning a precision camera half obsolete and half unsurpassed, working like butter.

Be confident you arrived to Kiev lands not by chance. Be confident you went to fix it not by chance. All you need now is what all amateur fixers need with Kievs - a rest untill you hear the syren call back.

Cheers,
Ruben

PS
Just in case I happen to convince you - two minor advices to follow religiously: a parts box of at least 20 sections, and a second Kiev for parts, which you will decide if it is your actual one or another to buy.

[bolas]

Universal viewfinder finaly arrived :)
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4301/67263568kc7.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1210/40152031ek8.jpg

[-doomed-]

@ Ruben ,
Its funny you mention not selling it , because at the moment that ive decided to keep it , it didnt cost me that much in the first place and if i buy the correct spool and new light seals it will be as good as it can be.

I also contemplated a parts camera as well

Well it hasnt sold yet so im still haning on to it ,im going to redo the light seals and give it a go , the ad is going to be deleted tonight , i took the camera out of the case again and decided id try and get it working well . The shutter seems to be correct , so once i reseal it ill give it a go again.

Ive since repaired the back cover, and looked into reskinning and repainting the body.

[-doomed-]

Put some more effort into the Kiev today, replaced a major light seal, hoping to run a test roll trhough soon and finally post some shots from this camera

[ruben]

Not to make you desperate my friend, but take into account that much of the light leaks in the Kievs are to be dealt dismounting the top casting. There, at the side of the smaller front window, there is a lot of work to do, since this is a "free tax zone" where much light goes down via the sprocket axis and surroundings.

By the way, owners of Kievs 4AM/M (i, e, the latest models with plastic rewind crank): Much of the light leaking into the film, in case you have this problem at all, penetrates via the hot shoe, in addition to the "free tax zone".

Cheers,
Ruben

[-doomed-]

ill probably have to tear into it again , but id just like to see how it does ,if its really bad i know ive got more work to do.

Ive not given up on it yet

[-doomed-]

So I ripped the top casting back off , then dismantled it some more , and replaced all the light seals , if it leaks light now ill live with it

[mnmleung]

I finally got back my first roll of film from the Kiev 4 I bought from Oleg a few months ago. Thanks to all who have answered my Kiev questions on RFF and offline. I put a few photos on flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mnmleung/tags/kiev4/

I started off using my Nikon FG as a light meter, but ended up borrowing my brother's Gossen digital light meter. It's been fun, thanks !

Ming

[Santafecino]

You should be able to get the meter on the Kiev 4 to work accurately. Oleg has replacement cells. Not that it would be as sensitive as a CdS cell meter, but for daylight work it should be accurate.

[mnmleung]

Thank you, Santafecino. My Kiev 4 is meterless (no bump on top). No light leaks, seems to work nicely, like my Zorki 1 and Fed 2 from Oleg. Ming

[Santafecino]

Ming--Without a meter, it's properly a Kiev 4a.