Author Topic: KIEV 60 (Read 10607 times)

chris_n · « **on:** June 27, 2011, 07:11:49 AM »

I just placed my order for a kiev 60 from DVDTechnik........ crossing my fingers it doesn't give me too many problems!

i just get so excited every time i get a new camera!

anyone here have one or its variants? let's discuss

astrobeck · « **Reply #1 on:** June 27, 2011, 09:10:47 AM »

I had one several years ago and really liked it, but it was heavy!

It was very sharp, and on occasion would wind a little funky and overlap frames a bit-but not often enough for me to send it in for repair or adjustment.
I wound up selling it to a friend of mine that wanted it really bad a couple of years ago.

Can't say I miss it that much, but it was a good camera, at least mine was!

This-is-damion · « **Reply #2 on:** June 27, 2011, 02:15:40 PM »

Ive long been a fan of the Kiev 60, so much so i upgraded to a Kiev 88.

Clunky, Yes. Heavy, Yes...but fun and an amazing array of quality lenses at a knockdown price.

For my 88, i went via Arax and its a nice bit of kit. Only getting rid due to being given Bronica and the agre old "domestic" pressures - personally I think if i put the flatpack furniture together I have every right to use most of it to keep cameras in.

gregor · « **Reply #3 on:** June 27, 2011, 03:29:37 PM »

They're splendid cameras. A bit heavy but really not so bad. When advancing the film use one smooth stroke. They have a tendency toward frame overlap due to uneven advancing of the film.

Hartblei (Kiev USA) offers them with a fix for that. You may want to check their site to see if your copy has the fix (Can't recall what they call the fix but they also have mirror lock-up upgrade - it's been a couple or more years since I've used the 60),

Mojave · « **Reply #4 on:** June 27, 2011, 10:47:40 PM »

Those 88s sure look nice, and they arent expensive either. I might just have to consider that camera as opposed the Hassy because of the price and I like what they can do. I saw some wonderful images on Flickr.

Have fun with your new camera when you get it Chris! Cant wait to see the pix!

chris_n · « **Reply #5 on:** June 28, 2011, 08:45:51 PM »

anyone with the MLU versions use it much? i plan on mostly using it for handheld stuff. if i need longer timed exposures i'll just use the 'hat trick' method.

i figure one less mechanism on the camera will do me good in the long run as these cameras don't have the best reputation for reliability

Ed Wenn · « **Reply #6 on:** June 28, 2011, 09:19:10 PM »

Chris, I owned a Kiev 60 for a good few years and really enjoyed using it. I eventually sold it and the lenses I'd picked up for the best part of 3 Bronicas (SQ-A, S2A and ETRS)...which seemed like a wrong-way-round sort of deal. Opting to stay with 6x6 I sold the ETRS on almost immediately, but have kept the other two Bronicas and - and this is the sort of reply that would have irritated me as I spent my years trawling through the murky, but delightful waters of Soviet-era cameras - I haven't missed the Kiev at all. Quite simply put, he Bronicas are better cameras and I really enjoy using them. Would I go back to the Kiev? Nope. Never. Uh uh. Once the price difference disappeared (when I bought my Kiev sometime around 2002/2003, Bronicas and their ilk were selling for way more than the £90 I bagged the S2A for) so did the reason for me to own a Kiev 60.

HOWEVER, I must stress that I really loved my 60 for several reasons (my first MF SLR, the fact that it looks like a 35mm on steroids, the awesome winder, the way it smelled, the fact that there used to be all those rumours about how they are radioactive etc. etc.), but the main reason...and this is the big selling point for Kiev MF SLRs and something you have to bear in mind; the lenses. There are some fan-bl**dy-tastic lenses available for the 60 and a lot of people buy them purely to gain access to quality lenses at bargain prices. I owned three and loved them all. The standard 80mm, a lovely old school 50mm and the super sexy 30mm Arsat MC fisheye. Examples of all of the lenses below. Scanning not great as these were all taken before I learned how to drive my scanner properly.

Zac by Ed Wenn, on Flickr

Amy, Ann & Jacqui by Ed Wenn, on Flickr

Empire Cinema by Ed Wenn, on Flickr

chris_n · « **Reply #7 on:** June 29, 2011, 10:25:27 AM »

lovely images!! in all honesty, i know full-well what i'm getting into with this camera. and with that said, i'm just looking for a bit of fun

(aren't we all??)

if i need something dependable i'll just pull 'ol rb67 out of the bag. --and that's ALWAYS plenty fun. serious!

This-is-damion · « **Reply #8 on:** June 29, 2011, 10:46:19 AM »

Eds right that the best part about this camera is the access to the lenses atthe cost they go for. Its amazing!

I have taken my Keiv 60 on a 10 mile hike across the hills of scotland...migth not have been best idea....it was HEAVY.

chris_n · « **Reply #9 on:** June 29, 2011, 10:52:15 AM »

should i bother replacing the arsat 80mm 2.8 with the equivalent zeiss biometar? also, how much would i expect to pay for a 50mm flektogon? they seem to be 200-300 on ebay

Ed Wenn · « **Reply #10 on:** June 29, 2011, 11:37:28 AM »

I stayed with my stardard Arsat 80mm and had no problems. I also lucked out with my 50mm Flektogon. Got it on evilBay for cheap-as-cips money....something well under £100 if I remember rightly. Let me see if my eBay history tells me. Back soon...

Ed Wenn · « **Reply #11 on:** June 29, 2011, 12:11:53 PM »

OK, so you're probably going to hate me for this, but here's what I sold my Kiev 60 for back in 2007:

Flektogon f4/50mm Wide Angle - £38.00
MC Arsat Fisheye 3.5/30mm - £97.99
Kiev 60 + 80mm lens - £94.00

I think I lost a little money on the 30mm, but the others I made a small profit on. The Flektogon wasn't in great nick cosmetically and it wasn't an MC model or anything, but I loved it. My fave of the 3 lenses.

Terry · « **Reply #12 on:** June 29, 2011, 12:59:50 PM »

I bought an Arax 60 from Gevorg Vartanyan a number of years ago (7? 9? more? they are flying by...) and found it absolutely reliable. I had bought a Kiev 60 from one of the ebay sellers in Ukraine that was absolute junk--just very badly put together. Never had an overlap problem with the Arax, shutter worked superbly. His rebuilt Kievs are excellent, and I used to hear similar about DVD's rebuilds. Ed's point is well taken--the Russian glass is often as good as German glass and for a fraction of the price. I switched to Pentacons because they're smaller (not lighter, just smaller) and a LOT quieter and use the same mount. The Arax/Kiev is like a big resonating chamber that announces to the whole world that you're there. That said, I have had overlap issues with the Pentacon. So there are trade-offs whichever way you go.

Like Ed, I stocked my lens cupboard back when all this gear was dirt cheap on ebay. But my best purchase was a 50mm Flektogon I found in Mac's Cameras in Hammersmith for 45 quid. The coolest looking P6 lens is the Zodiak (30mm).

Mojave · « **Reply #13 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:55:11 PM »

Just wanted to thank you Chris, for posting this, as well as everybody else who chimed in with their experiences. I have been looking for a medium format camera that didnt have the Holga look for some time now and thanks to this post, I believe I have a new camera in mind.

After some comparison shopping, Im pretty sure Im going to be getting a Kiev 60 from Hartblei. I found a couple of Bronicas on eBay for under 400 dollars US, which to me seemed like a good price, but, after looking at both the cameras, I have decided on the Kiev 60 for a few reasons.

The first being that the formats are different. For the two Bronys that I was looking at, the format isnt square. I dont know if thats normal for all Bronica models or not, but it was for the two I found. Im guessing some Brony's have a square format since Ed's homemade lens shots with his Brony are square. But, the Kiev 60 has a square format, which is what I really want.

Another thing I found with the Bronicas is that they dont have TTL and the Kiev does. I dont want to have to lug a meter around or use my DSLR in order to use the new medium format.

If anybody has anything else to add, I'd love to hear about it. Both camera models are expensive and I want to be sure Im getting something good, though I suppose if I am unhappy with any camera I get, I can always sell it on ebay.

chris_n · « **Reply #14 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:17:07 PM »

the broni s and sq series will be square, but the ETRs will be 645.

skj has an absolutely great article about the Bronica S2A which is aesthetically one of my favorite 6x6 SLRs hands down: http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=3856.0

in the united states late model versions of these still go for about 300-400 in good condition on ebay --but i haven't seen many lately.

the SQ series is much lighter (more plastic) but is newer and seems to be less problem prone, due to age i suppose. surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, these less models can be found for about the same price as a good condition S2A or cheaper.

you might want to look into an ARAX 60 as well, i hear many good things about them. i would have gone that route, but i wanted to have a bit to get my hands dirty if need be. i like to learn! (can always send it to them later for a rebuild if i want that reliability).

Mojave · « **Reply #15 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:23:42 PM »

Thank you so much Chris! I remember that article by Skorj. Im going to check some more for the different models of the Bronicas now, as well as the Arax.

Mojave · « **Reply #16 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:31:08 PM »

Cant find any Arax on eBay. Is there someplace else to look for them?
Found Arax online. Very nice cameras and pix I've seen on Flickr are outstanding! Problem is, the price. Wow!

Those S model Bronicas are nice, but more expensive. Do they have built in meters?

Francois · « **Reply #17 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:52:10 PM »

On all medium format cameras (at least as far as I know), the meter is inside the prism assembly. So if you use a chimney type viewer, there's no meter.

Mojave · « **Reply #18 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:57:41 PM »

So if you use the waist level prism, there isnt a meter, but if you use the type of prism you have to put your eye up to, that has a light meter in it? Hope that's not a really stupid question. I just have no idea.

chris_n · « **Reply #19 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:59:09 PM »

you've got it exactly right. unless it's a newish fancy hassy, no metering with a waist level finder. only eye level prisms. It's going to be the same story if you end up with the Kiev60. Only the prism finder will have metering --the included waist level finder has no meter.

also, have you considered a TLR? i absolutely love my yashica 124. virtually no options for wide or tele lenses, but it has a built in meter, shoots 6x6, the standard lens is fairly good, and it's relatively cheap (can be had for 100-200USD if you take a bit to look around)

sorry for throwing yet another option into the mix! maiden voyages into MF can be a bit daunting with all these way cool cameras

Mojave · « **Reply #20 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:03:04 PM »

Awesome! Thank you both! The Kiev 60 from Hartblei comes with both, without mirror lockup, for 180 US dollars. I think thats the route Im going to go. I cant even afford that but I think its a good choice for getting square format pix of my new granddaughter without spending close to 500 dollars.

chris_n · « **Reply #21 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:04:37 PM »

also watch out for shipping! i'm not sure what hartblei is charging, but if it's coming from russia, ukraine, or somewhere thereabout, expect anywhere from 25 (very cheap) to 65USD.

Mojave · « **Reply #22 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:06:46 PM »

Yeah, unfortunately they are in the Ukraine so its not looking good for taking with me to Kentucky. Thats a drag!

chris_n · « **Reply #23 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:09:34 PM »

please let us know what the final shipping cost was! i'm curious to know as somewhat of a comparison between vendors. good luck with the camera

Mojave · « **Reply #24 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:10:43 PM »

Will do Chris, and thank you!

Mojave · « **Reply #25 on:** June 29, 2011, 08:34:31 PM »

Just got a Bronica ETRSi for 350 US. I couldnt pass it up. It doesnt have the metered prism or a square format but its in great condition, tested and works fine, comes with 4 film backs, waist and eye level prisms, a ton of film and a nice bag. And I can have it here before I leave.

I already have buyers remorse.

Sort of.

Over the buyers remorse and looking forward to getting this camera! Im already loving the format. I didnt realize its the same format at Carlos' wonderful Pentax 67 shots that I love so much. YAY! Just need to save up now for Arax 60. Still want that camera.

Mike (happyforest) · « **Reply #26 on:** June 29, 2011, 09:48:26 PM »

Mojave

The ETRSi is a lovely camera and produces wonderful images. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I like mine.

Two examples that I could find quickly.

Mike

Mojave · « **Reply #27 on:** June 29, 2011, 11:05:58 PM »

Thank you so much Happy!!! Those are great shots! I especially like the wedding shot. Im really looking forward to trying out the camera. The seller has included just a ton of film. Im guessing he's going digital, but at least I have film to practice on. Makes me want to consider a color film kit again and perhaps I'll go that route since its warmer now and it will be much easier to keep the chemicals warm.

Terry · « **Reply #28 on:** June 30, 2011, 01:10:29 AM »

Wanna buy my Arax 60? It's got a Vega 12B 80mm and both types of VFs. Can't guarantee the meter because I always meter off camera but it has the battery adapter to use US-style button cells. Email me if you're interested. Got my Pentacon now (thanks Diane!) and the poor old Arax is sitting idle.

Mojave · « **Reply #29 on:** June 30, 2011, 01:22:02 AM »

Terry, thank you so much for the offer and if you happen to still have that camera when I get my tax refund, I will totally take you up on it!!!

Terry · « **Reply #30 on:** June 30, 2011, 11:48:53 AM »

Give me a heads up if you do want it--it'll be here.

Author Topic: KIEV 60 (Read 10607 times)

astrobeck

Terry

Terry

Terry