Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 06:43 p.m.
So guys as I mentioned before I went to Russia this summer for a vacation. And of course I used this time to get some "new" cameras for my "collection. I was lucky I have got Kiev II, note IIa or IVa but original one of Contax design made in 1956. That was the very last year of this camera production. They were completely replaced next year by Kiev IIa which were produced concurrently since 1951 on Arsenal factory. I do not know why... That is the mystery for me. Difference of course is the contact for the flash. Also these Kievs made since 1955 had Jupiter-8 made on Arsenal factory, not Krasnogorsk-made, like a year before. However Krasnogorsk Jupiters-8 for Kiev is more desirable for collectors. But lucky me :)) I have one attached to my Kiev III.
Kiev II
Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 06:54 p.m.
Obviously like all camera juncky I made a comparison of my newly beloved Kiev II and Kiev IVA made in 1975. Well, what can I say...progress is not a good thing when it comes to the simplification, cost reduction and price adjustment. Leatherette on K-IVA and fine grain leather of K-II are as different as let's say W-mart vs. Nordstrom merchandises. Plastic thingy on K-IVa self timer looks awkward. Also very fine-pretty engraves on the bayonet barrel are gone. The very useful support on the camera bottom is gone-gone-gone. Inside, they suppose to be made of the same parts, but I have no opportunity or intention to look inside since both are good and in the working order. Also what I love about K-II its leather case. It is outstanding. I do not nave its picture but the quality is superb. Now just look on those camera side-by-side and make your own judgments.
Kiev II vs Kiev IVa
Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 06:58 p.m.
Well I took my camera to the state park for a walk and decided. The sound of the shutter is something like a song. I have around 50+ different cameras and that one is definitely the best.
State park
Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 06:59 p.m.
bokeh
Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 07:04 p.m.
Here it is stopped down to 8 I believe.
Jupiter-8 about F=8
Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 07:08 p.m.
And then I mount J-12 on Kiev. I have not that bad Jupiter-12. Actually I would say that Nikkor 35/2.0 is sharper and less flare prone, but I can not mount it on Kiev.
J-12
Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 07:14 p.m.
Well I found J-12 are fun lenses but they do required to have a separate viewfinder. And when I mount one on my Kiev I looked a bit strange. So people started looking at me and I decided to make pictures of funny inscriptions. Park management want to make the lake E.coli free. Keep toddlers in diapers is an achievable goal, but how they keep Canadian gees away remains enigmatic.
lifeguard sit
Kozma Prutkoff , Sep 04, 2010; 07:20 p.m.
And the last is J-9. Heh, that is quite a lens. I love those...Not a good idea to shoot landscapes with portrait telephoto but I could not resist. Camera was just fun to shoot. And I can repeat the opinion of some people that Kiev II is the best Soviet camera ever made.
Beach
Rick Drawbridge 
, Sep 04, 2010; 08:57 p.m.
Beautiful cameras, Kozma. I think the Kiev II is one of the best-looking rangefinders ever made. Fine pictures, too; the lovely light and the range of tones you captured in "State Park" are superb.
JDM von Weinberg 
, Sep 04, 2010; 09:31 p.m.
I love Kievs. Old ones, new ones, ones made into Contaxes.
I won't say there are no bad Soviet lenses, but my "Elmar" is the only bad one I've got so far.
If it weren't for the sign in English, I would have thought you were at the vacation area in the movie Burnt by the Sun. Thanks for showing us your cameras and pictures.
