I have just finished developing my first film from the Kiev 30 camera that I bought off eBay.

Disappointment is the word that springs to mind, I think it's the lens as everything looks fogged.

If anyone is interested I can post some of my disappointment to share with you !!

Dai.

Bummer! Post one anyway. Mine is Ok, sortta.
M

Murray, I have pulled the camera apart and started on the lens, it was very dirty but I can't see any fungus (as yet) so I'm going to pull the lens apart to clean the elements properly and then reassemble and set the focus. I have made myself a rig for adjusting lenses and this will be a good test (of the rig and myself).

All the best to you and your good lady wife, and I hope the you enjoy your Christmas.
Dai.

We have already had our Christmas family dinner. We have ours on Christmas Eve and today we're already tidied up and sitting in the humidity. Apparently a tropical low heading this way.

Hard to imagine how the little lens could get so dirty but if it was in a pocket always then it must ultimately get that way. I will be very interested in the results of the focus resetting as I believe mine is slightly off but the thought of that tiny film gate is enough to make me go blind, just thinking about it!

Thanks for the good wishes and I send them back to yourselves and on all the group. Enjoy, folks!!!

Murray

Update on the lens, I have had the lens in a container of Windex for quite a while now, the up shot being that I could not dislodge the crud from between the two elements. A friend suggested that if I could put it into a vacuum I could "boil off" the liquid. I have a de-soldering station which I built ages ago that has a vacuum pump in it, my thoughts being that I could use that. The problem has been finding a suitable container.
The other night I was looking at the lens and and managed to unscrew the front element, so joy of joys I will be able to get the lens pristine.
Setting the focus I'm looking forward to as I get to use another bit of gear I made years ago.

I'll post some pics soon.
Dai.

Update on my update, the lens is a 4 element lens, I have managed to dis-assemble it all, but unfortunately it's not a pristine example. There are some marks of some indeterminable source, but it will be a huge improvement on what it was, i,e, unusable.

I now am able to start the reconstruction, I just have to find the rest of the camera and remember how it all goes back together, and some people think it isn't fun !

Dai.

Alas it has all been in vain, the lens is too far gone to be of any use.

It has been interesting, but I doubt the interesting has overcome the cost of the camera in the first place. I will regard it as "another stitch in the rich tapestry of life".

Dai.

Dai, you have had rotten luck with the FSU cameras of late :-( You'd never think anything that simple could be so miserably out of alignment (or whatever).
My Chaika is winding on two frames at a time and now i must dismantle the winder/counter. I thought I'd get away without that. Just occurred to me - maybe it isn't firing every time. I will have to check that.
Can you give us a pointer towards the place you got the collimator from? I could certainly use one here and others too, I'll bet.
Is your Chaika body an impossible mess? Seems I have a lens and you have a body. Maybe you want to sell it?
Cheers,
Murray

Murray yes the luck I've had with the Russian cameras hasn't really been good.
The lens has something on at least two of the four elements which I can't remove.
My little seagull is in the state that the photo's show, I had a screw that was seized and I treated it prior to having another go at it, and of course I haven't gotten around to it. If you would like it it's yours, the only proviso is you get it as it is.

Te collimator I made myself from a 50x10 binocular half, (again if you want the other half I'll put them in the box with the camera) what you also need is a half silvered mirror. I got mine from an old Polaroid camera, the design for the collimator is from a book I have on camera repair, when I can find it I'll copy the instructions and send them to you.

I trust that you have dried out by now and you lives are back to whatever normal is!

Dai.

Dai, thanks for that. I would like to see the plans for the collimator before we get down to tin tacks on the Chaika. I may already have the parts (or some of them) now, so no point in enriching Australia Post!

Murray

Good morning;

We are having a Perry Como type of day out here in Latte Land today. It is time to get out the cameras, now that I have finished with the lawn mowing and weed whacking and moving of some outdoor furniture out to the outdoors.

The Kiev 30 and the Kiev 303 are still here also, and I am looking for some 16mm film to put into them. I do have a couple of Minolta film cassettes with film in them, but I am not sure that I should try to do anything with the Minolta 16 II until I also have at least one 16mm reel for holding the film for developing in the tank. Perhaps it is time to see if FreeStyle or B & H have some 16mm B & W film I can buy. I am not sure that I will ever get around to really using the original Minolta 16, when the 16 II cameras are here also. Having the greater range of camera controls is something that can be appreciated.

One nice thing is that I did get one of the Mamiya 3.5/25mm Type 5 ENLA units for fitting to the Durst 606 or M-600 enlargers. It may take a few minutes to put the 3/4 inch reinforced plywood on the top of the bathroom tub and set up all of the equipment, but it least it can be done. No one in the Latte Land region is developing and printing still camera 16mm film any more as part of their business.

Thanks, guys. Talk with you later.

Enjoy;

Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

G'day, Ralph. Sounds like summer is round the corner? Things are cooling down and drying out here.

I bought a slitter for any film other than microfilm of which I have plenty. It cuts 120 into 4 strips and for a Minolta with 18 exp. that is about 8 films. I grabbed a couple of Shanghai to try out.

There are plenty of folk out there who happily use 16mm or even double 8 if you don't mind the holes and they buy reversal film. Apparently it works just fine as a 'normal' negative film. I was a bit surprised to hear that but it seems to be true.

Bluefire is avail able in 16mm bulk rolls, too. If you have lots of 35mm bulk Joe Mcloin will set up a slitter to get a strip from that format as well. Dive down into the sub-club site. Just enjoy yourself.
Murray
Brisbane

Good morning, Murray, Dai, et al;

There has been some progress here recently for 16mm stuff.

There is a film slitter for use with 35mm film. Another one for use with 120 roll film is being considered.

There are two stainless steel 16mm film developing reels here now to go into a single reel 35mm film developing tank. This is really a help. Being able to develop two 16mm film strips at the same time in a single reel 35mm developing tank is a much more effective use of the amount of chemicals needed to perform the task.

There is a Minolta 16mm Film Daylight Loading Development Tank Catalog Number 8433. It does have the ability to process two 16mm film strips at the same time. However, it does require that you break off the supply film chamber of the Minolta 16mm cassette to use it. It may not see very much use because of that quirk, unless I can find a way to transfer the exposed film from a Minolta or Kiev cassette into two exposed film chamber sections of two Minolta 16mm cassettes set up for that purpose. So often it turns out that something you envision using does have a peculiar requirement that makes it difficult to use. Then there is also the point that there seems to be a small clip that goes onto one end of the film that is fitted into a recess in the developing section of the tank that holds the film end as it is pulled out of the exposed film chamber and around the film developing drum of the daylight loading and developing tank. I do not have those small clips. I had such hope.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

Ralph, an update on my Kiev 30, I got really fed up with the thing, after stripping it down and putting it back together I found the lens to be well past the useless stage. So I have junked it, the only thing that I have kept is the take-up spool to be put into a Minolta-16 IIp I have bought (the original camera that the Kiev 30 was copied from), it should arrive in the new year.

The best part of my purchase of the Kiev 30 were the 5 extra cassettes that I bought with it, I already have a couple of other Minolta-16 cameras a model P and a model QT, the Kiev cassettes are important because I own only one Minolta cassette kindly, given to me by Murray.

It keeps me busy and my little grey cells functioning.

Dai.

Happy New Year Dai and Ralph and the group. Been pretty quiet here. Had my cataracts done and I can now see just as if the anti-halation backing was on again!
Had a Minox film in the tank for at least a month but the water is so hot ex-tap that I am dissuaded from developing it. Bone lazy comes to mind.
I have been given a developer for this film (PPF) and know it's a good 'un but there always remains that nagging doubt I'm going to stuff it up again. Had plenty of disappointing results lately.
Anyhoo, I repeat, Happy New Year!

Murray

Good morning, Dai, Murray, and all of the other people of the SubMiniature Forum;

Dai, there are lots of people who find that some samples of FSU cameras can be "challenging." I admit that it really is a gamble (well, for a moment there, I really was tempted to make some allusion to a game of "Russian Roulette"). I do have several other FSU cameras, and all of them came with some quirk that need attention and correction, but they have performed well for me once that needed work was done. It does seem that often the tolerances and the lack of quality control do not add up in your favor. If things go well, they do. If they do not, hopefully a good camera technician with experience in working on them can put them back into good order, but sometimes, there is just too great an error in the way that the parts were made, so you relegate that sample to being a parts source for other similar cameras, and you try again.

I do have one Minolta lens here where the bayonet mounting flanges were machined and chrome plated about 1/2 a millimeter too thin, so it never did fit properly or securely on a camera body. Finally I removed a mounting flange from another lens, and replaced the offending part, and then the lens performed properly. Yes, this kind of a thing can happen.

Murray, I am finding that the two new stainless steel 16mm reels are working fine here. In recent times I have been working with the EKCo XTOL film developer, trying to learn what it does. So far, it seems to be pretty good, and even a little bit reminiscent of my old favorite Microdol-X developer that I used for years with just about everything. And, a week or two ago now, I came to the realization that I may need to have something done that is similar to the procedure you had. Developing an excessive accumulation of years does have some occasional difficulties. I will be seeing a collection of physicians in a couple of weeks. It is time for the annual check-up routines.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year;

Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

Well my Minolta-16 arrived today and what a pleasant surprise, it's solid with a very definite shutter sound. It seems to operate correctly at all speeds from B to 500th. It is in good condition, the lens looks clean and even has two clear covers for the lens marked No.1 and No.2 (I'll find out more about those later).

I fitted the take-up spool from the Kiev and tried to load a cassette, but no go. On looking at the camera closely it appears that the spool is slightly off center and I'm unable to load any of the Kiev cassettes. Not to worry as I do have one Minolta cassette and I'll now have to start searching for a couple more.

The other Minolta-16 MG should also be arriving soon, so I'll let you know how I go with that one.

Not the best start to the New Year but to start is enough,

So happy New Year to you all, Dai.

Dai, check that the capstan (?) is fitted correctly. I have had a similar situation with these things and you must make sure the thing is centered on the washer underneath. It has to fit into the little hole in the washer. Easy to misallign that. shouldn't be a problem really. Worked OK for me.
Murray

Murray, hi and thank you for the response, there is no washer under the Kiev capstan and I tried to put the washer from the Minolta under it but the screw for the Kiev is much shorter and it wouldn't tighten up.

I have been exercising my little grey cells and it occurred to me that maybe the tolerance on the Kiev capstan is a little over size, so if I take a little bit of meat off the capstan all could work out well. Then of course it maybe the cassette that I tried is a little different and the others could be OK.

It keeps me amused and out of Barbara s way, so it's all good.

I'll keep you posted.

Dai.

Good morning, Dai;

One stroke of great good fortune I have experienced is discovering the local hardware store's selection of small (1.70mm, 2.00mm, 2.50mm diameter, et cetera), stainless steel pan head and flat head screws. I bought a selection of them, and have slowly been using them as I discover a need for a screw "just a little bit longer." Being able to alter a screw to just the size needed when adapting something to do a job does make the job more satisfying when it is completed.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

Well I've solved the problem, which means I know why the take-up spool looks crooked. The locating pin on the Kiev is a larger diameter than the locating hole and so doesn't sit neatly into it.

What I need to do is to open out the locating hole, but I don't have a drill the correct diameter, I have drills too small and too large but not one that's "just right". I do however have a brother with lots of small diameter drills so I guess that's my next option.

My friend who has the darkroom has just visited and he's going to slit some 400 asa film for me to 16mm and 19" long.

It's all getting better.

Dai.

Dai, IIRC the washer from the Kiev is the one to use. You reminded me. I didn't have to enlarge any holes. As you noted the screw is different, too.
Cheers
Murray

Murray, I've just finished my first film in the P II, I didn't have a washer from on the Kiev but it was trying the washer from the Minolta that made it obvious that the pin was a larger diameter. The washer wouldn't fit over the pin, so I found my favourite reamer and now all is well.

I now need the 400 asa film and I also need to start using some tape to hold the cassette tops onto the bodies, I have just tried to remove the exposed cassette and the top was left in the bottom of the camera, fortunately it was only a test film so nothing important could have been spoilt.

The next project is to adjust my QT to give the correct exposure indication, I have made a battery holder to use silver oxide batteries and the voltage ends up different. There is an adjustment that can be made but involves lifting the leatherette to access the adjusting pot.

The new year is off to a good start.

Dai.

Dai, I'm sure there was a washer in my Kiev so that may indicate you're not the first explorer in there!
Tape can be a problem. Ordinary Selotape 'oozes' after a bit of time and temperature and can be hard to get off to boot. I needed some 1/4" tape for the Minox cassettes and was grumbling to Berwyn who piped up that what I needed was some quilting tape in that width. Jaw drop. And so it is. Adequately sticky and peels more easily. Quilters use it to temporarily keep things in place so they can stitch and rip it off later.
Works well to keep the lids on the cassettes, too. I needed 1/4" because the film is 9.2mm.
That all started because I did exactly what you did. Except I did want to see the picts with a new film/developer I was trying out.
Know absolutely zero about the QT. I have my original I and 2xII and a MGS and the Kiev. From what you say it needs mercury cells? The leatherette is stuck down with shellac 99% of the time so's it can be lifted and reapplied in just such situations.
I adapted a Canonet 28 to silver cells successfully but that had more room inside than the QT I'll bet. It involved a series/parallel resistor arrangement and the formula was there and all. I'll try and rat it out. I did it experimentally with a pot. & fly leads, an external power supply (for 1.35 and 1.55V) and a reference light source. I had to assume the metering was correct before I started but seemingly all worked well. That camera has just about finished its voyage round the world in Pass the Rangefinder 5 up at RFF. Only took 2 years! My impression is that it's like herding cats. People just - forget!
This is the place I mentioned above for mercury cell / silver adaption.
http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/siloxidemodify.html
Maybe it's useful. Maybe not.
I will await your 400 film results. Years ago I tried Tri-X but today's film are way better. Some people even use that in a Minox!
Cheers. Murray.