Good Russian Cameras?

[foc]

Everything living does so. Even you yourself.

But some of us radiate more than others.

 

[Ian Brett Cooper]

But some of us radiate more than others.

 

[markjwyatt]

Look at my avatar. I am a hot dude.

 

[foc]

Look at my avatar. I am a hot dude.

 

[dnyc]

Easily the Fed 3b.

 

[Huss]

The best Russian kameras are my black paint Kiev 4A, my Zenit 212K and my Mockba/Mosckva5 in white leather. Because I want to sell them.

 

[markjwyatt]

The best Russian kameras are my black paint Kiev 4A, my Zenit 212K and my Mockba/Mosckva5 in white leather. Because I want to sell them.

The best Russian Camera is my black Kiev 4a (really Ukrainian, Maybe Soviet):


Kiev 4A Type2 (Black) by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr

 

[Huss]

The best Russian Camera is my black Kiev 4a (really Ukrainian, Maybe Soviet):


Kiev 4A Type2 (Black) by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr

That pic of your camera made me get mine. Which seems to be very similar, but I have the 53mm 1.8 lens which is really good.

 

[markjwyatt]

That pic of your camera made me get mine. Which seems to be very similar, but I have the 53mm 1.8 lens which is really good.

Helios 103?

 

[Huss]

Helios 103?

Yep!

 

[ruilourosa]

Really good

Good as in good soft corners

 

[Huss]

Really good

Good as in good soft corners

No, My Helios is really good, no softness. I wish I could use it on other cameras but it has the Contax rangefinder mount. The camera it is attached to I'm not so keen of.
I can't find an example right now w/o digging into my files but I do have an example of the opposite in similar mount (Nikon S). My Nikon 50 1.4 on my S2 while in physically perfect condition (no haze, no dust, no scratches, no separation) is soft at the sides at infinity. See attached. The Helios is a much better lens than this. At least my copy is!

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

As someone who grew up in the former Soviet Union, had a Smena 8M as the invariable 10th birthday present and then purloined my old man's Zenit E, which he didn't seem to use much, I'd avoid most Russian cameras. I do have a favourite, though. Agat 18K, virtually indestructible (made for tourists, tough as nails, douse it in vodka and it'll smirk at you). Half-format. A very convenient sketchbook. Lovely lens flares. What other Soviet cameras have I got left? Uh… yeah, just the Lubitel 2, and I'd love to get rid of it.

As an aside, I am amazed at how many times the DDR-made Prakticas are mentioned as "Soviet." This can be unfolded into a "photography in the Eastern Bloc countries" discussion, as a matter of fact, but not right now.

So, yeah. If you do from-the-hip-lens-flare-devil-may-care stuff as well as, ahem, "serious" photography, I would really recommend the Agat. 72 shots on a single roll. Works wonders with fine-grained film. This is the culprit

 

[btaylor]

No, My Helios is really good, no softness. I wish I could use it on other cameras but it has the Contax rangefinder mount. The camera it is attached to I'm not so keen of.

My Helios is excellent too, very sharp. I got rid of my Kiev and use the Helios on my Contax IIa. I also admired the look of Mark’s black paint Kiev, but I have sworn off FSU cameras (though kept some of the excellent optics).

 

[StepheKoontz]

The best Russian camera is one that is in someone else's house/collection

 

[gone]

If it was us Americans that were confusing Soviet with DDR w/ god know what else, you have to understand that we're geographically challenged, and our knowledge of history is even worse and mostly erroneous and, well, mythical. Most of us couldn't find West Virginia on a map, and yes, a lot of people here still think New Mexico is Mexico. I lived there, and quite a few times people said to me "I'd like to go to NM, but I don't speak Spanish".

I like that Agat camera. Now you'll be the cause of me buying that, which is OK. I'm looking to exit serious photography ASAP and move into more fun stuff. That lil guy looks like just the ticket, and half frame means 72 shots to a roll, like my old Robot, a camera I would definitely recommend. .

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

If it was us Americans that were confusing Soviet with DDR w/ god know what else, you have to understand that we're geographically challenged, and our knowledge of history is even worse and mostly erroneous and, well, mythical. Most of us couldn't find West Virginia on a map, and yes, a lot of people here still think New Mexico is Mexico. I lived there, and quite a few times people said to me "I'd like to go to NM, but I don't speak Spanish".

I like that Agat camera. Now you'll be the cause of me buying that, which is OK. I'm looking to exit serious photography ASAP and move into more fun stuff. That lil guy looks like just the ticket, and half frame means 72 shots to a roll, like my old Robot, a camera I would definitely recommend. .

A Robot. I've only heard of them. Seen a few on eBay, but they all seem to cost a mint; I was toying with the idea of getting a Star 50, but I'd rather spend the money on film, frankly, much as we all enjoy gear accumulation.

As for the Agat, I got mine for 1000 dinars here in Serbia, which is around ten bucks, and it was in pristine condition (the seller claimed it was unused, and it sure looked it). I've been using the hell out of it since then — my other stick-it-in-your-pocket-and-take-it-with-you-anywhere-you-go camera is a Minox 35GT. There are two modifications of Agat: Agat 18 and Agat 18K. The only difference is that with the latter you can use an empty film canister instead of the default receiving spool, and it also has a wire release socket.

Here's a random picture taken with the camera in question on a roll of Kodak Ektar 100.

 

[BMbikerider]

Any proof ??

Usually about 70% by volume

 

[BMbikerider]

I have had a few Russian cameras and they did the job well enough but the quality of questionable mechanisms was always at the back of my mind. Having said that the only one that let me down was Kiev4 where one of the tiny grub screws that held the rotating shutter speed dial came loose and I lost all accuracy with the speeds. That was soon rectified. Like a few others who have commented already, the F2 Jupiter lens was very very good. I had a 35mm negative taken on Ilford PanF which included a monument which perhaps 1/2 mile away where I could count the metal railings on the public viewing platform. (I had to use the same lens as a magnifying glass to see them!)

One of the other ones I owned was called 'Start' which is a translation of the Russian Cyrillic letters of the name below the prism. It was a cross between a Zenith B but with a bayonet mount for the lens. and an early Exacta. It had the common Russian F2/58mm Zeiss Biotar copy and the same back to front wind on lever, There was a film cutting blade . An auto aperture plunger which was also the shutter release button plus a removable prism. It came with a bayonet to 39mm thread adapter to take 'T' mount lenses. If you think an F4 is heavy get hold of one of these beasts To call it crude and clunky is a kind description, but saying that it never let me down. I sold it to help me buy a Pentax SV.

There was also a poor copy of something vaguely resembling a Nikkormat. It was was basically a variation of the Zenith SLR later bodies, but with a Nikon Bayonet which apparently was so crude some lenses fitted and others didn't. It was sold in UK under the name of Kiev19. It had CDS metering which was 'almost' accurate, but not always!

The top image is of the 1st model of the 'START' made until 1964. There was a later one which had a built in meter in the prism. The lower image is of a Kieve19.

 

[removed account4]

As someone who grew up in the former Soviet Union, had a Smena 8M as the invariable 10th birthday present and then purloined my old man's Zenit E, which he didn't seem to use much, I'd avoid most Russian cameras. I do have a favourite, though. Agat 18K, virtually indestructible (made for tourists, tough as nails, douse it in vodka and it'll smirk at you). Half-format. A very convenient sketchbook. Lovely lens flares. What other Soviet cameras have I got left? Uh… yeah, just the Lubitel 2, and I'd love to get rid of it.

As an aside, I am amazed at how many times the DDR-made Prakticas are mentioned as "Soviet." This can be unfolded into a "photography in the Eastern Bloc countries" discussion, as a matter of fact, but not right now.

So, yeah. If you do from-the-hip-lens-flare-devil-may-care stuff as well as, ahem, "serious" photography, I would really recommend the Agat. 72 shots on a single roll. Works wonders with fine-grained film. This is the culprit View attachment 275070

I have wanted to get my hands on one of those for ages, wonderful camera, wonderful design and what could be better than 72 shots on a roll !
I have a pen ft, but it doesn't have he same pizzazz as the agat...

 

[Donald Qualls]

If you get an Agat, be sure to get one of the models with the removable lens. You can shim L39 lenses to focus correctly on it, or you can use the lens from the camera as an enlarging lens (which was the intent).

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I have the Helios 103, and mine is excellent. I also have a pair of Kievs, a 4 and a 4a, both of which are reliable- (and the 4 has a working, accurate meter) - and a set of J12, H103, J9, plus a Nikkor for Contax 13.5cm. I'm quite happy with all of the FSU cameras that I use, although all of them needed TLC when they came to me they have been as reliable as anything else I own.

My two favorite RF 50s are the Helios and.... A Summitar, which I use on a Canon IIb, or if I need flash synch a Zorki S, which a bit agricultural but 100% reliable. The I22 it came with is nice, too. I have a couple Zenits which don't work, and I'm not jazzed by the 58mm lenses either. In a comparison, the H-103 has no apologies to make to the Summitar.

Edit - I have forgotten from whom I purchased that Summitar, (Momus?) it was here in the Classifieds a few times. Anyway if you read this it's been recemented and I couldn't be happier.

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

If you get an Agat, be sure to get one of the models with the removable lens. You can shim L39 lenses to focus correctly on it, or you can use the lens from the camera as an enlarging lens (which was the intent).

Uh. I'm only aware of two models: Agat 18 and Agat 18K. Neither has a removable lens. Nor could I find any sources mentioning the possibility of using a removable lens with one. Frankly, I don't think the construction of the camera itself would permit it. Could you, perhaps, be referring to a different camera, or is there a modification that I'm not aware of?

 

[reddesert]

Donald is thinking of the Chaika half frame, not the Agat.

 

[Huss]

As someone who grew up in the former Soviet Union, had a Smena 8M as the invariable 10th birthday present and then purloined my old man's Zenit E, which he didn't seem to use much, I'd avoid most Russian cameras. I do have a favourite, though. Agat 18K, virtually indestructible (made for tourists, tough as nails, douse it in vodka and it'll smirk at you). Half-format. A very convenient sketchbook. Lovely lens flares. What other Soviet cameras have I got left? Uh… yeah, just the Lubitel 2, and I'd love to get rid of it.

As an aside, I am amazed at how many times the DDR-made Prakticas are mentioned as "Soviet." This can be unfolded into a "photography in the Eastern Bloc countries" discussion, as a matter of fact, but not right now.

So, yeah. If you do from-the-hip-lens-flare-devil-may-care stuff as well as, ahem, "serious" photography, I would really recommend the Agat. 72 shots on a single roll. Works wonders with fine-grained film. This is the culprit View attachment 275070

I just ordered an Agat 18K. Could not resist. Would have ordered it 'locally' from Fedka, but he wants $25 to ship via USPS priority mail, which for a package that size is something like $8 including the free box...