Kiev 66 any opnions and advice

[zolveria]

Hi looking for a good affordable.. (I am not rich cant afford a HASS) Medium format.
Need opinions thank APUG in advance

1) YASHIMAT WITH OUT THE g
2)MAMIYA C SOMETHING I HEARD
3) kIEV 66 (BUT WHICH ONE ???)

 

[Lanline]

Buy a Bronica SQ-A from keh.com

Kiev 88's stink and are not very dependable. Get something you can use for your $. You can buy a SQ-A for not a lot and OMG!!!

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Buy a Kiev 60 for 100 dollars or cheaper.
When you find money , you can attach russian anamorphic square front cinema lenses to zeiss jena , pentacon lenses to russian fisheyes to russian tilt shift lenses. There are EXCELLENT tele lenses from soviets also.
I used these cameras , be nice and wind the film manually with looking from its numbers at red window and you will no problem.
I think cheapest and highest quality , exotic selections comes from Russia.

 

[borisdeswan]

As has been stated extensively Kiev cameras have a mixed bag of detractors and supporters. I happen to have a bunch of cameras from Hasselblads to Pentax 6x7 to Mamiyas pro tls 645.I also have a couple of Kiev 60's one originally from Kiev USA and another Kiev 60 supposedly refurbished by Arax. I bought these used very cheap online. I have shot extensively on personal projects ( that is I would not use them to shoot a wedding) and reckognizing some quirkiness they might have I have not encountered ANY malfunctions that detract from the potential professional quality provided by a mixed assortment of both east german and russian lenses that benefit from similar optical designs. I really enjoy taking pictures with camers that force you to think about why, when and how you are making a photo. So try and get a camera sanctioned by Arax, or Hartblei . Personally I think that Flektogons Sonnars and Biometars made in East Germany, are wonderfull and worth the while. Cheers.

 

[hspluta]

I had very good luck with my Kiev 88, BUT it was no where as nice to use as the 30 year old Hasselblad I have now. The flip side is that I had a really nice collection of lenses for a fraction of the price of one of the Hassy lenses.

The very first camera I ever shot on was my friend's Grandfather's Mamiya TLR, this was back in the 60's. To this day I have nothing but fond memories of that camera. One day I may own another. The fact that you can get interchangeable lenses make them a really attractive intro camera.

-Harry

 

[alanrockwood]

As pointed out by others, Kiev can be good or bad, depending somewhat on the luck of the draw, but perhaps depending more on whether it has been worked over by someone knowledgeable about these cameras.

A somewhat safe approach to purchasing a Kiev 60 is to find one that has been modified to include mirror lockup (MLU) and flocking of the inside of the mirror box. These will likely have been fully worked over to fix some of the common problems, such as improper films spacing and the like.

In addition, there are some web pages that show you how to do some of the fixups, such as correcting the film spacing, flocking the interior, and calibrating the meter prism.

I have several Kiev 60 bodies and several lenses. I got them for bargain prices at the big auction site. Auction prices for these vary over a wide range, so if you decide to buy from the auction site don't bid on the first thing that comes along.

I have enjoyed using them, though you should not expect them to have the same level of mechanical and ergonomic refinement as you would find in one of the elite brands. Also keep in mind that the end result is in the photos, and these cameras are fully capable of taking fine photos.

One more thing... perhaps the biggest draw to these cameras is the wide selection of modestly priced accessories, and especially the lenses.

 

[NJS]

If Bronica SQ-a systems weren't so cheap these days I'd normally say that the Zeiss Jena glass are worth it. but the prices on bronica have dropped down significantly. I'm not a Kiev user, I shoot with P6 but the Sonnar 180/2.8 and Orestegor 300/4 are truly the reasons to make this Zeiss mount a keeper... why would I else need two full 6x6 systems? Sonnar is worth it, IMO. also, I haven't had the chance to play with Arsat 30/3.5 but that might be another good reason to give it a try.
sure, if I don't wind film properly I'll have few overlaps and I always have to avoid 1/125 and 1/250 speeds on my camera to get the frame properly exposed - but that is certainly my luck only, it might not be the case with yours. with M645, RB67 and SQ-A you won't be consumed with these questions for certainly longer period of time due to the reputations of here mentioned MF systems.


it is a bit funny thing we debate the risk of jumping into this particular medium format system in this millenium - with the price drop with other used gear way too much, never mentioning the actual cost which is FILM, DEVELOPING & PRINTING.
think of the quantity of films you'll be able to use properly with reputable system such as SQ-A or M645 or RB67. if you 'miss your shot' and get a faulty copy Kiev60/6c, that difference in camera pricing will become one obvious difference. speaking in terms longer than a year - film, developing and printing costs much more than any of before mentioned cameras.

 

[steven_e007]

I have experience of both Mamiya C series and Kiev 60s.

I won't repeat everything I've said about the Kiev 60 - except to say I am definitely a 'detractor'. I no longer own one and replaced it with a Pentacon 6. This is a much better camera, but getting old, now and difficult to get fixed if it fails.

Mamiya C cameras are IMHO vastly superior - but consequently may be more expensive for something in comparable condition. You can save a bit of money buy going for a C220 (knob wind rather than lever wind) or even a C2 (very early version).

Avoid the C33 (early lever wind - now more of a collectible, too old to be reliable).

The lenses are excellent and there is a HUGE range of accessories. They are also old and out of support, but unlike the Kiev 60 / Pentacon Six they are fairly easy to fix and very reliable...

 

[zolveria]

Kewl Beans . Now with or with out waist level. AND I like Bronica SQ-A it can do 35mm tooo happy happy i found my birthday present
so why would i want a waist level.. This is my first medium format.. chemicals is not a problem, paper either. my husband get me some all the time.. monthly.. and why are some BGN and EX here ? which lens..
okay guys . give me a good lense .. I like shooting nature people, especially children and landscape.

 

[srs5694]

Just to add my $0.02: I own both a Kiev 6C (an earlier variant on the 60) and a Mamiya C220. The Mamiya is definitely the better camera in terms of build quality, but the Kiev has its advantages. The main one, I think, is that the lenses are much less expensive and they cover a wider range (longer and shorter focal lengths). The Mamiya feels much more solid and is more reliable. Both were eBay purchases, but my Kiev arrived with frame spacing and shutter speed problems. I managed to fix these problems, but the film advance broke again after a few rolls. I've got to open it up and fix it again soon.

For more information on the Mamiya line, check Dead Link Removed or Dead Link Removed (I'm sure there are others, but these two seem to be pretty informative.) There's also a nice introductory piece in the April 22, 2006 "Amateur Photographer." (I've got a photocopy, but a quick Web search didn't turn up anything readily Web-accessible. Maybe a trip to your local library....) I'm sure there are lots more Web sites and information sources; I just happen to have these bookmarked or on hand.

This fotoralf.de page covers the Kiev 60. There's also a very nice site devoted to the Pentacon Six system, which includes some coverage of the Kiev line, especially the lenses (which are interchangeable with the P6). The http://www.kievaholic.com site is quite valuable, and especially its "Kalibration" page, which describes how to do some common repairs. Again, there are lots more Web pages out there; I happen to have these bookmarked.

As a side note, the Pentacon Six might be worth investigating if you decide you'd prefer an SLR to a TLR. It takes the same lenses as the Kiev 6C/60 and is reportedly more mechanically reliable, although still not up to the standards of a Mamiya. It also tends to sell for a bit more on eBay.

As others have said, the Kiev is more likely to be mechanically trouble-prone, but if you get one that's in working order, it'll take fine photos. So will a Mamiya in working order. I've got photos taken with both cameras hung on my walls, and I'm satisfied with those photos. If I could keep only one of these cameras, I'd probably keep the Mamiya, although it'd be a tough choice, simply because I like very wide lenses. Although I don't yet own such a lens for my Kiev, I'd like to get one eventually.