Pentacon SixTL vs Kiev 60 vs ???

[timpipe@hotmail.com]

I have had three Kiev 60's and currently own a Hartblei modified Hasselnyet and kiev 60. I also have two Pentacon sixes. I have used the p-mount hassy lightly and it still works fine, the Hartblei 60 failed after about a month and shipping was too much to bother with, so it sits. So far my favorite is the Pentacon. Light and simple, I bought a used one that I am certain needed a CLA, but it worked great for quite some time. I removed the focusing screens from my dead Kiev 60's, ground the edges down to fit the pentacon. GIANT improvement. You can buy the screens for the Kiev 60 for $15 on ebay and take them to a belt sander with fine paper (you can cover the screen with blue masking tape, trace around the old pentacon "screen" and grind away). Currently both of my pentacons need work and I will probably send them to Ross Yerkes or Bald Mountain (Ross always sends bizarre political propaganda with a returned camera, so beware). I may buy the adapter for the Kiev prisms since those are the only other articles I kept from the 60's. The Pentacon is by far the nicest SLR for shooting ergonomics. I had a Bronica SQAi that was heavy and expensive, and I could take the Pentacon to punk rock concerts with little concern. My well used Six was reliable and I am sure would continue to be so after I have it overhauled. I actually owned an
Exakta 66,, and it was pretty cool too, but sold it when I needed cash (and it's innards are, as I understand it, hardly different from the Six). In the studio, use a Hass, on the road, use a Six.

 

[NJS]

I have both P6 and SQ-A (which is heavier than SQ-Ai due to alloy body parts instead of plastics used in SQ-Ai) and it's lighter than P6 (body, lens, wlf). however, P6 wins over SQ-A with it's classic SLR ergonomics.