Soviet Hasselblad copies? Do thay exist?

I was just wondering if such a thing was ever made. It would be nice to get started for MF SLR using a non-Hasselblad, but later be able to upgrade bodies and lenses while still being able to maintain compatibility of the lenses.

I guess what I'm looking for is sort of like what people do to get into Leica mount when they but a Fed or a Zorki. Something that will give the the ability to use lenses of that mount, and if they should so desire, use their old Russian lenses on their Leicas (you can tell i'm more interested in effect than sharpness or resolution)

I know of Kowa and Bronica cameras, but do they use Hasselblad mount lenses?

There are no Soviet cameras that use the Hasselblad mount as far as I know. Cameras made by Hartblei and Arax use either the old Kiev mount or the Pentacon Six mount. Quality wise they are a bit of a lottery.

I found a webpage which says the Kiev 88 is a copy of the Hasselblad 1600F, and uses those same lenses.

How compatible are 1600F lenses with with the 500 series Hasselblads?

I don't think the lens mount is the same. They can share viewfinders though.


Steve.

Depending on your budget, you may be a able to stretch to a battered old Hasselblad, some models are not as expensive as you may think.

EASmithV said:

I found a webpage which says the Kiev 88 is a copy of the Hasselblad 1600F, and uses those same lenses.

How compatible are 1600F lenses with with the 500 series Hasselblads?

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Not compatible, 500 series use leaf shutter in the lenses, 1600F and Kievs use focal plane shutter in the camera.

The Salyut was a close copy of the Hassleblad 1600F.

Over the years it was slightly modified and re-badged as the Zenit 80 and the Kiev 80.

The later Kiev 88CM has a Pentacon 6 mount - which is the current version available from Hartbei and Arax and others.

Although the earlier cameras had a Hassleblad type mount, apparently the lenses are NOT compatible, or so I've read.

Here is what Ivor Matanle said in his excellent book "Classic SLRs":

"The lens mount looked at first sight identical to that of the Hassleblad 1000F, but the lenses were not cross-compatible"

He goes on to say that he has heard that some people have managed to lightly machine the mount of the Russian lenses to get them to fit the Hassleblad, but:

"I know of nobody who has been mad enough to try machining a Hassleblad lens to get it to fit a Zenith!"

Personally I think the Kiev 88CM makes sense if you want a budget medium format SLR as it allows you to use the very reasonably priced P6 lenses.

But if it is Hassleblad lenses you are after: Although expensive compared to a Kiev body, the cost of a second hand Hasslblead body probably is still relatively low cost compared to the cost of a Hassleblad lens collection $$$$$!

Ain't that the truth! The basic Hasselblad body, with back and 80mm lens is not too much of a stretch. Start adding lenses, though, and you'll start to feel the pinch. Best to look for a package deal if you can swing it. I even see kits with extra lenses showing up on Craigslist, although prices often are not realistic.

Peter Gomena

I agree... I messed with a Kiev... and it was really a bit of a mess. Buy a $200 hasselblad and a $250 lens (80mm)..
No 1600 Blad Lenses don't fit on the 500. The 1600 blads are quite old and rare.

While I'm at it. The 500 CF lenses CF (F for focal plane setting) fit the 2000, 2000 lenses can not be used on the 500 as they do not have a leaf shutter.

thegman said:

Depending on your budget, you may be a able to stretch to a battered old Hasselblad, some models are not as expensive as you may think.

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This is good advice.

And if it's experimenting with effect you're after, I'd ask APUG's own Andrew Moxom about his "Great Wall" Hassy hybrid he made...don't know the details but it was one of the more interesting experiments I've seen in these parts.

I may be wrong, but I think the Hasselblad prices are reasonable when compared to Arax. I recently bought a 501C that looked like new, came with a warranty, and performs perfectly for about $1,000. I know this is about two times more than the Arax, but I think it is also two times more a camera. I would stretch my budget.

I have a Kiev 88 CM, bought new on ebay. Works fine, prism needed calibration but I did that myself. Also got a Sonnar 180/2.8 and a Flektogon 50/4.
All in all (ebay.de prices and I have overpaid for the Sonnar):
Camera (new) 300 EUR (with 80mm/2.8, TTL&Spot prism, WLF and 2 backs)
Sonnar 180 200 EUR
Flektogon 50/4 155 EUR (includes an 86mm B&W Linear polarizer)
----
Around 700 including shipping for all of my MF needs (for now). I also intend to get a 30mm fisheye, and they go for around 200.

Now the bad parts: I was spoiled with 1/125 flash sync on 135, the Kiev only does 1/30; Some slight banding at 1/1000, so I can't use the sonnar at 2,8 if there's too much sun. Strap needed fixing, done it myself with a pair of pliers (the textie part would slip out of the metal part, also the metal part would come off the camera)

Good morning;

Yes, they do exist, however, as others also have indicated, I am not sure that I want to truly label them as a "copy" of the Hasselblad. At the same time, I will agree that there are some "remarkable similarities" in the overall appearance and the inner working parts of both cameras, when you compare the earlier Hasselblad 1600F/1000F and the Kiev Salyut, although they are not truly "identical." Then there is the contention by the Russians that both of the cameras are actually copies of a camera found in a downed German aircraft near the end of World War II. Hmmm, is this another example of the Russians "saving on engineering costs" back in the 1950s? It has been observed that no similar camera was found in any of the aircraft downed on the Western Front. The later versions of the Kiev-88 and the Kiev-88CM are not at all similar to the Hasselblad 500CM or other models, although the viewfinders will interchange between the brands. I have received some really funny looks from Hasselblad owners when they see a genuine Hasselblad viewfinder on one of the Kiev-88 or Kiev88CM cameras.

Having had mine run through a CLA by a former Kiev Arsenal camera guy (Stanislav) in New York ( www.mechanicalcamera.com ), I am actually happy with my Kiev-88 and Kiev-88CM. And, as also stated by others, the cost of the lenses in both Pentacon-Six and Salyut-b or Salyut-V Screw Mount is much more affordable than trying to purchase Carl Zeiss glass with a Hasselblad mount. For what I am doing, mine are fine. If I were doing commercial photography for a national publication or advertiser, I would probably continue to save for a while longer and go to the Hasselblad for that kind of work. Besides, the client normally likes to see that you are using tools that he recognizes as being of a "quality" nature. It is not easy to assess some of the emotional factors involved in getting a contract or a job, but that does seem to be one of those things for photographers.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

EASmithV said:

I was just wondering if such a thing was ever made.

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Absolutely. The brand name is KIEV.

- Leigh