These are such great cameras. Just one correction if I may: it is the first two digits of the serial number that give the year of manufacture, so it looks like yours was made in 1979. Looking forward to your thoughts on the wide angle - I assume Jupiter 12? Such a funky little lens, and one that makes me paranoid about protecting the rear element every time I use it. 😄
I’ve got one from 1956. one of the earliest made. The legend goes that they even used original parts from the Conrax II when the brought the stuff from Dresden Tips for pros: you can use the spools from the exa/Exakta Kameras as well!
fantastic cameras. I agree yours is 79 build. You get them direct from Keiv right know, freshly CLA'd prior to delivery through a couple of sites on the web. I got a birth year 72 with a complete set of Jupiter 8/9/11/12n lenses (35/50/85/135mm) for not very much money.
Pro tip: Look at the serial number in the cold flash shoe. First two digits are the year of manufacture, the symbol at the bottom is the factory that made it. Your camera was made in 1979 by Zavod Arsenal in Kiev.
I have a zorki 4 and a yashica 35 (mechanical); the kiev 4am is defintely my favourite. It looks like yours is earlier than 80's; the later models have a black (lever) rewind knob. Mine is from 1983. Check out wes anderson's movie, asteroid city, there's a rebadged kiev/contax used throughout the movie.
Great review as usual Andy, thank you. I don’t find the old Soviet cameras terribly reliable and they feel a bit rough and ready compared to more modern designs. They look great though.
Same here. I've had four Zorki 4K's and a Zorki4. All the K models failed as a result of the wind on levers. The Zorki 4 worked flawlessly though and I wish I hadn't sold it.
Great video. Love these cameras. Arguably I would say they are a continuation of the Contax rather than a copy. Some of the early ones used German glass and some even have Contax under the Kiev logo allegedly. They produced them up until 1987 and legend has it, that QC became so bad all the tooling and materials were buried in landfill. Cameras after about 1980 or so are said not to be as good. Some say earlier. I’ve got one from 1975 and I’d say it’s pretty good. Nice to use. The Jupiter 8 is a lovely lens. There was a Kiev 5. However these do not look anything like the 4 etc and are quite unusual.
Do not cover the rangefinder window with a finger as you did when focusing and never shake or drop these cameras even when holding them by a strap as any sudden/abruptly stopped movement can lead to the shutter being damaged. Otherwise great video. The lenses whether original German or Russian are really great and,if I remember correctly, all 50 mm. 35mm. & 135mm all take a 40,5 mm. filter size. However the 85mm. which is a fantastic portrait lens takes ( I think) a 49mm. filter. Hope you find the metal spool. It may be worth seeing if a Fed or Zorki fitting one may also fit your Kiev 4. Worth a try ?
@@tobyrobson2939 I was told it by a collector/dealer some years ago who also told me that repairing a Kiev 4 was as expensive as if it were a Contax because all the parts were identical.
These are such great cameras. Just one correction if I may: it is the first two digits of the serial number that give the year of manufacture, so it looks like yours was made in 1979. Looking forward to your thoughts on the wide angle - I assume Jupiter 12? Such a funky little lens, and one that makes me paranoid about protecting the rear element every time I use it. 😄
I missed out on one of these in a local antique shop. Beautifully smooth focusing. Still want one 👍📸
I’ve got one from 1956. one of the earliest made. The legend goes that they even used original parts from the Conrax II when the brought the stuff from Dresden
Tips for pros: you can use the spools from the exa/Exakta Kameras as well!
I've always wanted one of these!
Great review...keep up the good work...
fantastic cameras. I agree yours is 79 build. You get them direct from Keiv right know, freshly CLA'd prior to delivery through a couple of sites on the web. I got a birth year 72 with a complete set of Jupiter 8/9/11/12n lenses (35/50/85/135mm) for not very much money.
Pro tip: Look at the serial number in the cold flash shoe. First two digits are the year of manufacture, the symbol at the bottom is the factory that made it. Your camera was made in 1979 by Zavod Arsenal in Kiev.
I have a zorki 4 and a yashica 35 (mechanical); the kiev 4am is defintely my favourite. It looks like yours is earlier than 80's; the later models have a black (lever) rewind knob. Mine is from 1983. Check out wes anderson's movie, asteroid city, there's a rebadged kiev/contax used throughout the movie.
Great review as usual Andy, thank you. I don’t find the old Soviet cameras terribly reliable and they feel a bit rough and ready compared to more modern designs. They look great though.
Same here. I've had four Zorki 4K's and a Zorki4. All the K models failed as a result of the wind on levers. The Zorki 4 worked flawlessly though and I wish I hadn't sold it.
Imagine that they produced this in 1989!!!
I found the Helios 103 53mm lens markedly superior to my Jupiter 50s.
Great video. Love these cameras. Arguably I would say they are a continuation of the Contax rather than a copy. Some of the early ones used German glass and some even have Contax under the Kiev logo allegedly. They produced them up until 1987 and legend has it, that QC became so bad all the tooling and materials were buried in landfill. Cameras after about 1980 or so are said not to be as good. Some say earlier. I’ve got one from 1975 and I’d say it’s pretty good. Nice to use. The Jupiter 8 is a lovely lens. There was a Kiev 5. However these do not look anything like the 4 etc and are quite unusual.
Have you ever reviewed/owned a medium format camera?
Do not cover the rangefinder window with a finger as you did when focusing and never shake or drop these cameras even when holding them by a strap as any sudden/abruptly stopped movement can lead to the shutter being damaged. Otherwise great video. The lenses whether original German or Russian are really great and,if I remember correctly, all 50 mm. 35mm. & 135mm all take a 40,5 mm. filter size. However the 85mm. which is a fantastic portrait lens takes ( I think) a 49mm. filter. Hope you find the metal spool. It may be worth seeing if a Fed or Zorki fitting one may also fit your Kiev 4. Worth a try ?
I've never one heard or read about this 'sudden movement will damage the shutter' on a Kiev 4. Do you have a source for that?
@@tobyrobson2939 I was told it by a collector/dealer some years ago who also told me that repairing a Kiev 4 was as expensive as if it were a Contax because all the parts were identical.