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Deeslexia
Tinkerer
Username: Deeslexia
Post Number: 3
Registered: 07-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2012 - 09:03 am: | 
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My autistic glitch , makes everything distant / unreal - it all comes in , but it's like snapshots , my brain never integrates it all into a continuous ' film ' .
The moment I received my 1979 Kiev 4 CLA with new meter cell from Oleg , it was like coming home , but the Cyrilic script agitates my ' dee'slexia '.
Being surrounded and grounded by Kiev cameras calms the relentless bewilderment , anxiety .
I am also facsinated by the story of continuity and constancy across two ideologies and more than 4 decades .
The 1935 Zeiss Contax II and III were immensely complex , exquisitely engineered , exclusive and expensive cameras .
Yet , in 1945 , the entire operation was transported to the USSR in respect of war reparations .
Initially , in 1947 , my birth year , Contax cameras were constructed from Contax parts in Jena , together with a few Kiev branded cameras .
In 1948 , the entire operation was moved to Kiev , to a former arms factory - Arsenal , in Ukraine where German technicians trained what was essentially a rural workforce to make and assemble this extremely complicated camera .
Around 2000 Kiev IIs were made in 1949 , production starting in 1950 , an outstanding achievement in respect of both German experts and the Kiev workforce .
Around 3,500 cameras per month were coming off the line . These cameras were the EQUAL in quality and finish to the Contax .The Kiev IIa / IIIa a of 1955 / 1959 added flash sync .
By 1951 , Arsenal were experimenting with modifications derived from the post war Contax - Examples of prototype Kiev 4 top plate on Kiev III body [ I want one ] and a 1951 Kiev 4 are known .
Launched in 1957 , the Kiev 4 with new compact meter and meterless Kiev 4a , were well made and finished , though the revised back does create some film plane flatness problems .
By 1965 the rangefinder windows were no longer adjustable .
In 1973 , vinyl covering , new face plate and revised self timer introduced lacklustre attention to quality and tolerances
The 1979 Kiev 4m / 4am was a more user friendly camera , with fixed take up spool , rewind crank , and larger , clearer shutter speed dial , but quality was dire , and stamping / engraving , crude .
BEST USER 2012 ?
The Contax II may be for enthusiasts , but a Kiev II / IIa is an alternative of comparable quality with plentiful spares and a lot less use .
The Contax and Kiev III / IIIa ' Grande Dame ' with it's massive Art Deco styled meter and controls maybe for masochists only , but a is a less expensive intro to the quality of the Zeiss experience . I love mine !
The best compromise maybe a pre-1965 Kiev 4a / Kiev 4 which , even with a dead meter actually has a handy dial to the left coupled to set shutter speed and aperture , so when a combination is set , all alternatives can be read off .
It's my favourite user , but I prefer the Kiev II / IIa body style to fit an old style square case .
A later , UK import TOE Kiev 4 / 4a however , is both checked over and all glitches sorted through an excellent warranty - my mint boxed 1979 Kiev 4 is an excellent user .
Like the post 1973 , Kiev 4 / 4a , the Kiev 4m / 4am are suspect but the Helios is outstanding - my CLA example from ' Oleg ' , with new meter cell is fine , but the crude finishing is less inspiring .
POST SCRIPT 2010 - INTO THE TWIGHLIGHT ZONE - KONTAX HYBRIDS !!!
An option for me was for the ex-Arsenal techs to create my own Contax / Kiev creations .
KONTAX II BITSA
A £40 box of Contax parts , body and back from two cameras / face plate and controls in bits , was painstakingly rebuilt , saving the Zeiss stamped rear leather with new old stock Kiev II shutter assembly and front leather .
I love it 'cos it epitomises the Contax / Kiev continuity story and relates to my own fragmented ID .
CONTAX III RESTORED
Many rough Contax cameras were offered as spares , so I sent two Contax III to build one with working meter .
They salvaged a Contax shutter assembly - the meter tech being justifiably proud of getting the ancient , delicate meter mechanism working perfectly .
CONTAX II -RAT RESTORED / CUSTOMISED
A really rough , cheap , brassed , worn / broken Contax II inspired a Rat Contax ...
The techs stripped thepaint and polished the bare metal to complement the brassed chrome with new tan leather .
I am told that despite it's hard life , it is now smooth and quiet .
It's currently being shipped ,
KONTAX IV PRETENDER .
Finally , to follow , is my favourite Kiev 4 top plate and meter grafted to that spare headless , Contax III body .
Obviously , many will consider any contamination of a genuine Contax with Kiev parts unacceptable , however , no decent Contaxes were destroyed to create my ' set ' of Contax II / III and IV and I consider it sensible for those unacceptable cameras to be gven a new lease of life .
I would love to hear your comments - interested or horrified !
dee |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 346
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2012 - 06:41 pm: |
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It's great to see you got those cameras to working again, Dee. It takes as much if not more craftsmanship to rebuild a camera, as to put one together from new parts. I hope your techs did a wonderful job on the Rat and the Pretender. Like you said, keep 'em running!
PF |
Deeslexia
Tinkerer
Username: Deeslexia
Post Number: 4
Registered: 07-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 29, 2012 - 03:04 pm: |
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Thanks , Br1078lum - sometimes I worry about messing with the Contax legend , but my specials mean more to me than any mint standard classic . |
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