Description
The Kiev-4am was the last production Contax II type camera made by Arsenal plant in Kiev (Ukraine).
Together with the Kiev-4m, it was in production till 1987, when Zavod Arsenal finally ended the glorious line of Contax copies.
Contax design was so solid, it was hard to improve. So the engineers of Arsenal plant could only introduce
some cosmetic changes to the Kiev-4. They made it look more modern – the shutter and rewind knobs became black, and a crank was added to the rewind button. The camera was also equipped with a new, faster lens – Helios-103, 53/1.8. The lens is a great performer and has a very nice and smooth aperture dial with click-stops. Another improvement was a hot shoe; the PC socket was still on its usual place. The camera had a new, built-it take
David Kapp –
Ordered on Sunday, arrived on Wednesday. Camera was in beautiful condition, everything functional and takes very sharp pictures. The wide rangefinder base is great for precise focus. Very pleased.
Walter Schoettle –
I?m the proud owner of a really nice Kiev 4am now ! The camera arrived here in Germany after 2 weeks shipping time . It really looks great, shows very little use like as described. Shutter works perfectly, the rangefinder the same.
I?m certain the pictures will be perfect too! Very pleased, thank you !
Tim Kirkland –
After owning a Kiev-4am with Helios lens for 3 years I can say that this is the best value in a pro quality film camera on the market. Solid build and feel. Lens is sharp and contrasty. Used it for many rolls of b&w film and won several photo contest places with its images.
Stephen Mack –
I have purchased several other cameras from Yuri, FEDs and Zorkis, but not a Kiev… until now. The first one, a Kiev 4am, had shutter issues, and I exchanged it for another 4am model. (I’m very sorry I had to send the first one back, because it really was pretty and everything but the shutter worked just fine.)
Got the new one and ran a roll of Tri-x through it, and they all came up smiling. Any not-so-hot prints were my fault, not the camera’s. Like the first one, this Kiev is really pretty; the focusing wheel and lens are really smooth, the rangefinder was on target, and the shutter speeds seem to be fine. The only quibble I have is that the photo lab used color print paper instead of B/W paper to print the negatives. Everything has a warm cast to it!
I go my usual excellent service from Yuri, and I’ll be buying from him again. I’m using my Ukrainian cameras in rotation, mostly with B/W film. The Kiev is my main B/W camera now.
Once again, I can recommend Yuri and Fedka.com as a superior place to do business. In my opinion it’s the next best thing to a real live camera shop for service and product.
With best regards,
Stephen S. Mack
Bruce Kowal –
Kiev -4 with Jupiter 8 Lens
This superb piece of fine mechanics is from 1959. Not only is this camera in excellent condition, but the case itself seemed to have been locked up in a closet for 51 years. And surprise, the selenium meter showed some sensitivity. With some adjustments I am able to use the meter. The Jupiter 35 has exceptional contrast and sharpness. For the first time, I do not need to use the contrast slider on my software. I shot a roll of film on December 14 in Manhattan. The temperature was 25F on that day. The shutter speeds were absolutely accurate: all the exposures were perfect. I will admit that I did not test the 1/1000 speed, but 1/125 and 1/250 where most people shoot were accurate. The camera, obviously, had undergone an exceptional CLA from Mr. Boguslavsky. A half-century of grease and oil were removed. Mr. Boguslavksy takes much of the risk out of purchasing these fine, fine instruments. It helps that he is a genuine enthusiast for the cameras, as well as for the hardworking Soviet citizens and technicians who produced them.