Kiev 88

[aquacocoa85]

Any Kiev 88 users out here? I have been thinking of getting one as it seems like a good Hassy Copy. Can't seem to dig out the cash to buy a hassy so this would be a great alternative.

Any comments from users? And where's a good place to buy? and Accessories?

Thanks.
Eric

 

[nightwolf75]

if you can find a working copy, it is actually not too bad.

however, getting it from ebay is a pretty much hit-miss affair. i once had a 88CM (the improved version of 88) from ebay. worked fine. sold it... and recently got the itch to get the 88 (couldn't find the 88CM). the set arrived with a frozen shutter even tho the ebay seller claimed it is NIB.

i suggest u save the $ and get the 88CM which is more reliable.

 

[azzurri]

Either ebay or b&s will be your best bet. But as Nightwolf mentioned, you just got to err on the side of caution if you do intend to get from ebay. Good luck!

 

[starvingjack]

yup, go for "improved" and "modified" kiev 88cm. Well known retailers are Kievusa, hartblei and arax(rebranded kiev)

 

[hacknet]

ive got a 88 and ive had quite a bit of fun with it and slides. lucky, i got a working set with no light leaks, apparenltly its quite a common problem.

 

[nightwolf75]

actually, regarding the hassy, if u are patient enuf, there are some pretty good offers on ebay. sometimes, u can find a 500CM + 80mm lens for under SGD1k.

if you are just looking for a MF camera, there are many other options for the 645 and 6x7 formats like bronica, mamiya or pentax. also, u might try getting a TLR too.

 

[aquacocoa85]

Personally i've tried the Mamiya 7ii as well as the rz67. Rz was good however its just huge. Wanted something smaller so I was looking at Hasseys. But they're just tooo Ex. And their lenses too. Will consider a 500cm though.

Happened to see the Kiev 88 so therefore ask for some comments. But i've read about it all over the net about its unreliable nature. Which is worrying.

 

[aquacocoa85]

actually, regarding the hassy, if u are patient enuf, there are some pretty good offers on ebay. sometimes, u can find a 500CM + 80mm lens for under SGD1k.

if you are just looking for a MF camera, there are many other options for the 645 and 6x7 formats like bronica, mamiya or pentax. also, u might try getting a TLR too.

Just a question regarding TLRs. Lenses are not interchangeable right?

 

[enivre]

As mentioned in previous posts, I would generally give kievs a miss.

Light leaks are a HUGE pain to fix. I sent my old Kiev in for servicing but still it leaked. Not to mention overlapping frames and so on.

So unless you are absolutely sure you have a working copy, don't bother.

 

[starvingjack]

Just a question regarding TLRs. Lenses are not interchangeable right?

Not if your TLR is a mamiya C series (C, C3, C33, C220, C330) , those have interchangeable lenses from 55mm to 250mm.

MF slr-wise i've tried kiev 60, 88, mamiya rb67 and most recently a bronica gs-1.

out of all of them , the bronica is the winner, its really a bang for the buck if bought secondhand as it has low resell value due to tamron stopping the bronica production. The gs-1 gives you 6X7 negatives and i feel it's lighter than other 67. It has a speed grip that has a hot shoe which i find it's very very useful considering that you dun have to plug in a sync cord. Its fully electronic and the shutter syncs on all speed.

Rb67 is more affordable and the rotating back is prolly the most awesome innovation...it all comes down to how and when you use the camera. I do more field work so the bronica's for me, if not for the size and weight of rb67, i would have stick with it.

my 2 cents.
cheers!

 

[aquacocoa85]

thanks for all the replies so far. I was doing a little bit of research on the bronica gs-1 and realise they do have another rangefinder called Rf-645. A rangefinder that does 6x4.5 medium format. GOsh it looks almost like the Mamiya 7ii in essence! Anyone tried that before? ANd its pricings?