I bought a couple of job lots of #rangefinder gear yesterday - a lot of #Leica stuff and some Soviet lenses in LTM and Contax mounts - and now I’m trying to take stock of it all and check it all over.
It’s a bit overwhelming.
In other news, if someone wants a nice Jupiter 12, I might have two fully tested and checked ones for sale soon…
@elkarrde I used to use a Jupiter 12 a LOT on a FED5 at University. They’re capable of good things when used correctly. I’m hoping one of the Kiev ones mounts on my Amedeo adapter; that should focus on my Leica more accurately than the “LTM” one does (go figure).
Also, you can tell I rarely use the Mighty Mouse! I like it as a mouse but that trackball on the top is AWFUL. 😅
@coldkennels I've used more than a few Helios 44s and Zenits, soviet-era quality control certainly had room for improvement! 😁
But somehow, Kiev-mount gear turned out to be of a better quality.
I remember not liking the Mighty Mouse and downright hated the Magic Mouse - holding it was an exercise in pain. 😑
But yeah, most of the soviet gear I've used was either from the late 70s, 80s, or early 90s. The later you go, the rougher it gets; I've yet to see a Zenit with a built-in light meter that actually works. 😅
@elkarrde The Kiev rangefinders are the most interesting in that regard; the Kiev II was literally made with Contax parts and tooling, and as a result had the Contax's quality... but the Contax's usability issues, too. By the time you get to the Kiev 4AM in the 80s, you have a much more useable camera - but the actual manufacturing quality had dropped noticeably. The whole Kiev line is a trade-off as a result: usability or fit-and-finish quality. What's your priority?
@coldkennels@elkarrde I find the Contax and Kiev usability issues pretty minor for the quality I’m able to get out of them. I guess I’ve been shooting them so long that the “Contax hold” is second nature to me at this point.
@thereisnocat@coldkennels Contax hold is probably the main reason I love my primary digital camera, Panasonic GX7, that much - while it can be used just like any other small digital camera with next to no grip, it is the perfect candidate for the Contax hold, it's front grip is shaped just the right way.
Expectedly, I really like Kiev rangefinders, as well. :)
@thereisnocat@elkarrde Contax grip never really bothered me - it seems pretty natural, to be honest.
The change in focus wheel direction between the Contax II and the Contax IIa? That's the real evil here.
(Although I was actually talking about the nightmare of a loose take up spool that drops out, the awful film rewind, how awkward it is to see the shutter speed on the pre-war Contaxes and early Kievs, the oft-problematic film transport and frame spacing, and so on...)
@thereisnocat@elkarrde ...all of these problems are largely fixed by the Kiev 4AM. It's a really useable camera compared to the earlier ones. It's just a shame the manufacturing quality had dropped massively by then. Mine used to electrocute you every time you connected a live flash to the hotshoe!
@coldkennels@thereisnocat As an occasional user of a single Kiev 4M built in 1980, I've only encountered the awful rewind and somewhat uneven frame spacing. And rough film transport, but that's probably due to the poor camera not being used for a few decades.
On the other hand, designing a 3D printable take-up spool could be a good idea. 🤔
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