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Manual Focus Lenses Forum

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.
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KIEV 4M
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:48 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:48 pm
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Ok,

last one for today here a KIEV 4M, manufactured around 1980. So not too old. Remarkable is only that someone changed the standard lens Helios 103 1.8/53 into this one Jupiter-8M 1.2/50mm. If I understand the syntax correct it was manufactured 1957. After a first check aperture and shutter speed are ok. Paid 5 € for the combo, so a nice paperweight for this money.

Here a pic after cleaning the cam.



Wink


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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:55 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:55 pm
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Lens is very rare at least to me, first 8M with Red P mark what I seen , I am green from envy!

I have this camera also, light meter is accurate as well. Lovely camera ! I am not sure you familiar with Russian RF cameras, always knock shutter before change speeds, other ways easy to kill them ...


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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:17 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:17 pm
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That's an excellent camera if it is in working condition, and +1 on what Attila says about that lens. Matter of fact it's the same vintage as the J-12 I recently bought (as well as my own vintage Very Happy)


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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:26 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:26 pm
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Attila wrote:
Lens is very rare at least to me, first 8M with Red P mark what I seen , I am green from envy!

I have this camera also, light meter is accurate as well. Lovely camera ! I am not sure you familiar with Russian RF cameras, always knock shutter before change speeds, other ways easy to kill them ...


No Attilar, I´m not familiar with Russian RF cams, never used it before. In the meantime I have had a look in the forum concerning Kiev and Zorki. Seems to be an interesting subject area. So you think I shouldn´t use this cam as a paperweight ? What is so special with RED P mark ?
Special coating ?

Wink


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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:46 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:46 pm
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Rolf wrote:
Attila wrote:
Lens is very rare at least to me, first 8M with Red P mark what I seen , I am green from envy!

I have this camera also, light meter is accurate as well. Lovely camera ! I am not sure you familiar with Russian RF cameras, always knock shutter before change speeds, other ways easy to kill them ...


No Attilar, I´m not familiar with Russian RF cams, never used it before. In the meantime I have had a look in the forum concerning Kiev and Zorki. Seems to be an interesting subject area. So you think I shouldn´t use this cam as a paperweight ? What is so special with RED P mark ?
Special coating ?

Wink


Not only coating , after war Russian lenses made from Zeiss glass, on Zeiss machine by Zeiss people.... I did prove it many times quality is stunning , most of the times better than later versions and if you lucky outstanding really good as genuine Zeiss or even better. For example my Industar-22 copies was lot more better than genuine Leica Elmar.

My Jupiter-9 and Jupiter 12 with red p simple awesome, and if I remember as well Jupiter-8 also a very very good one.
Seek my posts here in Galleries. I did mark in title Red P.


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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:57 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:57 pm
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Many thanks for the info.

Have seen elsewhere a link to a manual. Will download it and read a little bit more about this cam.

Wink


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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 9:01 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 9:01 pm
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Rolf wrote:
Many thanks for the info.

Have seen elsewhere a link to a manual. Will download it and read a little bit more about this cam.

Wink


If you will shoot first roll count of half of speed above 1/125 this is good in general and knock first shutter before change speeds others are straight forward.

I look forward your opinion after first trip, lovely camera hopefully you will love it too.


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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:05 am
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:05 am
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On my FED2 I change speed before cocking the shutter and it's still working fine. I tend to leave the shutter speed alone and use the aperture to adjust exposure most of the time.


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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 8:45 am
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 8:45 am
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beautiful newish copy of the camera and great old copy of the lens!


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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:48 pm
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:48 pm
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Seems that the cam has some issues with the range finder which I will try to fix when wintertime will come. Not a great problem for the 5 € I paid for this combo.

In the meantime I need perhaps few recommendations regarding an adapter for the Jupiter-8 lens (m4/3 or NEX) ?

Thanks in advance.

Wink


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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:57 pm
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:57 pm
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Rolf wrote:
Seems that the cam has some issues with the range finder which I will try to fix when wintertime will come. Not a great problem for the 5 € I paid for this combo.

In the meantime I need perhaps few recommendations regarding an adapter for the Jupiter-8 lens (m4/3 or NEX) ?

Thanks in advance.

Wink


This mount has two type one outer mount lens has focusing part , and one inner mount lens like 50mm Jupiter-8 which has no focusing part due focusing device is part of camera.
inner mount adapter with focusing ring is expensive cost above 100 GBP , other is less for outer mount lenses like 135mm, 85mm
and most sad news best lens is Jupiter-12 3,5cm which is goes to deep into body no way to mount it on digital.

Range finder should easily fixable seek Google.


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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 6:11 am
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 6:11 am
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I know the RF adjustment is simple on FEDs requiring no removal of top plate - I hope the same applies to the Kiev.


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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:20 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:20 am
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While cleaning out my collection, I rediscovered this camera. So I'm revisiting this old thread, which is already 14 years old.

Are there actually any cheaper adapters available for the inner part of this lens without having to remove the outer part (focusing) from the body?



Thanks in advance

Wink


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Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:01 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:01 pm
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Rolf wrote:
While cleaning out my collection, I rediscovered this camera. So I'm revisiting this old thread, which is already 14 years old.

Are there actually any cheaper adapters available for the inner part of this lens without having to remove the outer part (focusing) from the body?



Thanks in advance

Wink


The Jup8 is a very good lens, and the camera is fun to use (what the pre-war Contax should have been)

Adapter from Contax/Kiev mount to Leica and to the mirrorless cameras do exist
https://rangefinderforum.com/threads/contax-kiev-to-sony-e-adapter.4815556/


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Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2025 6:58 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2025 6:58 pm
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Thank you. I will follow this link.

Wink


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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:41 pm
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:41 pm
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/165689986761

I bought several of these- adapt to m39, then buy a simple adapter for anything else.


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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2025 10:55 am
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2025 10:55 am
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I'm probably going to horrify some of you when I say that I've made several of the focusing Kiev adapters for E-mount, by cannibalising bodies that have serious issues, faults like half of the shutter missing or a smashed rangefinder that aren't really worth repairing. They turn up occasionally in job lots on eBay or in street markets. I usually sell the adapters on eBay UK for £25 plus postage and make a small profit if I also sell off anything else that's in good condition, such as lenses, backs and cases.

The actual conversion is fairly simple - the main tools are screwdrivers, pliers, and an electric grinder or a file and some patience, with the only additional parts a modified Leica-NEX adapter, a very large metal shim washer, and some epoxy glue, adhesive plastic strip, and paint. I hasten to add that you can only do this for mirrorless cameras that have a wide mount - it doesn't work on Micro 4/3 because the mount isn't as wide as the focusing mechanism in the Kiev, for that you need one of the Contax-Leica adapters mentioned above.

A small warning - Jupiter 12 35mm f2.8 lenses, which have a protruding rear element, are only usable on full-frame mirrorless cameras (e.g. Sony A7); on other cameras the element is usually obstructed by the sensor surround and can be damaged by attempts to fit it. This also applies to the L39 version of the Jupiter 12, and to the equivalent Contax and Leica lenses.
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