Reply to Start SLR (KMZ) or Kiev-10 SLR (Arsenal)

Subject Message

[quote]It's about Start vs. Kiev-10, in reliability and DYI servicing.

for 35mm film my favorites SLR are the Zenit-3, Zenit-3M and Zenit-V. I like pure manual bodies. But with these Zenit, the 1/30, 1/60 1/125, 1/250, 1/500 speed may be limiting. No slow speeds and the faster one is typically slower in practice.
So I was after a soviet box, purely manual, with extended speeds range and useable with screw mounts M39 and/or M42.

The LOMO Almaz-103 looks very nice on paper, with speeds 1 to 1/1000, and the PK mount can be fit with an M42 ring, but it was the 80's and all the testimonies about the economic constraint on the factory  and therefore bad or very random quality implementation of the design, caused by use of inadequate machine tools for the required level of precision and poor choice of materials.
I see sometimes one for sale, serviced but I'm afraid about reliability.

So I came to consider the much older KMZ Start (1958-64). I bought a maintained one while I was a week-end in Sankt-Peterburg and am very happy with it. It feels solid and very well machined. The speed mechanism is obviously from the Zorki-4, which I am familiar with and can service myself.
Almost the perfect SLR for me. I use the adapter ring, for M39 lenses. I don't care about the DOF preview system available with the native Helios-44 only.

That said, there's another SLR with specific mount but available M39 adapter, the Kiev-10, with 1/2 to 1/1000 speeds. The speeds knob reminds of the Kiev-6s/60 medium format (also 1/2 to 1/1000) which is a different mechanism than the Zorki-like used by KMZ. (I have two Kiev-6s). And it's a metallic fan shutter instead of the cloth curtain.

So, I am curious about opinions/testimonies relatively to reliability in the long term, (regular amateur usage), and how easy to service.

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btw, my Start. I re-skinned it in brown leather, padded the cocking lever, glued an ISO wheel on top of the original markings, did a paint job (it was worn), and here it's with a Mir-1 with the M39 adapter:

[img]http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/612019_K5AB5642.JPG[/img]
http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/612019_K5AB5642.JPG

[img]http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/612019_K5AB5647.JPG[/img]
http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/612019_K5AB5647.JPG

some padding under the lever:

[img]http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/612019_K5AB5653.JPG[/img]
http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/612019_K5AB5653.JPG

a cheap homebrew ISO circle:

[img]http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/612019_K5AB5655.JPG[/img]
http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/612019_K5AB5655.JPG

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<u>Current working cameras:</u>
<i>RF: Fed-2, Kiev-4a. Zorki-4
MF: Salyut, Zenit-80. Salyut-S, Kiev-6S, Kiev-60
SLR: Zenit-V
</i>[/quote]

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