1948? Kiev III on Ebay

Hi all. Just trawling Ebay and spotted this - http://www.ebay.com/itm/KIEV-3-Russian-Contax-III-Camera-481061-ZK-2-50mm-lens-4900678-made-in-1948-/351745423196?hash=item51e5a9375c:g:zPUAAOSw6btXSvRi
Collapsible Zorki lens from 1949 though camera is 1948 - the mount looks to be of Zeiss origin.
Observations: The hinged meter cover does not appear to be Zeiss, nor is the meter top cover pressing. They match the appearance of Kiev pressings.
The camera top cover is Zeiss as witnessed by the embellishment around the frame counter. The meter calculator itself is Zeiss as also appears to be the shutter release and index. If genuine this must be quite a rarity, what do others think?

Cheers,

Steve

Dear Steve,

The lens is original. But I doubt that the camera is genuine. It is rather a mixture of Contax and Kiev to make the price high. The engraving of the serial number is faked. The top cover pressing is from Contax Dresden. I have never seen any Kiev III or Contax Jena III with the typical Dresden Contax top cover. I suppose that the pressing form for this particular detail was destroyed in February 1945. Jena workers reconstructed the pressing form but with slightly different shape.

As for me this camera worths nothing.
altix

A famous and well known seller for years. Also a totally black Zarya is offered now, when there never was a black version originally in my opinion. Seems there is a connection to modify. Good for those who want a black Zarya. I thought this was well known.

Comments should be kept secret IMHO. Next time forgers will improve.

Dear Jed,

it is almost impossible to reproduce the special Jena font without the original pantograph template. I hope it was lost many years ago. So it is still very easy to detect the faked early Kievs or faked "Sonnars" . Even if the forger would make the canonic look of the current camera everybody with some experience can detect that it was faked. It is just pity that Contax camera was spoiled in the current case.

altix

Many thanks for the comments - to me it looked like a hybrid built up from a Kiev and a Contax - pity a Contax III was sacrificed...

Steve

Just the same as Steve. I had not noticed that the Jena Contaxes III and the Jena Kiev III did not have this rim round the counter frame...

Jacques.