Kiev II from 1949

Hello comrades,

today my "new" Kiev II from 1949 arrived. Well, what should I say, it is really nice, fully working, nothing faked at all. There are no Zeiss Bumps on the back, black colour and leather are really good for the age.
It seems, that it has a lot of original Contax parts in it, the lens mount is very fine engraved, there and on the film counter disk are flat top "threes", the knob for rewinding has circles engraved, the focus wheel has the groove in the middle and so on. The lens is a Zorki ZK, so it would be an original Sonnar as I know.
Shutter operates very smooth, cocking is easy and the wheezing release sound is like on my 1936 Contax. It also doesn't smell so ugly as a Kiev, it smells more like the Contax ;-)
I am impressed. I'll show some pics tomorrow.

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Hi Ulrich,

I have, too, a 1949 Kiev II, sn # 49 4190.
As you do, I'm sure (compared with my 1937 Contax) some parts of it are from Zeiss, but I noticed some differences with yours… I think that your camera is more "original" than mine.
So I am very impatient to see the photos of your K II.

Best regards.

Michel.

Hello Michel,

so, here are some pictures.

First one shows the fosus wheel with the groove in it, like the one on the Contax, and you can see a flat "3" on the film counter disk. The digits under the winding knob are Kiev like, they are smaller as the ones on a Contax:


Second one shows the rewind knob. The feathers on the arrow are no special, they last until 1955 or so, but the disk under the screw is very shiny just like the one of my Contax:


Here's the lens mount, you can see the fine engravings and there is also the flat "3". Also there are commas instead of points as on later Kievs:



On the bottom there are many engraved rings on the center of the foot stand. The rings on the rewinding knob are Kiev like, on a Contax it looks different:


At last two picures that show the Kiev and the Contax from the same view, the little thing on the Contax release knob makes it easier to release the shutter, I found it on a Zorki some month ago:



I havn't disassembled the camera until now, so I can't say anything about the internals such about number of the shutter and so on. Maybe I open it up somedays :-)

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Many thanks, Ulrich fot these splendid photos !!

I never noticed the "3" round or flat… and I will examine my Kievs.
For sure, my '49 has "round 3" and commons in the distances.
But it has the groove on the focusing wheel…
According to the s/n, your's is older than mine: so probably more Contax pieces in it.

(And I will never dare to disassemble any of my Kievs!)

I'm looking forward to see you again here or on your site.

Best regards,

Michel.

Michel,

it is interesting that yours has probably less original Contax parts than mine despite them are only a few numbers away. But the sowjets used Contax parts until 1952 or later, I have a Kiev III from 1952 that has at least one part of a Contax, the ring under the rewind knob, engraved with an F and DIN.
Opening a Kiev isn't so complicated, and if you take snapshots with a digital camera you get it right together :-)) But it's interesting what's inside of it.

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Ulrich,

My Kiev III, s/n # A 51 1347 has "F" and "DIN" and commas, but… round "3".
(And a KMZ Jupiter 8)

To be continued…?

Best regards,
Michel.

I do not have a 1949 Kiev, but happened to have a factory passport for it.
It is quite an interesting document. The passport is a photograph, it is small, 115x86 mm (4.5x3.4").
Apparently they made this form by hand, nothing is typed, everything is hand written in a special "drafting" font. There is a picture of a Kiev with an early, slanted logo.
The actual serial numbers for the body and a ZK lens are written in blue ink right on the photograph. name of the film is written in English!

I have to note that it was not unusual to use photography for 'photocopying". Xerox did not exist then.

This camera is dated Jan 27 1949.

This is the cover of the manual. It is made of stiff cardboard and has a military Arsenal logo.

Whoa! What's up with the hammer/sickle inside the Arsenal logo?

The logo is a 3D drawing of a prism, and the hammer/sickle are on the front, so it is a bit distorted.

This military logo exists on some early Arsenal products, like the Kiev Stereo (on the box).

Hi,

could you explain me what does it mean flat "3"? Although I possess Kiev-3 with serial number #503611, I'm not good in Kievs-Contaxes inseed ...

Thanks,
Aidas

Hi Aidas,

As I learned from Ulrich on this forum, the "flat 3" is here, in the photo posted by Ulrich.
(Sorry, Ulrich, I have inverted your image…)




Best regards,

Michel

Hi Fedka,

About the date on passports :
Is it the date of purchase or the date of making ?

Regards,
Michel.

This is a manufacturing date

Thanks Yuri.