[rollei_list] OT: Contaces and Kiev RF's
- From: Marc James Small <marcsmall@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 12:46:59 -0400
At 09:26 AM 10/17/2006, Nick Roberts wrote:
Ah, but which Kiev? And which Contax? I know a
guy who has an example of every Kiev out, as
well as several Contaxes, and he is of the
opinion that the early Kievs are at the very
least as good as the Contaxes, and sometimes better.
Good for your friend. It has been established
for some years that the early Kiev II were
assembled in the Ukraine from parts made at
Jena. The actual flow goes: Dresden Contax (I,
II, and III), Jena Contax (II and III), Kiev II
and III (German parts assembled at Jena), Kiev II
and III (German parts assembled at the Arsenal
Works in Kiev), Kiev II, III, and so forth, up to
the 4M and 4AM. There is a rich literature on
these cameras including the ZEISS COMPENDIUM
which I co-authored with Charlie
Barringer. (None of this is especially
new: there is a picture published in the NEW
YORK TIMES in 1947 showing a German technician at
Jena assembling a Kiev II complete with its Cyrillic nameplate.)
So, no, the early Kievs are not "at the very
least as good as the Contaxes and sometimes
better" as the early Kievs ARE Contaxes -- Jena
Contax cameras in a Cyrillic sheep's
clothing. (I own every Kiev variant save for the
5 and a LOT of Prewar and Postwar Contax gear.)
Marc
msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!
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