The Kiev 4 is a Soviet copy of the Contax III, with shutter speeds up to an improbably 1/1250s and a pretty decent rangefinder. When I say “pretty decent viewfinder,” I mean that the base is long and the patch is clear- but it exactly copies the Contax’s finger wheel focusing system, which is a real love-it-or-hate-it situation. There’s a Selenium light meter built in here, but it’s not working, which is no great surprise. Somehow, the shutter speeds work well, and the focusing is good. The 5cm f2 Jupiter-8 lens is pretty clean, too. This is not a perfect collector piece: it’s been used and repaired through the years, as one would expect from a proper domestic-model Eastern Bloc camera, but everything hangs together. According to the first two digits of the serial number, this is a 1957 model.

Please note: this camera requires special handling to prevent damage to its mechanisms. The shutter must be cocked before changing speeds. Our warranty does not cover damage to the camera if these directions are disregarded.