Kiev III (1950–1956)
The Kiev III is a 35mm rangefinder camera built at the Arsenal factory in Kiev from 1950 to 1956, with over 200,000 units produced. It is a Soviet take on the pre-war Zeiss Contax design, specifically a copy of the Contax II with a built-in light meter. Some sources describe it instead as a close copy of the Contax III, which was the meter-equipped variant of the Contax II. Either way, the III is the meter version of the Kiev II, which was the simpler body without one.
It uses a Contax bayonet mount and a metal focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1/2 to 1/1250 second. The standard lens is the Helios-103, 53mm f/1.8, which is sharp and well-regarded. The viewfinder is a combined rangefinder/viewfinder with parallax correction. Film advance is by knob, not lever. There is no flash sync, which is a real limitation for modern use. The brass top plate gives it a solid, dense feel in the hand.
The camera was sold in the West as a budget alternative to the Leica M3. It is still a relatively affordable way into classic rangefinder shooting, commonly offered between $50 and $200 in working condition. The caveats are plain: the built-in light meter is frequently broken or inaccurate, the shutter is very loud, and the rangefinder patch is dim. The lens is the reason to put up with it. The meter usually isn't.
- 35mm rangefinder, Contax bayonet mount
- Helios-103 53mm f/1.8 lens
- Focal-plane shutter, 1/2–1/1250 sec
- Knob film advance, no flash sync
- Produced 1950–1956, over 200,000 made
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