Kiev Salut

Name: Kiev Salut
Brand: Kiev

The Kiev Salut is a medium format SLR made by the Arsenal factory in Kiev. It is a direct derivative of the Hasselblad 1600F and uses the same lens mount, so it takes Hasselblad lenses. It accepts both Kiev and Hasselblad backs. The shutter is a curtain type, not the leaf shutter of later Hasselblads, with speeds from 1/2 to 1/1000 plus B and independent flash sync at 1/60. It shoots 6x6 on 120 film with a waist-level finder and ground glass focusing. Lenses came in 55mm F3.5, 90mm F2.8, and 150mm F4.5.

The camera was made to give Soviet photographers a pro-level medium format SLR without importing foreign gear. It was essentially a clone of the Hasselblad 1600F with simplified controls, and in certain markets it was sometimes sold as the "Kiev-80." The Salut was followed by the Kiev-88, a later development of the same design - though parts between the two don't always swap freely.

The Salut is a solidly built, all-metal camera, and it is still a relatively inexpensive Hasselblad alternative. The known weak point is the shutter curtain. It tends to dry out and pinhole, so get it serviced if the camera has been sitting. Bodies typically sell on eBay for $60 - $150, often listed as "untested," so budget for a CLA. Spare parts are scarce.

High Fidelity (Nov 1977, p.92) ran a piece touching on Soviet cultural restrictions of the era, which gives some context for why a domestic Hasselblad copy was needed in the USSR — though the Salut itself was not reviewed there.

Known specs:

- Medium format SLR, 6x6 on 120 film

- Hasselblad 1600F mount - accepts Hasselblad lenses and Kiev/Hasselblad backs

- Curtain shutter, 1/2 - 1/1000 + B, X-sync at 1/60

- Waist-level finder, ground glass focusing

- Lenses: 55mm F3.5, 90mm F2.8, 150mm F4.5