Kiev 88 CM TTL/SPOT Medium Camera full set in box NEW + CLA

Very expensive looking .....very heavy ......definitely not for a beginner in photography, however if you read the manual and the kiev88 site which is by the way a life saver because it teaches you everything you need to know from inserting the film to unloading the film out of the camera......One major disappointment. Was the crank handle the picture showed a flip out handle !!!!! When I received the camera it had a no fold out handle, just a regular crank knob type handle !!! Alex from New Jersey

I've always wanted to get into film photography, but in doing so I really wanted to get back to basics. No batteries, no electronics, just gears and levers. Normally when getting into medium format, people suggest to go with Hasselblad. Unfortunately that system even today is a bit out of my price range. But this is pretty dang cool. It's a version of the old Ukrainian Kiev 88 that has been modified to take the pentacon six mount lenses which are readily available on ebay, super affordable, and optically beautiful. The only electronic bit in the kit is the TTL metering prism which runs on some kind of watch battery and can at the push of the button, tell you only if you are over exposed, under exposed, or correctly exposed. You still have to set the shutter speed and aperture manually. If you want to go even more basic, this can be swapped for a simple flip up viewfinder instead. I've shot 5 rolls of film through this camera already and it has been fantastic. Shutter speeds are accurate, the winding mechanism works perfectly, and as long as you read the instructions carefully ( which basically boils down to DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITHOUT MAKING SURE THE SHUTTER IS COCKED) It should take you far. Lots of fun!

This camera system can be a good choice for an amateur who wants to shoot medium format film using a modular-system camera and doesn't want to shell out for far more expensive alternatives such as the Hasselblad (but it is not robust enough for hard professional use). The design actually is a rip-off from an early model Hasselblad. Like a Hasselblad, the Kiev 88 has replaceable film backs, replaceable viewers (including both a waist-level viewfinder and a pentaprism finder with a through-the-lens exposure meter), and interchangeable lenses. All are mounted on a boxy aluminum body.The principal difference from modern Hasselblads is that the Kiev 88 used a focal plane shutter in the camera body. Hasselblads employ leaf shutters in each lens. There are advantages to the Hasselblad arrangement, but it makes each lens much more expensive. There are many fine lenses, mostly used, available for the Kiev 88 including German-made Zeiss lenses in various focal lengths, for a small fraction of the cost of comparable lenses for a Hasselblad. As a result, you can assemble a multi-lens Kiev 88 system much more cheaply than a Hasselblad one. This model Kiev 88 comes with a Russian-made lens designed to the same specs as the Zeiss Planar 80mm lens that is standard on a Hasselblad. In my own experience, the Russian lens produces excellent results.Quality control at the Ukrainian factory making these cameras was not up to Western standards, but an after-market developed to bring the cameras up to spec and make some other improvements. This camera appears to have the upgrade, performed by a Ukrainian outfit named Hartblei.There is a learning curve in operating this camera, but the same is true of other film cameras without automatic features, such as automatic focus and exposure control. You need to know your way around film cameras generally to take this one on. Operating it is a much different experience from operating some all-automatic digital model.But for amateurs who are still attached to film and aren't afraid of manual camera operation, this could be a good choice especially if you want a modular system. Medium format film can produce very fine images -- much superior to 35mm film because the larger negative (or transparency) records much more visual information.

After hearing mixed reviews about this camera I was hesitant about purchasing it, but once I starting shooting with it I was pleasantly surprised! The image quality was superb and the camera functioned beautifully! As long as you know what you're doing you will be very happy with this purchase.

IT WAS FURNISHED BRAND NEW IN THE BOX OPERATING PERFECTLY IT WAS NOT SUPPLIED WITH THE CARRING CASE JUST THE BOX, THE CARYING CAS MADE BY LETTER IS ESSENSIAL

i recommend this camera to anyone who loves manual photography, it allows you to express you creativity en develop your photographic capacity.

Great camera to get started in medium format photography. The package deal has everything you need to get started. Thanks!