Picked up a beat-up Kiev 88 at a yard sale in Ohio, now I get the hype

Spent last Saturday tearing down a Kiev 88 that had fungus in the viewfinder and a stuck mirror return. The guy wanted $40, I think he was just happy to see it go. Once I cleaned the mirrors with isopropyl and re-lubed the winding gears, it's been firing like a dream. But the straps lugs are barely holding on, so I'm gonna machine some replacements this week. Anyone else run into the Kiev's weird film spacing issues, or is it just mine?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.hannah4d ago

Oh man, I've been down this exact road. The film spacing on mine was all over the place until I realized the take-up spool clutch was slipping. A tiny drop of lighter fluid on the clutch plates fixed it right up. Also, those strap lugs are total junk, I just drilled out the holes and bolted on some generic camera straps from an old flash bracket. Honestly, the Kiev is a tank but it needs constant babying, it's like owning a classic car that smells like gasoline and old leather.

sam_cooper3d ago

Used to call them overpriced junk, but now I get the appeal.