Kiev 60

I bought the Kiev 60 used with an 80mm and 250mm lens for £115 from Ebay UK. I was apprehensive about the camera after reading the winding mechanism could be broken without careful use. I read the instructions, loaded a film, put on the waste level finder and took it out for a days snapping. I got the film back and was pleasantly surprised, nice clear well exposed images. The camera is very simple to use and I have added a Prism Finder to since that first outing. The camera is a big beast though, it weighs in at around 2kg with 80mm lens and prism finder, once you add a wide and telephoto to the kit, a pack horse is required to lug the thing around. I think the Kiev 60 is pure photography fun, it is also a conversation piece, folks wonder what the heck it is especially those who know only digital gear.

The Kiev 60 is the best medium format Camera ever.It's cheap, easy to handle, compatible to the zeiss jena, arsenal kiev and schneider kreuznach lenses.Reliable and resistant against temprerature variations.I bought a good and very hardwoking one Kiev 60. I would never change.Maybe to a kiev 80 but not another model. Good points are shutter speeds 1 - 1/1000s; low price (whole system for only a part of one hasselblad body)

For the money I paid (about £100) for my Kiev 60 Medium Format camera I expected a bit of that; What I got however is a solid dependable MF camera that is a joy to use. I have used the camera many times in a pro capacity and have never found fault. The optic quality is beautiful, and it's simple design allows you to get back full control of your photography (especially us digital users). Slow flash sync can be a pain, and care needs to be taken when winding on film to avoid overlap.

Having owned Kiev medium format cameras for many years I have come across many good and bad examples of the model 60.

Because of the realtively low purchase cost many people new to medium format cameras buy them.

Sadly often they pay too little on bargain cameras from auction sites and get stung with a dud.:-(

Many if not ALL bad experiences come from bargain basement purchases. SO BEWARE!!

If you pay a decent price you will get a reliable, strong camera that takes awesome pix!!

I found that there is a LOT of outdated and misleading information on the net (web chat groups are the worst) concerning these cameras that has cast a dark shaddow over the 60's, but I have found the exact opposite to be the reality.

From my own research and testing of this camera I have written a web page that offers a lot of help for the novice and advanced photographer alike.

http://www.geocities.com/kiev60slr/

I whole heartedly recomend the Kiev 60 for advanced hobbiests :-)

Kiev 60 is a successor of the Kiev 6C which is a copy of the Pentacon SIX. This camera accepts only 120 film format, and makes 60X60mm negatives. Shutter speed range for medium format is good: 1/2-1/1000, flash sync on 1/30 it's OK for such a huge shutter but still is too slow. There are modifications with mirror lockup, my camera doesn't have it. This camera can accept all Carl Zeiss Jena lenses that cost reasonable price and give superior quality.

Usually camera comes with TTL Prism finder, it's accurate but sometimes needs to be adjusted. The lens MC Volna 3 1:2.8 80mm is great multicoated lens, it's sharp and colours are very nice. If you are lucky enough to get this camera in a kit, you will have a set of filters, lens hood, waste level finder plus a TTL Prism finder and a fine leather bag.

I really like this camera for SLR handling, good body finish and great pictures.

The weight of Kiev 60 with standart lens is heavy: 2.1KG.