My Post-WWII Soviet 1953 Kiev 3A Camera -- I Learned Photography Using it, And it is Still With Me After 60 Years! A few Recent Photos and Thoughts

 

Like many photographer using vintage cameras, I do have the urge to take one that has been sitting on the shelf for a white. Last week I picked up my 1953 Kiev camera and decided to use it again during the holidays.

The Kiev 3A has a special place in my collection – it was my first “real” camera after a Kodak Brownie. I was 8 years old and my mother believed that I had a photographer’s eye, so she got me the venerable Kiev rangefinder as a Christmas gift. And I learned B&W photography through the camera and its 1952 50mm Jupiter 8 f2 lens. Of course I did not have a darkroom then, so my father, a dentist, made an agreement with the neighborhood photography shop owner to discount dental work fees for him and his wife if he developed and printed my “masterpieces” for free. So I own to my parents the discovery and support of my lifelong passion for the arts.

Over the next six decades, I kept the Kiev, used it, and learned how a photographer needs to become one with his camera to capture human attitudes in the streets of cities around the world. Eventually, the cameras that I traveled with were the 1953 Kiev 3A, the 1954 Leica IIIF, the 1954 Canon L3 rangefinder, and the 1969 Nikon F Photomic. My collection has quadrupled since, but I still have and use my original cameras.

 

A word about the history of the Kiev rangefinder camera.

The Kiev camera has a significant history associated with WWII. Indeed, post-WWII, the Soviet Union took Zeiss Ikon’s toolings and designs from Dresden to the Arsenal factory in Kiev, today’s Kyiv. There, they started manufacturing clones of the venerable Contax II and III using the original Zeiss Ikon materials. The Contax camera was now re-badged as Kiev and the tools, glass, casing and other materials necessary its production lasted till 1960. During that period two exact clones of the Contax III were produced – the Kiev 3 and the Kiev 3A, the only difference being that the latter had an added post for flash synchronisation.

So, the cameras and lens made at the Arsenal factory in Kiev were all original German Zeiss Ikon parts, hence for professional photographer and then collectors those Kiev cameras became legendary with the added historical content. When the parts and tools were unavailable, Arsenal factory produced Soviet copies of the cameras and lenses which did not achieve the excellence or reliability of the German Contax. So, the most legendary Kiev cameras and lenses are those made in the 1950s.

My Kiev camera has an additional attractiveness – the template atop the light meter (which still remains amazingly accurate!) is engraved with an “A” and a serial number of 531314, indicating that it is a Kiev 3A made in 1953. However, my camera does not have flash synchronization (no port) and historical facts are that the Kiev 3A production started in 1954 and ended in 1959, while the Kiev 3 production period was 1948-1955. Therefore, what I have is a transitional period camera, engraved as 3A but really it is a 3.

Collectors love these kind of history, but for me as a user, Shakespeare was right “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” as the cameras are original Contax.

 

… So, yesterday I took the Kiev with its 50mm Jupiter 8 and a 1970s Soviet Jupiter 11 f4 that I had not used before. I do have the 35mm Jupiter 1970s 12 and a 1955 85 mm Jupiter 8 f2 lenses as well, which were the only original lenses made for the Kiev. Later a Helios-103 53mm f1.8 lens was made but I did not like its more “modern” character.

Here is my camera and the vintage lenses made for this 35mm rangefinder camera

 

Its engraved production date and model

 

The bottom view. Note the useful  "Contax foot" a folding contraption that stabilises the camera when put down and averts any scratching of the bottom plate. It is a unique feature of the vintage Contax camera and especially useful when taking a timer shot .

 

The three lenses other than the Jupiter 8 50mm:

First, the 135mm f4 Jupiter 11

Second the Zeiss Sonnar clone Jupiter 9 85mm f2

And third the 35mm Jupiter 12 lens that is a clone of the Zeiss Biogon designed in 1934 by Ludwig Bertele, the architect of the famous Zeiss Sonnar.

Finally a word about the carry case. It is a work of art as far as vintage leather cases go, and mine has survived the past 70 or so years with much grace.

See the pocket that holds a yellow card?

That is a handy guide for choosing the combination of shutter speeds and lens aperture, in Cyrillic!  Surely a historic artifact.

How did the 50mm Jupiter 8 and 135mm Jupiter 11 do during the downtown Prescott Light Parade?

Prescott is known as Arizona’s Christmas Town as celebrations, parades, and music and art festivals span the entire month of December.

The Light Parade was on a sunny and relatively warm day, and the slow film I was using was perfect for the using relatively slow vintage lenses.

A.    Using the 1952 Jupiter 8 f2 lens: I have used this lens countless times in the 1970s so I knew what to expect. I just did not know if the lens was still performing well after a long respite on the shelf.

 

A young girl wearing a Sunday dress was next to a tree and the shade of the trees mixed capriciously with the sunny spots on the ground. To test the lens, I used an opening of f8 and a shutter speed of 1/125^th second.

 

The photo is shown atop this entry. I did some burning under the enlarger to darken the background and let the white dress in its softness contrast with the texture of the tree trunk.

 

As expected the lens delivered that cinematic result that the 1950 lenses, especially when German, are praised for.

 

B.     Using the 1970 135mm Jupiter 11 f4 lens: Since I had acquired this lens to complete the original set of 4 Kiev lenses and never used this lens before, I took most of the photos with this lens. Unfortunately the process of using an external finder slowed the rhythm of shooting necessary for a split second take during street photography. 

Still, a few shots show what a little bit of experience using this lens can deliver.

I took this photo from about 20 meters away. Since I had read that this lens can deliver a nice bokeh when open up to f5.6, and since it was a very sunny day, I set the aperture to about f7 (there are no clicks on the aperture ring so the opening is continuous between set numbers) and the shutter speed to 1/250^th seconds.

The vintage feel is there, but less pronounced than with the 50mm Jupiter 8. But the sharpness is above average.

 

This next shot was from about 15 meters. This time I used an aperture of f4 and a shutter speed of 1/500^th seconds.

Now the blurring of the background came through! Although I prefer the smooth blurring of the 85mm Jupiter 9 which I had used for portraiture decades ago, this 135mm lens did surprise me. Maybe I will try again, perhaps with a wider opening and 1/1000^th second speed using a less busy background.

 

Was this experiment worth it? 

Yes! Not only did the 70 years old camera and lenses work impeccably without any repair and maintenance over the years, but the results were very pleasing given that I had lost the tempo of using a rangefinder camera with a second external viewfinder/framer when a quick focusing and framing was needed with the 135mm lens.

And of course it took me back to using my first camera and lens I got from my parents when I was 8 years old. And that camera is still with me, and does handle well in my now bigger hands!

 

PS/ Here are a couple of my published posts about using my 1953 Kiev 3A over the years:

https://vahezen.blogspot.com/2021/06/when-lalbatros-of-baudelaire-meets-rumi.html

 

https://vahezen.blogspot.com/2024/02/siamo-tutti-semi-in-attesa-della-pioggia_4.html

 

December 7, 2025

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2025

Talking About Induction of Labour During Morning Dog Walk

 

 

It is winter already and my dog Ziggy, a 65 kg Akita, loves his long morning walks in the cold. I am an early riser, so we do downtown at 5 am every morning for a few miles of walking.

At that hour the downtown is practically empty, except the occasional car and the two other men who walk their dogs every morning. We exchange a few words and continue our quiet walks.

Ziggy remains vigilant as a protective dog throughout the walk. His eyes see what I cannot identify in the dark, and his nose guides him to the raccoons and skunks that come out of the city sewers and down trees at that hour. He knows to stay away from these animals, but when he picks up the scent of a coyote he tests my still dormant muscles to the limit by pulling me like a small horse.

So, this morning he stopped, got the hair on his back up, and pointed his head to something in the dark. I did not see anything but trusted his judgment. So we walked slowly, till I saw a person, wearing heavy winter coat with a hood walking back and forth in front of an apartment building. Ziggy stopped and assessed the situation – was he to protect me or just be friendly?

And friendly he was. We came close, and while I could not see the face of the person, it was a female voice who said:

“Oh, he is a cute dog!”

By then, Ziggy was next to her and promptly sat down at her feet, something he had never done before a stranger.

“Can I pet him? I promise I am harmless” the voice said.

“He is too” I replied, “and he seems to like you.”

Then, given the hour and the way the woman was pacing back and forth, I asked:

“Are you ok?”

At that point she lifted her hood and I saw a young woman with sad eyes.

“I am scheduled to be induced tomorrow. Forty three weeks already. I am very, very tired. So I am walking back and forth hoping that I can start labour. But no luck.”

Somehow Ziggy had figured things out.

“It is beautiful moment of your life” I said, “I am sure all will end soon with the birth of a new life that will make you proud for the rest of your life. Just do not stay too long in the cold.”

She did not respond, jut asked:

“What is his name?”

“Ziggy” I said.

Then she walked back to the front door of the apartment building and disappeared.

 

… As we resumed our walk, somehow a moment from a maternal health clinic in London, England came to my mind. I was there to discuss a Caesarean section study with the clinicians and I recalled a typically British sign on one of the clinic’s doors. As always I had a camera with me.

Upon return, I looked for that photo as I was sure I had not published it before. That photo is atop this assay.

Then, as I was looking through my scanned photos (from film prints, of course), I wondered if there were other signs or moments from my health care troubadour days that I had forgotten taking.

So, here are a few.

 

A.    Buenos Aires, Argentina: Staying with the health care theme, this had caught my eye. Of course, it was meant to! (The writing says "There is a plan for every one.")

 

B.     Amsterdam, the Netherlands:  Well, I have to admit that I had not seen such advertising for men’s underwear!

 

C.     Vienna, Austria: It is not sign, but that kiss on the bench takes a special meaning when Mozart is looking at you!

 

D:  Capetown, South Africa: I think the room service hotel employee had a great sense of humour. the ironing board delivered to a room looks like a modern robot that would iron your shirt by itself!

 

E.     Jerome, Arizona: I wanted to meet the person who designed those perplexing road signs!

 

F.      Rochester, New York: If the daily menu is not clearly written, just ask the cook.

 

G.    Malaga, Spain: I am delighted to live during the present state of human evolution.

 

H.   Arizona state line: I took the first photos from a moving car window.  The first two are complementary as I took two quick shots with my Nikon F3. The third one explains why I did not see any tourists at that park…

 

At this point, I stopped searching through my photos, knowing well that there are more such captures.

And I wished that the young woman we met this morning will have a blessed experience becoming a mom tomorrow.

 

November 21, 2025

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2025

Tonal Range Through Light and Shade Using 100 ASA B&W Film and a Vintage Nikkor 105mm F2.5 Lens

 

It was a pleasant October day for the 2025 Fall Arts & Crafts Show in Prescott. The annual heavy rain season ended, the full moon was larger and brighter than ever, and the sun was as warm as a desert sun can be. 

Over the years I have seen many of the same artist display their works at this downtown show, yet I like spending a few hours walking around for street photography. In some way, it is my own way to pursue my creative tendencies and capture a few moments with my vintage cameras on B&W film.

This time, I left the 50mm lens home and opted for the 105mm f2.5 Nikkor on my 1990s Nikon F3 HP. Although the camera is “new”, the design of Nikkor 105 f2.5 goes back to 1954 when it was first produced as a rangefinder lens. The adaptation to the Nikon F mount happened in 1971 and, for the manual focus lens, the design remained unchanged till 2005 when production stopped. I have owned mine for more than two decades as my prime lens for portraiture.

This time I wanted to use it as a short zoom and see how it will do with light and shade compositions. Although the F3 with a winder and the Nikkor lens tends to be on the heavy side to carry, the balance between the two is wonderful and allows for quick and precise manual focusing.

A. Photo atop the page

So, I started with a composition for which a portraiture lens is most appropriate. The photo atop the page was taken from a distance of about 12 meters, the man sitting in the shade of a tree. I set an aperture of f4 using the Aperture Priority mode of the camera.

The texture, the creamy bokeh, and the sharpness of the lens are all what a photographer dreams of when using film. The man changed his posture right after this shot, and I did not have a chance to reset the aperture to f2.5 hopping to see a more fluid bokeh. Still, I am glad I had the 105 lens instead of the 50mm f1.8 I often use.

B. 105mm as a telephoto

 

This next photo was all about experimenting with light and shade and using the 105mm lens as a telephoto. I saw a man getting ready to lay down under one of the tall trees around the square, next to the 1907 statue of Bucky O’Neil, a Prescott hero, who along with 200 local men joined Teddy Roosevelt’s voluntary Rough Riders cavalry and fought the Spanish-American war in 1898.

I immediately saw the posture of the man as if having a conversation with O’Neil who is on the ground next to his horse. But since I took the photo from a distance of about 40 meters and f5.6 aperture, that detail may escape the viewer of the larger frame.

Here is a crop to show why I took the photo:

 

Still, for a portraiture lens, the Nikkor shows delightful detail as a long shot, and the overall tonal gradient between the shade and light of the composition is typically what film capture compared to digital media.

C. Almost a portrait

Finally, a typical street photography moment to fulfill my goal of testing the venerable Nikkor 105mm with that tonal range full of gray to show depth and detail. This one shows a young lady who stopped for a second to check her phone under another Bucky O’ Neil statue, this time riding his horse. I had the aperture set to f5.6 but hardly had time to focus and frame before she moved, and the lens for just a tad too long to include the O’Neil’s hat. 

Yet, the technical prowess of the Nikkor’s 80 year old design shows why it is still a favorite of many professional photographers in an era when lenses and cameras, often with the assistance of AI, can do things unimaginable a decade ago.

Even if few of them now use mechanical cameras and film!

PS/ I have taken photos of Bucky O’Neil statue after a snowstorm here:

https://liveingray.blogspot.com/2023/03/snowstorm-in-prescott-arizona-or-life.html 

October 6, 2025

©Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2025

Horses in the Wild are not Always Wild Horses

 

 

 

When I came back from my long walk in the desert and put my gear in the car, I heard a gentle noise behind me. It is usually a hare or a rabbit running from brush to brush. This time, it was a black horse, alone and at a slow pace.

He walked toward me, stopped and wondered about my presence. And I wondered about his appearance on the vast and open desert. I could not see if he had horse shoes, but I did not think he was a wild horse.

I said hello, and my voice did not bother him. So I decided to take a picture.

Then, he turned his head back and looked at the open space behind him. I looked too. And, out of nowhere a beautiful pony showed up at the horizon.

She was black and white, just like my photography, and walking at the same slow pace as the horse did. The slow moving white dot got bigger and gave the delightful contrast to the brown, sandy environment.

The horse waited for the pony. When they got together, it was black and white, in perfect harmony. They both looked at me for a short while.

Then unhurried and content, they walked away.

It was all desert again around me, after an unreal moment that passed like a dream. Almost a hallucination. Yet, a unique horse and pony show to which I was an accidental spectator.

And I recalled Mark Twain writing

              “If the horses knew their strength we should not ride anymore”

Well, as a street photographer who fancies the desert as his "untaken street", I did not see any strength or dominance that morning. Just a caring equine companionship between  two majestic animals of unequal size and shape, under the high noon sun.

September 13, 2025

©Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2025

 

 

PS/ There are wild horses in Arizona that are descendants of Spanish mustangs. But they are not usually in the area where I was.

There are also wild donkey descendants of the beasts of burden used by miners a century ago. I have found horse and donkey skeletons petrified in the desert, from those who succumbed to time or the aggressiveness of coyotes.

In my own way of thinking about metamorphosis, I have given these skeletons and skulls a second chance. Here are a couple of examples:

https://vaheark.blogspot.com/2018/02/shining-light-on-donkey-jawbone.html

https://vaheark.blogspot.com/2019/07/a-unicorn-with-more-than-one-cornus.html

A Drive through Southern Arizona with a 1971 Nikkor-P 180mm Lens in the Passenger Seat

 

 

It is monsoon season in Arizona and driving a 400 km stretch of open desert roads under cloudy and rainy skies provides a unique view of the environment. That is especially true when passing through small towns where a few habitations remain functional along with many others that have been abandoned but keep a nostalgic feel of times that have passed but remain visually tangible to those who drive at high speeds through that space-time moment.

I often have a camera with me and keep a keen eye on what I could encounter, although it is difficult to stop my car when the speed limit is 75 km/hour. Sometimes herds of antelope will be along the road, other times abandoned housing structures along the road where mining towns once thrived. So I favor a short telephoto, always a vintage one, mounted on a vintage film camera.

This time I took my Nikon F3 HP along, with a very early (1971) Nikkor-P 180mm 2.8. Since the skies were covered and the typical desert bright sun absent, I thought a fast lens would be necessary.

The Nikkor is the original Non Ai version that had been professionally Ai’d. Over the past 32 years I have taken memorable photos with this lens worldwide, so it is one of those lenses, although heavy to carry, that has helped me keep special moments through monochromatic renditions.

Here is the lens on the F3:

 

And the Ai ring installed to make it functional on later Nikon cameras other than the original Nikon F:

 

The photo atop this page is was one I had to take. So, I saw the scene while driving through a small town, stopped my car a few hundred meters passed it, and returned to take the photo through the passenger side window. It is both nostalgic and a statement about hanging on to things. Perhaps to an era. Or just to a dream from which one does not want to wake up. And the feeling is captured best in B&W.

 

For this next shot I did not have to return for a photo. I saw this cabin, perhaps as old as the camera and lens I was holding, stand out under the cloudy sky, in the open desert.

 

Interestingly, when I printed the photo, I noticed a detail that I had not seen when taking the shot. A crop of the scanned print revealed an unusual yet charming detail – there was a man’s (woman’s?) bust resting in the sand in front of the cabin.

What was the story of that bust?

In the next photo I wanted to capture the many trailer parks that are along the road. Traveling in a mobile home and stopping at any spot for a short while is a great way to see the country and escape from the busy lifestyle.  Sometimes these “camp grounds” or trailer parks are very well kept; other times they look more casually organized…

 

Finally, when I got to Yuma, the life of a bigger and cosmopolitan city was there to welcome me. I wanted a find a composition where the slow-paced Southwest and busy cosmopolitan livings converged.

Maybe this represents that co-existence.

 

September 5, 2025

©Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2025

 

The 2025 Annual 4th of July Parade Through the Viewfinder of a 1968 Nikon F and the Eyes of Two Vintage Nikkor Lenses

 

Past Saturday was the annual 4^th of July parade in Prescott, when thousands of residents crowded a few blocks of the historic downtown under the warm and sunny high desert sky. I like being there to capture a few frames of the moment, and often use a vintage camera that has been sitting in await on my shelve.

This time, it was the turn of a 1968 Nikon F with its original Nikkor-H Auto f2 50mm lens.

This Nikon has a history. I bought it decades ago in Maryland from a war photographer who was selling some of his gear. At first look, it was just an early model with an inoperable meter. However, the seller told me that it was his back up camera and that the other Nikon F he had, a 1969 model, had never failed him on assignment.

And to make the point, he also gave me a film canister holder that made it impossible for me to not want the camera.

Here is the camera, its original lens, and the film canister (an aluminum one with a twist cap). The disintegrating leather holder reads “Vietnam – Saigon”!

 

 

I bought the camera for its history and used it once using my Nikkor-S Auto f1.4 which is a better lens than the older Nikkor-H it which came with the camera. After all, the “H” configuration was designed in 1935 for the Canon Hansa rangefinder camera. The design, 6 elements in 4 groups Gauss, remained unchanged when Nikon introduced it as Nikkor-H Auto in 1964 as the first 50mm lens for Nikon F. Thus, this almost century old lens is not regarded as a true competitor to the Nikkor-S f1.4 or any Nikon 50mm lens built after 1970.

And I thought it was time for me to test the lens after decades of using the Nikkor-S around the world.

To make the experience more tempting, I took with me an old Nikkor 105mm, f2.5 Non-AI that had been later AI-d upgraded. This lens also has its own “war story” as someone had dropped it and seriously bent the lip, making it impossible to use a filter or a shade. Here is the lens:

 

A.    Photos with the 50mm Nikkor-H Auto f2

The photo atop the page is both about the parade and a typical street photography of people. I do love the rendition of this old lens – compared to later Nikkor lenses, it does indeed have that vintage charm, as well as the sharpness to enhance details that make or break some photos.

Who was this young lady? Or, does it really matter when she stands out in her posture and head crown from the brouhaha of the people around her?

 

Ok, I know, I have to show at least one photo from the parade. So, here are the majestic Budweiser Clydesdales.

 

This was a natural set up for a test. There were three horses on two different focal distances, the sun was unevenly shining on each of the horses, I did not have a working light meter so I used the Sunny 16 heuristic guess rule (f11 and 1/250^th second speed), and I was not using a lens shade. It was time to see how a 1930s Gauss design lens would perform at the center of the frame and in the corners.

 The test was successful – there is light fall out at the corners, the center is sharp, and the uncoated lens without a shade did not do well with the desert sun at its zenith. But, the lens seems to take us back in time, and the corner fall out can be used for creative photos, like the one atop this essay.

 

This third photo shows a synthesis of the previous two shots. The sun was straight on the face of the rider on the left, while the second rider had her cowgirl hat shading her face. The lens is both sharp and dreamy. I do like the feel of this shot.

 

 

B.     Photos with the Nikkor 105mm f2.5

My 1960s lens is well respected for dreamy portraiture shots, but I wanted to see how it would do as a short telephoto. I do have another 105mm Nikkor made in 1971 and equipped with a retractable shade that was the first modification of this lens from Gauss to Sonnar design. It is much sharper and brighter, but sometimes not as dreamy as the old one made for the Nikon F.

This photo was printed using an old darkroom technique I learned from a photographer in Central Europe. He used to move his hands under the enlarger light while printing, producing the blurry wind movement in parts of the print he wanted to minimize in prominence. Pure and lost art! And, sometimes he used to light up a rolled cigarette and blow the smoke under the light… It made staying in the darkroom with him quite a health challenge, although some of his photos taken with a Ukrainian medium format Kiev camera were more creative (and each unique!) than any digitally manipulated prints I have seem.

So, I saw a woman cross the street in a hurry as the farm machines were in the parade. I did not have much time to focus but the old darkroom technique came in handy to selectively blur and add movement to the ill-focused shot.

 

 

The next photo shows that the 105mm Nikkor is better for portraiture than it is as a short telephoto. I shot this one at f16 and 1/125^th second speed, but the tonal range is not pleasant. Still, it is a good moment of Arizona’s frontier days’ reenactment. 

 

This final photo is a testimony for how a portraiture lens can perform fully open at f2.5. It is a crowded frame but I wanted to isolate brightness of the boots while dodging the print to respect the privacy of those in the shot.

 

Final thoughts

As in many of my street photography outings, I enjoyed “playing” with a vintage camera and lenses. After decades of pursuing my passion of the challenges vintage instruments present at every turn, I do admit that the photos remain secondary to the joy of using old photographic instruments. Perhaps it is the oneness and partnership required from the photographer to use these instruments, repair them when they broke down, and use them again. Or perhaps, it is the feeling of being in a time capsule, looking at the present world through an optic of wander, wonder and nostalgia.

No matter what it is, it sure is different from using tools where AI, hiding in a plastic housing and staying alive through the feed from a wonder battery’s electric flow, is more than an equal partner.

 

July 7, 2025

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2025