The Kiev-5 is a very special camera made by the Arsenal plant in Kiev. It was a bold attempt to improve the classic Contax design, which was copied in the Kiev models since 1948. The Kiev-5 is a substantial camera, large, heavy and well made. It looks like a regular Kiev rangefinder with a superstructure. The shutter and the body of the camera are indeed taken from a Kiev-4 of the same vintage. But the rest (the new top part) is very different.

The lensmount was changed, only external bayonet was left. This required a normal lens with an external bayonet. A new flavor of the Jupiter-8 was designed - the Jupiter-8 NB. The lens is the same optically as the Jupiter-8M, but it looks very different. The aperture dial is now at the base of the lens. A lens shade is a part of the lens barrel. Later, the Helios-94, a faster and better lens, replaced the Jupiter-8NB.

The new rangefinder is probably the most significant and complex system of the Kiev-5. Its base is smaller than in Contax, but it is still very accurate. The image in the viewfinder is very bright and large (looks almost like the VF of the Leica M-series). There is an illuminated brightline frame for 50 mm lens inside the viewfinder. It seems that the outside borders of the viewfinder frame correspond to a 35 mm lens. The brightline frame is parallax corrected, it moves when the lens is focused (source: www.fedka.com).

 

Produced: 1967-1974
Name: „Киев-5“
Producer: Arsenal
Frame size: 24x36
Lens: Jupiter-8 NB  2/50 or Helios-94  1.8/50.
Shutter: 1/2s, 1/5s, 1/10s, 1/25s, 1/50s, 1/125s, 1/250s, 1/500s, 1/1000s + B.

Quantity: ±8.000-50.000 units.
                                                                        

PA1005 - Kiev-5 prototype camera.

PA1005. Kiev-5 prototype with parallax correction, released in 1965. Only few samples are known to exist. Huge "Kiev-5" markings on the top plate (see picture below). Original design of the selftimer lever. Synchro contact located in the left side of the frontplate, under the finder's window. Big shutter speeds (advance) head. At least one real camera is known to exist in private collections.

PA1005 - Kiev-5 prototype camera.

PA1010. Kiev-5 prototype identical to PA1005, but with slightly changed frame on the finder's window, as in all later Kiev-5 cameras (see picture below). Camera opposite from private collection in Europe. 

PA1010 - Kiev-5 prototype camera.

PA1015. Seems to be a rare exponate from short-run preseries of Kiev-5 camera with parallax correction again. Released in 1968 (1967?). Camera identical to PA1005, with few exceptions: name markings becoming less bigger (see picture below), changed form of the selftimer lever, as on early Kiev-4 cameras. The serial number engraved on an accessory shoe with no Arsenal logotype yet.

Camera #6800011 from Yuriy Davidenko (Ukraine) collection.

PA1015 - Kiev-5  #6800011.

PA1025. Seems to be an earliest productional version of the Kiev-5 camera without parallax correction already. Small quantities released in 1968-1969. Camera identical to PA1015, but with reduced name markings on the top plate again. The serial number engraved on an accessory shoe with no Arsenal logotype yet. Camera from private collection in China.

PA1025 - Kiev-5  #6800131.

PA1030. Camera identical to PA1025, but with regular selftimer lever (black leatherette) already. Released in 1969 only. Noticeably reduced name markings on the top plate (see picture below)! Seems to the last version with cynchro contact located on the left. It's interesting to mention, that these bodies already have holes for synchro contact on the right, which is hidden under the body coverings yet. Camera from private collection in China.

PA1030 - Kiev-5  #6900292.

PA1035. Very rare to find camera. Identical to PA1030, but with finder's window outlined with special metal rim, like on prototype Kiev-5 camera (see PA1005 above). No hole for synchro contact on the right yet, though earlier PA1030 cameras had hidden one already. Camera from private collection in China.

PA1035 - Kiev-5  #6901176.

PA1040. Released since 1969. Camera identical to PA1030, but with cynchro contact, located on the right side already. Bigger name markings again, as on PA1025 cameras. No otherwise different. An earliest so far known camera has s/n #6900805 (SovietCams).

PA1045. Camera identical to PA1040, but with additional markings on the top plate (see picture below). An earliest so far known camera has s/n #6901301 (A.Nikitin coll.).

PA1040 - Kiev-5  #6900805.

PA1050. Camera identical to PA1045, but with new design of the shutter head (see picture below). The synchro contact is located on the right side. Bigger name markings again. New Helios-94 1.8/50 lens. This version still comes without Arsenal logotype on the accessory shoe. An earliest so far known camera has s/n #6901096 (eBay, 2010).

PA1050 - Kiev-5  #7005509.

PA1055. The most common version of Kiev-5 camera to find. Identical to PA1050, but with Arsenal logotype on an accessory shoe already (see picture below). Starting from 1972 almost all PA1055 cameras are fitted with Jupiter-8 HB  2/50 lenses again. Camera opposite from V.Nagorskij (Lithuania) coll.

PA1055 - Kiev-5  #7101006.