>>3203311>>3204925Kievs aren't nearly that bad. Over the years, I've had a Kiev 88cm, Hasselblad 501cm, Hasselblad 2000fcw, Bronica EC, and Mamiya 645 super. They're all quite different and each had its quirks, but the blads where the least pleasant to use of all. They had the sharpest lenses, but for the 501-series, each lens having its own mechanically-timed leaf shutter is a pain because you either have to pay a fortune to have each one regularly CLA'd, or keep track of compensation info for every lens. The 2000fcw jammed all the fucking time and had a very fragile foil focal plane shutter that was easy to accidentally poke when you removed the film back.
On the other hand, Kiev A2 film backs were easier to load than blad and had built-in dark slide holders. The Kiev had a sturdier cloth focal plane shutter and a large selection of dirt cheap lenses. It had a better focusing screen than the non-acute-matte blads. It did jam occasionally, but not as often as the blads.
Overall I considered the Mamiya 645 the most comfortable to use and least quirky of them all, but I prefer the 6x6 format. The Bronica is probably the best mix of 6x6, classic mechanical build quality, cheap lenses, and not-hasselblad-fiddley-piece-of-shit. But before I found it, I was thinking about getting another Kiev after I sold the 501cm.
