Using Kiev-10/Kiev-15 Lenses On Digital Cameras

The Kiev-10 and Kiev-15 are very strange-looking and unusual cameras made and distributed only in the USSR. The odd shape of the body is clearly derived from the prestigious Ziess Contarex, but these Kievs were among the first cameras to implement auto exposure. In fact, these Kiev bodies have a little thumbwheel that controls the lens aperture -- very much like modern DSLRs. Most significantly, the lenses for these cameras are both smaller (like rangefinder lenses) and cheaper than for other SLR mounts, so they could be very nice adapted to modern digital cameras, such as my Sony NEX-5.

The bad news is that the apparently unnamed lens mount these Kievs use has never been used by any other cameras. nor have there been adapters allowing these lenses to be used on bodies with other mounts. The flange distance is fairly short and although each lens has an aperture iris, it doesn't have an external aperture control ring.

Anyway, I recently was the only bidder on the eBay lot shown in step 1, so I'm now the proud owner of a complete set of Kiev-15 lenses -- and a beat-up-looking Kiev-15 body that the seller threw-in for free. So, here's a little instructable explaining three different methods to make these lenses usable on modern digital cameras, especially my NEX-5.

If you're reading this page while trying to decide if you should bid on that cool Kiev 10/15 lens, here's what you need to know:

• The lens cannot be adapted to an APS-C or larger DSLR; for focus to reach inifinity, you'll need to do a mount swap.
• The lens can be adapted to a mirrorless camera.
• The adapter you need to make should cost between $2 and $25 and isn't too hard to make.
• External control of the aperture is not possible with the first two mount methods, but the third method (step 6) gives you an uncalibrated aperture control ring.

Step 1 The five lenses

The first step is to get the parts... and for me it began with the eBay lot pictured.

This lot included five lenses all in the Kiev 10/15 mount: 20mm f/3.5, 37mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2, 85mm f/2, and 135mm f/4. These are all lenses with excellent optical reputations, built in the USSR between 1978 and 1983. The price I bid -- and ended-up paying -- was less than what the cheapest one alone would have cost in a more friendly mount.

It is important to note, however, that the reason I was comfortable biding at all was actually something else in the photo: the two plastic jar cases. I knew that these kinds of cases had a compatible lens mount in their base, so I figured that would give me a donor for the lens mounting flange. There also is a potential donor flange on the Kiev 10 or Kiev 15 body, but I'd rather steal from a lens case than a camera -- especially one as collectible as these Kievs.

So, here's the basic parts list:

• One or more Kiev 10 or Kiev 15 lenses.
• A donor for the mounting flange.
• A mounting platform that ends in the desired digital camera's mount.
• Means for attaching the mounting flange to the platform.
• A way to control the lens aperture.

The good news is that it's very cheap and pretty easy to make an adapter. The bad news is that the control of the aperture is really problematic. Two of the three mounting options I discuss here leave the aperture control tab inaccessible... unless you don't mind changing aperture by taking the lens off the camera, nudging the tab, and remounting it. The third method gives external control of the aperture, and it is neither difficult nor expensive to make, but the control is still a bit crude and uncalibrated.

Anyway, this instructable describes all three options....