Kiev 88 TTL

Kiev 88 TTL is a cheap but not for principiant photographer camera. If you are expert and you have a good manuality, buy it at bargain price, and you will have a value-for-money at top level with surprising final quality in images. If you are not expert, you may have in your bag a broken body 6x6 within six months. Good for a mindly photographer, excellent for dis and black and white landscape; ever use light shield. Good quality of optics (very very very good for 30/3,5, 120/2,8 and 65/3,5, good for 80/2,8 and 45/3,5, satisfactory for 250/3,5, sufficient for 150/2,8, enough for standard use in 250/5,6), modularity, value-for-money, good photometer in exposimetric pentaprism, if you use slowly for landscape and architecture you'll be happy, with three filmboxes you'll have with you different films changing them as you like, like in a Hasselblad or bonica camera. Poor quality in assembling mechanics, often enters light in filmboxes if not protected, not very precise positioning of optics in bayonet mount. General poor construction. If you use quickly for reportage the camera probably will lock itself and is not so easy to repair. Heavy. Noisy.

The Kiev 88 TTL is a good start in Medium Format Cameras, It is good on cost, its robustness and easy to use, makes you think about the picture.

This camera and lenses are built like a T34 tank, they will still be here in a 100 yrs time. It's a shame that there is a declining need for medium format. In all the time that I have had mine, it has produced good quality photo's and I have been more than happy with it. I wish I could find more opportunity to use it.

Make sure you read the booklet that comes with the Kiev 88 TTL camera. I have owned the Kiev 88 TTL camera for well over 10 years, and have added various lenses to the system. The picture quality for such inexpensive lenses is excellent. I have had years of fun with this camera, and I still use it today, even though I have a Canon EOS 10D, EOS 5, EOS 500N, and aYashica FXD. This camera helps you to slow down and take pictures at a more leisurely pace. I was sad to see Global Cameras in London have closed down recently; this was the only place in England where I found I could get most of my Kiev stuff from.