stamped with the Contax name, then pressed out and re-stamped as Kiev. By the early 1950 all the parts for Kiev cameras were produced in Ukraine. The Kiev camera, like Zeiss Ikon Contax, is a full frame 35mm rangefinder camera with a long rangefinder base and combined rangefinder-viewfinder. It has a metal "window blind" shutter, which runs vertically. Shutter speeds range from 1/2s to 1/1250s + B. The four digit serial numbers (first two digits represent the production year, and four additional digits represent the actual serial number) and research suggest production of less than 5,000 cameras annually. Kiev 2 / Kiev 2A Kiev 2 was very similar to the original Kiev. The most noticeable change is a new logo. There were also some minor cosmetic changes, like design of the balance foot. Production was increased to 15,000 cameras annually, requiring five digit serial numbers. There were two types of Kiev 2 camera, one of them being Kiev 2, and the other being Kiev 2A, which was essentially the same camera, but with the flash sync. The flash sync connector is located underneath the viewfinder window. Kiev 3 / Kiev 3A The Kiev 3 was a copy of the Contax III officially introduced in 1952, though earlier models were built from 1948 on, based on German Contax parts. It was built until 1955, after which it was replaced by the Kiev 3A, essentially the same camera with flash synchronization. It was very similar to Kiev 2, but it included an uncoupled selenium light meter. It probably had top plates and meter cells from Zeiss Ikon in the earliest models. The meter settings are located in the rewind knob crown. Kiev 4 / Kiev 4A Kiev 4 and 4A are the most common of Kiev rangefinders. They had some minor visual modifications to be visually closer to Contax III. Kiev 4A was an updated model of the Kiev 2A. The camera bottom is now flat, missing the support foot. The rewind knob now includes the film speed reminder. There was also a new back/base plate. On the other hand, Kiev 4 replaced the Kiev 3A. It included all the modifications made to Kiev 4A, but also added a new, smaller and more sensitive light meter. Kiev 4M / Kiev 4AM Kiev 4M was a modernized version of Kiev 4. It is usually less desirable than Kiev 4 because of very bad