If you’ve been around here before then it’s most likely you’ll be aware of my penchant for eastern bloc/soviet lenses, you may also recall that I am less inclined towards cameras made behind the iron curtain because I’ve had bad experiences with a few clunky, poorly functional Zenits and practikas in the past. So when it comes to 35mm I’ll use a trusty Spotmatic to mount my Communist lenses. All when and good you might say but what about medium format? Im glad you asked! step right this way and let me introduce you to a new comrade of mine - in a previous life it was called a Kiev 88 but now goes by the name of ARAX CM.
Ah yes the Kiev 88… a camera with a very mixed reputation, a camera which demands you pay close attention at all times in order that the beast from the east doesn’t spontaneously combust!! The Kiev 88 is a camera that is often derided by the uninitiated, however these cameras are genuinely loved by those who shoot with them (myself included)! My copy is actually an updated/improved version of the Kiev 88 made by a company called ARAX - it’s had a few of the original Kiev’s idiosyncracies ironed out. Even though I bought mine used from a private seller I like the idea that buying into this system means you also have the support of the good people at ARAX when needed. My cameras full title is the ‘ARAX CM MLU’ a snappy name! ‘CM’ means it has Pentacon 6 lens mount and MLU means Mirror Lock Up (one of the functions that ARAX added to the camera)
Note Pentax 67 lens hood! :)
So here she is in all her glory! What a beaut! As you can see from it’s aerodynamic brick shape the design is a direct copy of an early Hassleblad. The ARAX is a modular 6X6 square medium format camera with interchangeable film backs, a waist level and prism finder - this makes it a really flexible system and able to adapt to different requirements. My ARAX version has a Pentacon 6 mount (earlier versions had a proprietary screw mount) this is what drew me towards the ARAX as there are some phenominal Carl Zeiss Jena lenses available in Pentacon 6 mount - in fact I have gathered together a little selection of them as you can see pictured above. Wait a minute?! Did you just say ZEISS?! as in CARL ZEISS? As in SUPER MEGA HIGH QUALITY (AND EXPENSIVE) lenses ZEISS….. yes! Yes I did!
ARAX sent me a Ukrainian choco back with my camera from repair - it’s the little things that count! :)
Although to be exact I said ‘Carl Zeiss JENA’ (CZJ)…..The history of CZJ and indeed the story of how the Soviets began churning out copies of Hassleblad like the Kiev 88 is fascinating. It’s all tied up with the end of the second world war and could take up the whole blog just explaining the details - suffice it to say that when it comes to these Zeiss Jena lenses the original Zeiss factory was located in the town of Jena in what became the East Germany after the war and while some managers and employees managed to escape to the west and set up a seperate company also called Zeiss, the original factory remained - for legal purposes lenses made by the East German company had to be labelled Carl Zeiss Jena to differentiate them. Putting the (albeit fascinating) history to one side - shooting a Pentacon 6 mount camera gives you access to stunning Carl Zeiss Jena lenses which can be had for a very reasonable price and a LOT cheaper than their western counterparts.
History lesson over, let’s get back to the camera. The main feature that appealed to me was interchangeable film backs - mine came with 4 film backs when I bought it, three newer style and one older style (pictured below right) this flexibility is a real plus point for me, I like to shoot on location and with medium format cameras you are limited to the number of shots per roll - in the case of the ARAX it’s 12 shots per roll of film, loading, unloading and reloading film can be a challenge when shooting on location, the ARAX solves this problem by allowing me to pre load my film backs and then swap between them whenever I like!
The backs themselves work very well, the older back requires a bit more thought to load but it’s not difficult - in fact this task is made much easier thanks to resources like KIEVAHOLIC a website full of information and tips for loading and shooting these cameras. I’ve also had lots of good advice and support from a fb group dedicated to ARAX and Kiev photography its a testament to the old KIEV 88 and this ARAX that they inspire such devotion amongst those who shoot them!
So far it’s all been sweetness and light but I would be remiss dear reader if I didn’t make it clear that the ARAX is a pernickity camera to operate - you absolutely MUST MUST MUST cock the shutter before doing anything - abide by this rule and all will be well…. ignore/forget this rule at your peril! you have been warned! One day during lockdown I was messing about with my camera (as you do) and even though I knew not to do it I accidentally half cocked the shutter and then adjusted the shutter speed - DISASTER! I’d ruined the mechanism!! Fortunately I was able to post the body off to ARAX in Ukraine who repaired and serviced it for me! :)
OK that is MORE than enough camera geekery for one blog I hear you cry! Very well! Let’s take a look at some images…. First up are some shots from my most recent shoot ostensibly to test the ARAX after it’s repair and I am delighted to report that it is fully functional! I organised a shoot with Millie who was looking for some shots for her Modelling portfolio, the forecast all week was for rain but a small window of sunshine appeared so we made the most of it!
Most of these were shot with the CZJ 120mm 2.8 lens and it really is an excellent piece of glass! Equivalent to about 70mm focal length in 35mm terms so definitely a nice portrait length.
Experienced a few pesky light leaks but actually i quite like them…. they look kinda cool… the shot below was on the CZJ 80mm lens. I absolutely LOVE this set of images! It was great to shoot with Millie and really appreciate the opportunity to test out the ARAX with her.
I thought we’d revisit some images taken at the beginning of this year on a lovely shoot with Becca, this was from before the ‘incident’ when I knackered the shutter and also before the ‘incident’ which knackered civilisation as we know it…. all shot with the CZJ 80mm Biometar lens
I missed focus on this one but i actually don’t care - i still really like it!
All of the above shots with Millie and Becca were shot on my fave film Kodak Portra 400 and developed by my fave lab Exposure Film Lab. Just to prove that the ARAX isn’t just a great portrait camera my first outing with it was a landscape shoot - loaded up with some Ilford FP4 which I developed and scanned myself I shot the following images with the CZJ 50mm f4 Flektogon lens which is a wonderful wonderful lens!
So there we have it! The ARAX CM is an awesome piece of kit - yes it has it’s idiosyncracies and you really must handle it with care and attention, but for the money you get a very flexible and capable bit of kit with access to some wonderful lenses - there are many scare stories out there about the Kiev 88, I cannot speak for the original model but so far I’ve managed to break the shutter on my ARAX through foolish operater error and I happily sent it back to ARAX for repair and a service THATS how much I like this camera!!