The story behind this photo is, actually, the story of the others that I failed to take on this roll of Ferrania P30 film.
Having remembered that I had a number of mid-format rolls, I decided to spend a few times with my Soviet-era Kiev 60. My sample was, as many of this model, affected by issues with the film loading mechanism, which caused the single shots not being properly spaced. I fixed the camera by making a small hole in the back, which allowed me to see when the frame number was in the right position. In order to do this, it was necessary to cock the lever a few times before making the final pull.
That, at least, was the theory because in practice guessing the right way to perform this action proved to be quite difficult. Indeed, before I had a properly aligned film I wasted two rolls, and the featured photo is the only one I was able to get.
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Martin on A Lucky Shot with a Kiev 60 – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 24/03/2026
Thanks for sharing, Andrea!
Jeffery Luhn on A Lucky Shot with a Kiev 60 – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 24/03/2026
Ah, the Kiev 60. "A part of the Soviet plan for world domination by distributing faulty machinery." A quote from an article I wrote for Popular Photography magazine in the early 1980s. I got a load of feedback on that statement, and about 30% of it was negative. I wonder what people will say now.
The thing about Soviet era cameras, and I own several, is that they attempt to copy classics but make weird changes like left handed this and that. There is some tank-like charm to the Kiev. It's a noble challenge to shoot with one. Bravo, Andrea!!
Jeffery