The Kiev-5 is a very special camera made by the Arsenal plant in Kiev. It was a bold attempt to improve the classic Contax design, which was copied in the Kiev models since 1948. The Kiev-5 is a substantial camera, large, heavy and well made. It looks like a regular Kiev rangefinder with a superstructure. The shutter and the body of the camera are indeed taken from a Kiev-4 of the same vintage. But the rest (the new top part) is very different.

The lensmount was changed, only external bayonet was left. This required a normal lens with an external bayonet. A new flavor of the Jupiter-8 was designed - the Jupiter-8 NB. The lens is the same optically as the Jupiter-8M, but it looks very different. The aperture dial is now at the base of the lens. A lens shade is a part of the lens barrel. Later, the Helios-94, a faster and better lens, replaced the Jupiter-8NB.

The new rangefinder is probably the most significant and complex system of the Kiev-5. Its base is smaller than in Contax, but it is still very accurate. The image in the viewfinder is very bright and large (looks almost like the VF of the Leica M-series). There is an illuminated brightline frame for 50 mm lens inside the viewfinder. It seems that the outside borders of the viewfinder frame correspond to a 35 mm lens. The brightline frame is parallax corrected, it moves when the lens is focused (source: www.fedka.com).

Produced: 1967-1974
Name: „Киев-5“
Producer: Arsenal
Frame size: 24x36
Lens: Jupiter-8 NB  2/50 or Helios-94  1.8/50.
Shutter: 1/2s, 1/5s, 1/10s, 1/25s, 1/50s, 1/125s, 1/250s, 1/500s, 1/1000s + B.

Quantity: ±8.000-50.000 units.
                                                                        

Sample of preseries Kiev-5 (1965).

1st version

The very early samples (see camera #6800131) have sync contact, located under the finder's window and bigger shutter head.  Selftimer lever still old type, as on Kiev-4 early cameras. No Arsenal logo on the accessory shoe yet. The early cameras were fitted with Jupiter-8 НБ 2/50 lenses, which later was replaced with more advanced Helios-94 lens.

An early Kiev-5  #6800131.

2nd version

Type-2a. Late cameras comes have different shutter head (see camera #7005509), selftimer lever with black leatherette and sync contact, located on opposite side. This transitional camera stiil comes without Arsenal logotype on the accessory shoe (see picture below).

Kiev-5  (2nd version)  #7005509.

Type-2b. The most common version to find. Identical to type-2a, but with Arsenal logotype on an accessory shoe already (see picture below).

Kiev-5  #7101006.