Ihagee Elbaflex - another new 35mm camera (Nikon F-mount).

[stevelmx5]

So are these new cameras, from scratch or left over bodies that are being finished?

Apparently they’re new cameras built using original machinery. The outer shell is a Kiev 19, as that’s the cheapest machinery they could obtain without the cost of building new presses etc and the internals are newly built; again using original machinery.

 

[Retune]

So are these new cameras, from scratch or left over bodies that are being finished?

This is what they claim in the Kickstarter comments:

Dear all,
we have been seeing some comments in regard to the camera being a "Kiev19M with a wooden grip". We would like to straighten this out a bit. The camera is build in the Ukraine by former people from the Arsenal factory which used to build the Kiev. We are using tooling that was used for the Kiev 19M but we made considerable changes especially by using new materials and making the shutter mechanism far more reliable. At the end that is the heart of the mechanical components that we have paid special attention to. So first of all the shutter mechanism is built with improved materials and is therefore much more reliable. We are also including a new mechanism which makes the mirror movement quieter and less strainful on the material. So altogether the inside is an improvement over the Kiev in the critical parts.
The body - or the outside - has the same looks than the Kiev 19M which is simply because we are using the tooling because there is no way to get new tooling/casts at a cost that would allow us to build a camera in small quantities. But the body parts are newly build components as well! Brand-new!
The whole production, sourcing and quality control is overlooked by the German part of the project
So, yes: the design is based on the Kiev 19M but you are getting a brand new camera with a guarantee. We would be very thankful if you share this with your friends and all photography enthusiasts you know.
Best regards
The Ihagee Team

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has actually serviced an original Kiev. Although poor factory QC probably meant lots of problems back in the day, could they be made to work reliably by a proper service without having to make the sorts of material changes suggested here? I seem to remember that a UK importer who used to specialise in cameras like the Kiev rangefinders did their own QC before selling on them on (at what were then very reasonable prices). Ukrainian dealers who sell Kievs on ebay today also often claim that the cameras are 'serviced'.

 

[droj]

... claim that the cameras are 'serviced'.

I'm always very wary of the term 'serviced' (in connection with any camera that is for sale) because it has no defined meaning, unless the seller is more specific.

 

[Retune]

I'm always very wary of the term 'serviced' (in connection with any camera that is for sale) because it has no defined meaning, unless the seller is more specific.

Some even claim to be 'new' (presumably 'new old', unless some sort of production continued or restarted before the 'Ihagee' guys got involved?). Some dealers are asking £150 + postage, too! The interest in the Elbaflex can't hurt the price, but you can get an FM for that.

 

[MartynK]

There's no shortage of decent Nikon bodies yet, why buy something like this?

 

[Retune]

There's no shortage of decent Nikon bodies yet, why buy something like this?

I doubt anyone here is in the market for it, for exactly that reason. It's more for people who want to buy cool 'analogue' stuff on crowfunding sites, shoot a few rolls, and then blog about it. But I'd still like to see this sort of project succeed - at least the tooling won't be junked. I now wonder if they'll make their Kickstarter target - they're only halfway there, and it ends on Monday. They've now added an 'Elbaflex Base', which is even closer to the Kiev - no fancy leather or wooden grip, QC only in Ukraine, 2 rather than 5 year guarantee, for $299 (about £224). I doubt we can expect any 'new' mechanical SLR to go for less than this, even though it seems expensive compared to what we can get secondhand.

 

[Retune]

They failed to make their Kickstarter target in the end - under $30k of the required $50k pledged. I wonder if this will re-surface in some form? In an earlier interview they seemed to be leaving the door open for small-scale production, though it's even harder to see 'build on demand' working at a competitive price:

https://emulsive.org/articles/ihagee-elbaflex-from-conjecture-to-truth-with-stefan-immes

They might have been better off being more upfront about their camera's origin in the 19M (perhaps retaining the Kiev branding if they had the rights to it) and offering the $300 version right from the start. The Lomography guys successfully made a virtue of the Lomo's Russian heritage and limited specifications, and managed to sell it for about 10x its original price.