Zeiss optical excellence was further demonstrated in 1936 with the introduction of the 180mm Olympic Sonnar for the Contax (it was rumoured to have been rushed into production at the behest of Dr. Goebels in time for the 1936 Berlin Olympics.)
On the LEFT is an illustration taken from the 4th edition of Contax Photography (produced 1939), which shows the 180mm Sonnar, mounted in a Flektoscope reflex box, on a Contax II

Seen BELOW are two further illustrations of the miniature light meter fitted to the Contax III. This made the Contax III an excellent, portable device for photojournalism without need to carry a separate meter.

How the Kiev developed.

· Initially, work was concentrated on enabling all parts to be manufactured at the Arsenal works. Production of copies of the original Contax II, badged as KIEV, continued until about 1950. Early models had a high level of original Zeiss Jena parts; eventually though all parts were manufactured at the Arsenal works.

· In 1950, a Contax III copy (with Zeiss light meters on some early copies) was introduced. At the same time the cameras were re-designated Kiev II (no meter) and III (built in light meter.)

· In 1955, flash synchronisation was added to the camera, which then became the Kiev IIa/IIIa.

· In 1959, the cameras were redesigned with features from the Contax IIa and IIIa. Essentially the removable back and tripod mount was copied from the Contax IIa, along with the cosmetic appearance of the exposure meter controls of the Contax IIIa. The operation of the meter was fundamentally different from the Contax IIIa,
These cameras were re-designated Kiev 4a (no meter) and Kiev 4 (with meter)

· From 1974 to 1980, the Kiev 4/4a type 2 was produced, with a slight redesign to the front chrome cover.

· From about 1977, the 1/1250th shutter speed was re-designated to 1/1000th. In practice 1/800th was about the best that ever could be expected from 1/1250th.

· From 1977 to 1987, the Kiev 4m was produced. This had a totally redesigned shutter speed selector/release, and the button to disconnect the sprocket to rewind the film was incorporated into one of the back locks.

The whole exercise could be considered a triumph for Russian engineering – they were in effect building a German camera on Russian soil. Latterly, quality control and lack of development took their toll on the quality of the camera.