Fixing Light Leaks on A Kiev-30 16mm Subminature Camera

Earlier this year, I started to delve into the world of subminiature film cameras. Never one to pick the easy option, such as readily available 110-format offerings, I headed straight for the obscure. I picked up a Kiev 30 on eBay, not really knowing what I was getting myself into.

I planned to use this camera for a little project. I had an upcoming trip to the Baltics planned, and the idea of capturing Soviet relics on a USSR-manufactured “spy camera” seemed to fit. Of course, I needed to shoot a test roll before my trip to make sure my newly acquired camera was working as expected. Luckily, I found a lab in the UK that offers strips of 16mm film cut down from 120 film to feed the little beast. I shot my test roll over a few days, and my heart sank. Light leaks everywhere!

But the photos were still beautiful, and the small camera seems to be mechanically sound. I had already formed a bond with it, having taken it to several abandoned locations and spent some time shooting street scenes in Manchester. I was therefore determined to fix it and take it to the Baltics on a big adventure (as planned!).

I have also uploaded an article with more information about this camera, as well as a gallery of photos from the Baltics.

Analysing the light leak pattern

Let’s examine the leak pattern!

• Green: A long line caused by light entering the frame at the top right corner (when the camera is shooting in landscape orientation).
• Purple: An “M” shape pattern, indicating a more complicated type of leak.  Maybe the shape will help me figure out where the leak is!
• Orange: A light leak at the camera’s top, slightly off centre. This one lets in light from a point source.
• White: A Consistent light leak along the bottom of the image that is fairly consistent across all frames.

Turning out the lights, looking for leaks

My next objective was to find a small enough light source to fit within this little camera. The interior has two compartments, one for each side of the film cartridge. Each side is cylindrical and about 1cm tall and wide. The film gate stands in between, preventing little light from passing between the two film spool bays. I figured out how to remove the winding mechanism, allowing me to fit a little light in each side. Amazon comes to my aid! I discovered tiny LED “torches” that were less than 1cm in size. Hurrah!

When they arrived, I turned them on and inserted one into each side. I closed up the camera lid, and heading into my dark bathroom. After a few minutes of rotating and shaking the closed camera, I noticed a couple of tiny rays of light peeking through.

I’d discovered the light leaks! It was now time to repair them.

Dismantling the Kiev-30

Following the amazing guide over by Mark Hahn, I decided to dismantle my tiny camera. There were not as many pieces as expected, which was a relief! I left the shutter and all the lens housing alone, that part appears to be working correctly (thankfully).

• Green: A light leak on the right spool compartment is clearly visible, caused by light entering around the aperture/shutter speed controls (or the cap around this end that surrounds the dials). I’ll line the interior of the lid with light-blocking felt to prevent light from entering the cartridge bay from this side or anywhere else around the lid.
• Purple: This most likely relates to light coming via the lid hinge, as the light seal foam is quite old and compacted. The “M” form is most likely light passing through the hinge gaps and/or around the film gate, creating the distinctive pattern on the images. The freshly inserted light seal felt in the lid reaches all the way to the hinge, preventing this light leak. So I am confident this will be resolved now.
• Orange: Another leak due to the hinges along the lid; this hinge appears to have a bigger gap. As above, the new lid light-seal felt will almost certainly fix this issue.
• White: The cartridge that came with my camera was missing the end cap in the right spool section. The same light that was entering around the aperture/shutter speed side of the body would be able to expose the lower edge of the uncapped side. I think my new light-seal foam will cure it, but just in case, I’ll acquire a cap for this side of the cartridge.

10 photos from the test roll, before the light leaks were fixed

For my test roll I chose Ilford XP2 as I wanted 400 ISO black and white to give me the flexibility to shoot indoors (and I hadn’t used this type of film before). The lab spooled this into a 35mm cannister, taped on a leader from some 35mm film and processed this in their usual automatic C41 machine. Handy!

10 photos from the 2nd test roll, after the light leaks were fixed

I also picked up some lengths of Kodak Ektar 100, figuring these would be good for shooting with the Kiev 30 for exteriors on a sunny day. A little trip with friends over to Wales fortuitously popped up soon after I had reassembled the tiny camera. Add in a little sunny weather, a rarity in Wales, and it was all systems go for test roll two.

And hey, look at that – not a light leak in sight. Mission accomplished!