“At Lens Exchange we had been getting a lot of questions about the Ukrainian medium format cameras, mostly regarding reliability. This was in the mid-1980s. Toward the close of that decade, it became clear that a 'safe' place to purchase Kiev equipment was required to help people achieve a comfort level with equipment which was, at the time, below the standards which we in the West have come to expect.”

“In 1991, I began making frequent trips to Kiev, the capitol of Ukraine (one of the fifteen newly established independent countries) and home to Zavod Arsenal (Arsenal factory). This was a military plant manufacturing optical and electronic equipment (air-to-air missiles, periscopes, etc.) for the Soviet Navy and Air Force. Currently, it remains as the producer of Kiev photographic equipment since the military aspects of the factory have been discontinued.”

“Gleaning knowledge from my visits to the factory, and after much research and experimentation, the staff and I at Kiev/USA developed an upgrade procedure for Kiev cameras that would provide that 'safe' place for professionals and hobbyists to shop for a true value in Russian/Ukrainian equipment---a place to buy Kiev equipment with reasonable assurance that it met a certain set of quality standards---standards which simply didn't seem to exist at the factory.”

“Upon establishing Kiev/USA, our technicians emigrated from Ukraine to the New York City metropolitan area. We began importing and upgrading the products produced at the Arsenal factory before they were sold to the general public...and thus we became known as the "Sole Factory-Authorized Dealer" for Kiev products. We wanted to assure buyers that the Kiev products which they buy from us are reliable, so we implemented two policies to help establish consumer confidence: First, we put in place a 30-day return policy (less 15% and shipping charges) which allows people to use the equipment for 30 days and see whether it suits their purposes. Secondly, we became the only retailer to provide, absolutely FREE of a charge, our Exclusive One Year Warranty on all Kiev cameras, lenses and accessories.”

“As a response to so many interested, yet frustrated, photographers regarding the unavailablility of Kiev products in their local areas, we decided to create this policy to make it easy for anyone to purchase our line confidently from anywhere around the globe. The added assurance that there's someone to stand behind the product is why I say "If you don't see our logo, you're playing Russian Roulette!”

“If you have Kiev equipment from another source, never fear! We will make winners out of losers with our exclusive upgrade services. And let's face it...we realize that you can buy Kiev cameras for a lot less elsewhere, and we're not going to discourage you. But, if you do, you're going to become our best customer anyway. Whether you buy your camera from us, or whether you're ready to bring your camera up to full operating condition and reliability, you can be sure that the world-class technical staff here at Kiev/USA stands ready to help you!”