Contax IIa from my dad closet

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BrunoK

BrunoK
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As I mentioned in my intro, I'm the custodian of my late father's camera and darkroom collection.

Unfortunately I can't carry the burden of caring for some 200 plus cameras and gear.


Just started sorting the boxes for a catalogue.

Here's the first item I've looked at in detail (after doing so reading here...thanks to all).


Zeiss Contax IIa color dial SN A47xxx circa 1953-54

CZJ Sonnar f2.0 50mm SN 1827xxx
CZJ Opton Biogon f2.8 35mm SN 832xxx
CZJ Triotar f4.0 85mm SN 2041xxx
CZJ Triotar f4.0 135mm SN 4010xxx
(in cardboard tube with no remaining markings, bott red, top tan)

Fitted brown leather case with compartments for:
camera
Wide angle lens
portrait lens
2 sml compartments for lens hoods (?)
loops on top & front lids for 5 film canisters
2 shoes on front lid for aux. viewfinders 1 Nippon Kogaku 35 viewfinder
1 strap for lens hood

Also has 3 Zeiss film canisters with ZU labeled takeup spools

Not in case but included is Nippon Kogaku Japan No 630xxx Nikkor - H.C (red)
f 2.0 5cm which I take to be a Nikon lens with Contax mount

It is obvious that the original owner took very good care of his equipment.


So my questions are:

What do I really have? I would rate the condition of camera and lenses 9+. Although I haven't tried the shutter or other mechjanical parts, I do know that my father was meticulous in maintaining all of his favorite pieces and in making sure that every month or so all were at least 'dry fired' several times and self timers actuated.

A friend of his was an old fashioned Swiss watchmaker/jeweler who advised him in many ways.

The leather case is in excellent conditon but for the shoulder strap retaining strap (lettess ?) which have broken and the top hinge is rather dry. The red velvet liner is almost new looking.

How do I place a market value on this collection?
Or should I think of them as individual items to be parceled off?

And have I made any mistakes in identification?
 
I'm not sure that you have correctly identified the lenses. You've identified all of these as Carl Zeiss Jena lenses, however:

  • CZJ Sonnar f2.0 50mm SN 1827xxx (Could be a prewar lens, but it should be marked in centimeters and not millimeters. Could be a Carl Zeiss Jena lens.)
  • CZJ Opton Biogon f2.8 35mm SN 832xxx (probably wrong -- this is likely a postwar Zeiss-Opton and not Carl Zeiss Jena)
  • CZJ Triotar f4.0 85mm SN 2041xxx (If this is 85mm and not 8.5cm, then it probably is a Carl Zeiss lens, not Carl Zeiss Jena)
  • CZJ Triotar f4.0 135mm SN 4010xxx (Are you certain that this is a Contax mount lens? And that it's a Triotar and not a Sonnar?)
 
Thanks for pointing that out. I have a tendency to translate cm to mm.

Here are the full lens descriptors read directly:

Carl Zeiss Jena Nr. 1827xxx Sonnar 1:2 f = 5cm

Zeiss-Opton Nr. 832xxx Biogon 1:2.8 f =35 mm has rear Zeiss cap

Carl Zeiss Jena Nr. 2041XXX Triotar 1:4 f = 8,5 cm

C.Z. Jena Triotar 3/135 Nr. 401xxxx tube color is more like burgundy, not red
 
your comment:

CZJ Triotar f4.0 135mm SN 4010xxx (Are you certain that this is a Contax mount lens? And that it's a Triotar and not a Sonnar?)

Just went back to remove the rear lens cap and verified that it is not a Contax mount.

Sorry for the confusion.

I assumed that since my dad had boxed it with the Contax, it belonged there. Now I have a new dilemma.
 
that's a pleasant dilemma...

be very specific in your translation of engraved indication as they are clues for dating and evaluating...

unless specific history, you will get more splitting the collection... but don't split things that belongs together like body and original lens, lens and accessories...

good luck...

S.
 
photovdz
QUOTE=photovdz;867087]that's a pleasant dilemma...

be very specific in your translation of engraved indication as they are clues for dating and evaluating...

S.[/QUOTE]
Indeed. And especially with the Zeiss cameras as ZeissFan also kindly pointed out.

Lesson learned.

Thanks
 
The Opton 35mm Biogon in partiuclar is pretty sought-after, because it's the only such lens that fits on the post-War Contaxes - the prewar lenses have a huge rear element.

There's a price guide here:

http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/zc.htm

I'll be looking out for that IIa if you do sell it, and good luck.
 
BrunoK said:
Thanks for pointing that out. I have a tendency to translate cm to mm.

Here are the full lens descriptors read directly:

Carl Zeiss Jena Nr. 1827xxx Sonnar 1:2 f = 5cm

Zeiss-Opton Nr. 832xxx Biogon 1:2.8 f =35 mm has rear Zeiss cap

Carl Zeiss Jena Nr. 2041XXX Triotar 1:4 f = 8,5 cm

C.Z. Jena Triotar 3/135 Nr. 401xxxx tube color is more like burgundy, not red
Click to expand...

When it comes to the prewar lenses, be on the lookout for cleaning marks on the front element. They're common and depending on the severity might affect the image.

The Biogon is a coveted lens. Does your lens have a red T or what looks like an (white) F?

The prewar 8.5cm Triotar is considered to be an average performer. I have the prewar and postwar version. I haven't yet tested the prewar lens. The postwar is a very nice lens.

The reason that I asked about the 135 Triotar is that this lens wasn't made in the Contax mount. If it's a bayonet, it could be for the Exakta. If it's a screw mount, it should be M42. I generally use "could," because there's always the chance that it might be some other mount.

You have a very nice collection of lenses there.
 
The Biogon is a coveted lens. Does your lens have a red T or what looks like an (white) F?

Just inspected it. It has a red [in caps] T , between the 35mm and Zeiss engraving.
 
The lenses with a red T are later lenses, I believe. There was a discussion about the T/F inscription elsewhere, but of course I can't remember where it was.

Performance should be the same with either lens. I recently sold my "spare" Biogon. I always regret selling my Zeiss Ikon equipment, but it was just sitting around, which to me is wasteful, so off it went.

In any case, the 35mm Biogon is another classic Zeiss lens for the Contax. There really aren't any poor lenses in the group, with the possible exception of the prewar 8.5cm Triotar. But I want to test it before I make any further comments. Maybe this week.

The Contax was made for both the professional and amateur photographers who had money. Zeiss Ikon and Carl Zeiss made top-level accessories and lenses, respectively, for the system. Nearly any Zeiss lens for the Contax will be a keeper and capable of producing excellent photos.
 
ZeissFan said:
with the possible exception of the prewar 8.5cm Triotar. But I want to test it before I make any further comments. Maybe this week.
Click to expand...

If yours is like my loaner (always dangerous to draw conclusions from a single lens) you are (like I was) in for a surprise. A very underrated lens.
 
ZeissFan,

Please clarify for me the significance of the red T coated 35mm lens. Is more sought after and therefore more valuable than without?

How and where could I find the approx. current value?

Thanks in advance.
Bruno


ZeissFan said:
The lenses with a red T are later lenses, I believe. There was a discussion about the T/F inscription elsewhere, but of course I can't remember where it was.

Performance should be the same with either lens. I recently sold my "spare" Biogon. I always regret selling my Zeiss Ikon equipment, but it was just sitting around, which to me is wasteful, so off it went.

In any case, the 35mm Biogon is another classic Zeiss lens for the Contax. There really aren't any poor lenses in the group, with the possible exception of the prewar 8.5cm Triotar. But I want to test it before I make any further comments. Maybe this week.

The Contax was made for both the professional and amateur photographers who had money. Zeiss Ikon and Carl Zeiss made top-level accessories and lenses, respectively, for the system. Nearly any Zeiss lens for the Contax will be a keeper and capable of producing excellent photos.
Click to expand...
 
First, I used a poor choice of words regarding the prewar Triotar. It's not a poor lens, but the comments that I've read is that it's not in the same league as a Sonnar. However, I would rather shoot a roll and decide for myself.

The postwar Triotar is a very good lens.

Regarding the Biogon, any of the postwar lenses will bring a hefty amount and generally more than the prewar lens.

It's always hard to say which is more desirable, because then you're sometimes getting into the question of which is more collectible. And that often has nothing to do with the performance of the lens but obscure details, such as serial number, condition of the lens, papers and other things.

I would say that most of the postwar Biogons will bring between $350-$500, depending on condition and market timing. With eBay -- especially with eBay -- it's all about timing and finding the right buyer at the right time.
 
And also, some collectors and users want the early version while others want the later version. Just one of those things that you can't predict.

In any case, you have a very nice set of lenses.
 
Highway 61,

Very interesting piece of history.

And the lens is in a fact engraved as:
Zeiss-Opton Nr. 832xxx Biogon 1:2.8 f =35 mm T [red]​

has Zeiss rear lens cap
 
I have the same finder (made in Jena, but marked "IIa").

We should remember that all of this trading between W. & E. Germany occurred before the Iron Curtain went up (& was indeed the sort of thing that it was intended to stop).

Highway 61 said:
I have an early postwar Carl Zeiss Jena 85/2 Sonnar T, it's made of a mix of aluminum and chrome plated brass. It came with a "Torpedo" 85/135 external finder, that finder was made in East-Germany according to its Carl Zeiss Jena markings, yet it wears the "IIa" engraved mention on its shoe, revealing that it was an East-German Zeiss finder newly designed for the West-German Contax IIa camera. Interesting.
Click to expand...
 
Highway 61 -- thanks for the info. I knew this but my brain doesn't retain information like it once did.

But basically, that's the story. By the way, the T stands for a very lengthy German phrase (which I don't recall, of course) that essentially means coated or lens coating or something to that effect.

Several years ago, someone asked on pnet (photo.net) what they thought was the most important technological advance. I've felt that it was lens coatings, because without them, today's advanced optics wouldn't be possible.
 
I'm not sure about that TF explanation because the TF marked lenses are from various batches and serial numbers, and you can find white TF lenses and red T at the same time of production.
There seems to be also CZJ TF engraved in red in some batches of lenses... iI'm trying to make a TF lens registry on the ZICG... to see what we end up with...

anyway the splitting between both side of Zeiss was not so "waterproof" as it seems and lenses from both side are of the same optical quality...if not of same design

There is also the story of the "noname" contax which is in fact a kiev 4 without engravings regermanised "ussr occupied germany" and sold on the american market with the tacit acceptation of zeiss west as the contax IIa and IIIa were discontinued, those cameras were sold with carl zeiss (west) lenses from the redundant zeiss stock production (in 63).
I own one, it's a plain kiev4 with seemingly better quality control and a normal CZ lens... (the wall was not so waterthight...)
 
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