Contax II worth the repair?

[bbennett]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum, so I hope I don't break any rules with this post. I've acquired a Contax II that was my grandfather's. I was super excited to use it - it had been at my brothers for ages and I convinced him to finally give it to me - but it appears to be non-functional at the moment. The shutter release button is stuck in the down position, the curtain likely needs some help, and the timer has no slack on the lever. Plus general cleaning. I believe my grandfather was the original and only owner (his name is inside the leather case). It's in pretty decent shape appearance wise, some dirt in the expected spots. I'm hoping someone more familiar with it may shed any additional light on it.

Serial Number: B56221 (looks like 1936)
Lens: Sonnar 1:2 f=5cm Carl Zeiss Jena No2039949, collapsible, no "T" on the ring.

Additionally, I've got a few questions I'm looking for opinions on:
1.) Is it worth getting this repaired? If so does anyone know of any highly trusted repair shops/people? I'd like to use it, I'm not sure if it would be prohibitively expensive. As stated above, the shutter release button is stuck in the down position, the curtain likely needs some help, and the timer has no slack on the lever. Plus general cleaning.
2.) If the body is not worth the expense (or even if it is), is it worth buying an adapter to use the lens on my Canon R8?
3.) Does anyone have any images captured with this lens?
4.) Does anyone have images specifically of the bokeh this produces?
5.) Is the lens any more special or rare than any other Contax II lens?

Thanks in advance!

-Bryan

 

[Sonnar Brian]

One of my favorite pictures with the CZJ 5cm F2, wide-open on the Leica M Monochrom.



Some history of the Sonnar lens,

Ninety Years of Sonnars- From the Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F2 to the The 5cm F2 Bertele Sonnar

Interchangeable lens 35mm rangefinder cameras made their debut over 90 years ago when Leitz introduced the Leica II and Zeiss debuted the Contax I. The first lenses for these cameras were Tessar formula lenses of modest speed. The 5cm F3.5 Tessar was produced in Contax RF mount in 1931, and was...

rangefinderforum.com

The camera can be repaired, it will run a couple hundred $. It was your Grandfather's, which adds to the personal value. The Contax II often need the shutter ribbons replaced, and general repair/cleaning. This camera is from the 1930s.

To give an idea of what is involved:

Contax II Repair: Disassembly

elekm.net

 

[johnf04]

I recently bought a very similar Contax II - from 1937. Mine has broken shutter ribbons - quite common with these, the ribbons are a consumable, worn out by friction from one of the curtains. What makes it a more serious repair is that the leather straps, which run down the edge of the curtain slats (the edge is turned over them) are also broken. Repairing a shutter in this state is a much more difficult undertaking.

 

[Miles.]

1b: Oleg of OKVintageCameras is your best bet in 2024 for repair of these cameras. About $200 not including shipping to Slovakia.

5: Your lens is fairly ubiquitous, although examples with good glass are exceedingly rare.

 

[bbennett]

Thank you for the replies! I'm kind of mentally stuck between whether it's more ideal (for now) to spend money on repairing the body in order to use the whole system, or spending what seems to be roughly (after a quick B&H search) the same amount of money on an adapter to use just the lens with more modern cameras. Long term I do want to get it repaired, but right now I can only pick one from a financial standpoint. 🤔

 

[Kai-san]

Last year I bought a 1939 Contax II on the cheap, it was not working. I sent it to Oleg who had to do a restoration since there was some rust inside. It cost me $300 + shipping, but I think it was well worth it, it's such a nice camera to use. I have not yet tested the Sonnar 2/5cm that came with it, but it looks a bit iffy.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Thank you for the replies! I'm kind of mentally stuck between whether it's more ideal (for now) to spend money on repairing the body in order to use the whole system, or spending what seems to be roughly (after a quick B&H search) the same amount of money on an adapter to use just the lens with more modern cameras. Long term I do want to get it repaired, but right now I can only pick one from a financial standpoint. 🤔

"The Whole System"- do you have more lenses than just the 5cm F2 Sonnar?
You have a Canon R8, which would be suitable for an adapter.

Adjustable Leica M39 39mm Lens to Canon RF Mount EOS R5 R6 RP Ra Camera Adapter | eBay

Leica M39 39mm Lens. Canon EOS R5. Canon EOS RP. Canon EOS R6. Exposure and focus has to be adjusted manually. Precise design, fine finishing! Install, remove and operate lens smoothly! Made of Brass and Aluminum.

www.ebay.com

and

FOTOFOX Contax Rangefinder CRF RF Lens to Leica Mount M39 L39 Adapter RF-L39 | eBay

1 x Lens mount adapter. ï¼siut for Zeiss 50mm; 50RF; other lens maybe can't use,Suggest not to buyï¼. The 50mm lens linkage focusing is accurate,while the linkage of other focal length lenses is different or other limitations.

www.ebay.com

Will work. Remember that the much newer Contax/Yashica bayonet mount is much different from the 1930s mount you have.

 

[Muggins]

If its a family piece and you are into photography I would absolutely get it repaired (as you've posted here, I think those are fair assumptions). I won't recommend a repairer as mine has been away for 11 months as the fixer is semi-retired (it's not Oleg), but I know what I'd do. I've got bugger-all of either grandfather's and, I'll be honest, I'm a bit jealous of you on this.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

One less common feature- the camera is "Made in Germany", meaning it was made for export. I have one 5cm F1.5 Sonnar also marked "Made in Germany". I'm not sure how many were specifically marked for export. A relatively small percentage. Would be interesting to know where your Grandfather bought the camera.

 

[armadsen]

I can confirm the recommendation for Oleg. He recently repaired a Contax I (much harder to find people to work on than the II) and did an excellent, fast, reasonably priced job.

The only wrinkle is that sending the camera to him in the EU from the US (or presumably any other place) will incur duty. I ended up sending mine to him from France, which I happened to be visiting shortly after I asked him about doing the repair. The return shipping to the US is no problem, and I'm guessing Oleg will have some kind of reasonable procedure in place to deal with the problem.

 

[bbennett]

If its a family piece and you are into photography I would absolutely get it repaired

I'm almost certainly going to get it repaired, but whether or not thats now or down the road I'm not sure yet!

"The Whole System"- do you have more lenses than just the 5cm F2 Sonnar?
You have a Canon R8, which would be suitable for an adapter.

No, unfortunately I don't have additional lenses, just meant the body + lens. And thank you for those links! There is a direct adapter that is quite a bit pricier (KIPON Lens Mount Adapter for Contax RF-Mount, Internal or External...).

Would be interesting to know where your Grandfather bought the camera.

I think perhaps through the Navy, but only because the inside of the case has his name and return address for U.S. NAVY 157 c/o P.P.O N.Y. N.Y. stamped into it, it may not necessarily mean thats how he got it.

 

[dxq.canada]

Make sure to check if the shutter button is not locked

Zeiss Ikon Contax II, Contax IIa instruction manual, Zeiss Ikon Contax IIa instruction manual, CONTAX II Mode d'emploi de l'appareil user manual, PDF manual

Zeiss Ikon Contax user manual in PDF format.

www.butkus.org

 

[dxq.canada]

The front element of the lens looks good ... be careful cleaning it (if you do) as it can be scratched.
The camera is worth the CLA.

 

[bbennett]

Make sure to check if the shutter button is not locked

View attachment 4831874

Wow. I read those instructions and performed that action already... except I didn't have an accompanying photo with the document I found and apparently that was necessary. This did release the button 🙄 , but the curtain still not moving... I'll take another suggestion! haha

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I saw the Kipon adapter- almost $300 more than the two adapter solution.
I have three of the Fotofox adapters- they are good enough.

 

[dxq.canada]

Well, if you have already turned the film advance knob ... and pressing the shutter release button does nothing ... can you advance the film again?

 

[dxq.canada]

Hmm, I am trying to recall if the collapsible lens needs to be extended/locked in place before shutter could be release?

I have some info about the insides if you want to know ... Contax II – This Old Camera

 

[Bill Jones]

Hmm, I am trying to recall if the collapsible lens needs to be extended/locked in place before shutter could be release?

I have some info about the insides if you want to know ... Contax II – This Old Camera

No. The lens mount is not related to the shutter release.

Bill

 

[KoNickon]

With the back off, when you turn the shutter wind knob (I'm assuming you can turn the shutter wind knob), do you see the shutter curtains moving upward? Do they move at all? (Are the curtains open or closed?)

 

[bbennett]

Well, if you have already turned the film advance knob ... and pressing the shutter release button does nothing ... can you advance the film again?

Yes, the knob turns until it locks, I can click the shutter release (although it feels like I need to wiggle the dial back and forth a hair before I can press it down) and then I can continue to wind. I don't see any movement on the shutter. The curtain is near the top and very nearly closed. It appears more closed now that I've unlocked the shutter release than before I had done that. It previously had a small open sliver which was more closed on the left side than the right side. It now appears to be straight across but it's hard to tell if it's fully closed or slightly open.

I'll wait to see, just in case someone has another idea, but if I had to guess, its likely the ribbons or leather that John spoke of above... though I still can't rule out user error lol.