WoodallP
Pragmatist Barnack lover
Well one of them is a 52 Kiev 2 but with that date it’s an honorary Contax.
I should have taken it out but I have a Black Leica IIa syn that called out for love today after a brake adjustment.
Contax II worth the repair?
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I should have taken it out but I have a Black Leica IIa syn that called out for love today after a brake adjustment.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Yes, it seems it is, especially a '52. Is it working well? Jupiter-8 or Jupiter-3? How does it shoot?
WoodallP
Pragmatist Barnack lover
It's nice to shoot and everything works as it should; it's in lovely condition but I stupidly changed the leather at some point in the past, it's tidy but looks more Leica than Kiev/Contax. It feels every bit as good as my CIII and CII but they all feel slightly different, that's age for you 🙂
At the moment the K2 is sporting an Opton Sonnar f2, which is very naughty of me. It came to me some years back with a pretty ropey condition 52 J8 attached and I have tended to swap the lenses around a bit between this and my Amadeo adapter. I have a 68 J8M which I like a lot but my hope is to get a 52 J3 if one comes along. I will admit to spending more time with Barnacks but a change is as good as a rest!
WoodallP
Pragmatist Barnack lover
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Be still, my heart . . . ;o)
moggi1964
Established
This one is currently with Ed Trzoska.
Pioneer
Veteran
Enjoy it when it gets back. They really are wonderful shooters and deserve to be out taking pictures.
johnf04
Well-known
Away upthread, I mentioned the Contax II that I bought, which had shutter faults - broken ribbons, and curtain side straps. I tried transplanting a Kiev shutter into the camera - it didn't quite fit. In the end, I decided to fix the thing myself. I used Rick Ho's blog post and Maisenberg's repair book for information. Here is one of the blinds with the broken side straps removed.
I replaced these on both blinds, with leather strips I cut from a larger piece - they are thicker than the original, but work ok. I replaced the ribbons with the only material I could find locally which was the right size - a polyester ribbon 3mm wide made by Berisfords. Here are the ribbons being attached to the blinds.
I replaced these on both blinds, with leather strips I cut from a larger piece - they are thicker than the original, but work ok. I replaced the ribbons with the only material I could find locally which was the right size - a polyester ribbon 3mm wide made by Berisfords. Here are the ribbons being attached to the blinds.
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Muggins
Proprietor of Orphanage for Lost Cameras
He'll take a while, but it will purr when it comes back!
Is that (yet another) 1936 serial number I see?
1936ContaxII
Established
Muggins
Proprietor of Orphanage for Lost Cameras
They must have had a lot stocked up ready to go out on order!
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I sent mine off to Oleg. Round trip it cost around $300. The camera is like new, I guess. It is quiet and functions well. Camera and lens both.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
As a matter of fact I do and they were all bad, 100%. Two reasons I can guess: first the lens was put on wrong and did not focus right and two I had the back on imperfectly which caused light leaks. I love the camera but am reminded why I like digital, too. But I am running a roll of film through the old dear now and will see how it works when it is done.
If I am again foiled we will not be discussing this. lo)
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
What lens were you using? It's pretty impossible to put a 50mm lens on a Contax incorrectly. Anything that engages with the external bayonet, though? Yeah, that's a whole world of annoyance.
Let's just say there's a reason I picked up an LTM Amedeo adapter to use 50mm Contax lenses on a more sane body. 😅
Miles.
Beamsplitter
It’s very easy for the collapsible f2 Sonnar to be bumped out of alignment and not realize it. I shoot this system a lot, and know to check often, and it still gets me!
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I a, using the the '36 CZJ 5cm f/2.0 that came with the camera. But I understand (?) that if you mount the lens when the focus is not at infinity you are screwed. The lens is good. And for $200 I got a '37 CZJ 5cm f/1.5, coated. The III came along for free. It has to go to Oleg.
As for CZJ honeys, I had a '43 CZJ 5cm f/1.5 fall into my lap from the wonderful 272 series. The color and definition are really good. I evaluate by flesh tomes and these are spot on. This is a German couple who ran away with my 2CV.
L1003418 M9 + '42 5cm CZJ 1.5 of the 272nnnn series of magic lenses by West Phalia, on Flickr
L1003437 by West Phalia, on Flickr
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peterm1
Veteran
So far as I can see it looks as if it may be worth repairing. The body is clean and on the face of it it looks in good condition. So I would get a quote. One thing to be aware is that with these cameras it is necessary to first rewind /cock the shutter before you change the shutter speed for the next shot If the camera is locked up then this would be my first line of inquiry - especially if the camera has been in the hands of an untutored owner / holder (like a brother 😳) I once owned one to which this had happened.
If the curtain has some small holes this can be fixed (though maybe not permanently) for pretty cheap.
But if its roached its a bigger tear down. My advice is that if you aspire to shoot film it is worth inquiring into the cost of repairs and service at least. If shooting film is not your thing and you own a mirrorless digital camera as you say you do, then maybe start there. It is a pretty cheap option as you say.
These days you can buy for cheap, good quality Contax to Leica M adapters which are nicely engineered. Such adapters are not designed for use on Leica M cameras as they lack rangefinder connection (some much more expensive adapters do have rangefinder linkage) but they work brilliantly on most mirrorless digital cameras as all you need is a mechanical fit to hold the lens in front of the camera at the correct distance. Add to this adapter a Leica M to Canon digital adapter and stack them - i.e. a Contax to M adapter then M to Canon adapter. This will give you a highly flexible system for mounting lenses on your Canon camera (e.g. in the same manner you could mount a Nikon to Leica M / Leica M to Canon and as you already have a Leica M to canon mount adapter the proposition is even cheaper. I do this all the time.
An example of the Contax to Leica M adapter can be seen here. Lens Adapter For Contax Rangefinder CRF RF Lens to for Leica M M3 M6 M8 MP-240 | eBay Australia
If the curtain has some small holes this can be fixed (though maybe not permanently) for pretty cheap.
But if its roached its a bigger tear down. My advice is that if you aspire to shoot film it is worth inquiring into the cost of repairs and service at least. If shooting film is not your thing and you own a mirrorless digital camera as you say you do, then maybe start there. It is a pretty cheap option as you say.
These days you can buy for cheap, good quality Contax to Leica M adapters which are nicely engineered. Such adapters are not designed for use on Leica M cameras as they lack rangefinder connection (some much more expensive adapters do have rangefinder linkage) but they work brilliantly on most mirrorless digital cameras as all you need is a mechanical fit to hold the lens in front of the camera at the correct distance. Add to this adapter a Leica M to Canon digital adapter and stack them - i.e. a Contax to M adapter then M to Canon adapter. This will give you a highly flexible system for mounting lenses on your Canon camera (e.g. in the same manner you could mount a Nikon to Leica M / Leica M to Canon and as you already have a Leica M to canon mount adapter the proposition is even cheaper. I do this all the time.
An example of the Contax to Leica M adapter can be seen here. Lens Adapter For Contax Rangefinder CRF RF Lens to for Leica M M3 M6 M8 MP-240 | eBay Australia
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aw614
Well-known
I think mine has a light leak in the lower left corner, so I am guessing the upper right part of the camera? I used it this past weekend and film is still loaded in it so I might need to message Oleg about it to see if he knows about any common light leak areas on it since I got it back from him in August. Overall I've been happy with using the contax
Some shots, I took showing the light leak which doesnt appear all the time.
Shot without the light leak with Zeiss 50mm 1.5
Light leak With the Zeiss 50mm F1.5
This one was using the Contax II with either the Jupiter 8m or jupiter 12.
Some shots, I took showing the light leak which doesnt appear all the time.
Shot without the light leak with Zeiss 50mm 1.5
Light leak With the Zeiss 50mm F1.5
This one was using the Contax II with either the Jupiter 8m or jupiter 12.
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johnf04
Well-known
That's a common place for Kiev cameras to get light leaks, too.
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