1936 Contax II

[oldhaven]

First roll through my new 1936 Contax II. Film was Woods and Waters 250, a B/W cinema film repackaged by my local lab.Zeiss Tessar 50/3.5

These were taken with a 1931 Zeiss black and silver Tessar 50/3.5 using a yellow filter








And these were with a "modern" Helios 103

 

[enasniearth]

really like the 2nd photo
uncoated lenses & bright areas
give a nice glow to the image

 

[Muggins]

Nice! I'm just trying a roll of colour through my Contax III of the same vintage and matching f2 Sonnar, I shall be pleased if anything is half as nice as yours.

 

[DownUnder]

Good images from an oldie.

Two questions. 1 Did you sharpen the images in post processing? 2 Have you checked your lens for haze?

Admittedly many uncoated lenses produce a haze-like soft focus effect. The Tessar in my late 1930s Rolleiflex TLR being a prime example. Negatives from this little beauty need a 3-5 point sharpening to improve the look.

2 is epidemic with prewar Contax lenses. Even Leitz is not immune to this. Comes with age. My 1950s collapsible Summicron had to be dismantled and thoroughly cleaned. In the end I paid more for the service than the lens was worth, but that 'cron was a gift from a neighbour who bought it new but kept it in storage for decades. If I had bought it from Ebay (no reputable camera shop would have sold it in its condition), whether or not it would have been worth the cost, well. Jury out.

 

[oldhaven]

Thanks all, I am very pleased with the old Contax since it is one of the first 2000 made. The photos with the nearly unused H-103 show what it is capable of, and I will soon try it with period 1.5 and 2 Zeiss Sonnar lenses. The collapsible 50/3.5 Tessar shows its age and has some haze. I have not cleaned it up yet, but it was used with a Series hood and an old Kodak yellow filter for these shots. I may remove the filter to see what difference that makes before messing with it too much. I did try sharpening the second picture but I liked it more without. I only lightened the shadows and dark foreground a bit.

 

[wlewisiii]

It's very likely with that age of Tessar, that it is age bloom rather than haze as such. You'll want to be very cautious - if it is bloom, you do not want to remove it. Instead, be aware of where the sun is, use your hood and appreciate what you have for what it is. It will never be a modern lens, after all.

The Helios-103 being a modern lens is a different story - a modern design, coated double gauss is going to give a different vibe than the old "Eagle's Eye" will. Both have their place.

 

[oldhaven]

Thank you, sound advice. The third picture with the Tessar seems to show what you suggest for its best capabilities. I still suspect thee yellow filter hindered it. We’ll see.

 

[wlewisiii]

Make sure the filter is clean - I've been surprised by that as well as miscalculating filter factors in metering.

 

[davidswiss]

Nice pictures, I also have a Helios 103 and like it very much.