Camera and Coffee

taffer, how is that soviet viewfinder?

I have always been a little scared of soviet viewfinders because of the viewfinders they usually have in their cameras... squinty.
 
FrankS said:
Here just could be the best camera/lens combo ever.

(daring not to be grey)
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I opened up the thumbnail expecting to see a Contax IIa and a 50/1.5 Sonnar ;)

Very handsome outfit, Frank...but where's the coffee?
 
Zeiss Contaprox

Zeiss Contaprox

Zeiss Contaprox close-up outfit with portable(?) copy stand. The set comes with three extension tubes, a ground glass focus screen, right-angle finder, magnifying finder, and a 50/3.5 Tessar mounted to a macro-focusing unit. A Contax IIa with an original Zeiss cable release is mounted over the morning Jet Fuel.

My wife has a sense of humor about my preference for cameras; she asked when this outfit was made and I replied post-war. She said "Oh, then it is relatively new." :)
 
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einolu said:
taffer, how is that soviet viewfinder?

I have always been a little scared of soviet viewfinders because of the viewfinders they usually have in their cameras... squinty.
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Hey einoly ! Opposite to most FSU camera viewfinders, the 35mm finder view is very big and bright. It has no brightlines or lines of any kind, and I miss a bit of negative diopter correction but it's completely useable and a world of difference with let's say a Kiev or a Fed-2.
 
Pherdinand said:
interesting looking construction, Doug. Are you also ever using it?
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The copy stand is very well constructed but truthfully I have other more immediate options that are easier to use. The Contaprox itself will most likely see a lot of use, in fact more than I initially imagined. The lens is marked with corresponding points to use in conjunction with the Contameter finder, so quick macro field work is possible with better results than using the complete Contameter system with its supplemental lenses (with the Contaprox you can direct focus the 3.5 Tessar to 2.5x). Focusing at distances other than marked for the three preset distances of the Contameter viewfinder requires using the ground glass focus screen in place of the camera, then removing the screen and replacing the camera for the picture -- inconvenient for sure (why God invented SLR's :)) but really not too bad if everything is secure on a steady mount...and you're not photographing live insects.
 
Five Basic Contax 35mm Lenses

Five Basic Contax 35mm Lenses

Left to right:
  1. Late version 35mm f/2.8 Biogon (7 elements, 4 groups) on a late model IIa Color Dial (last of 300 made), with 427 finder.
  2. 35mm f/3.5 Planar on a IIa Black Dial with a 440 Universal finder.
  3. 35mm f/4.5 Orthometar on a Contax II with a 436 Universal finder.
  4. 35mm f/2.8 Biometar on a IIa Color Dial with a 432/5 35mm Finder.
  5. Early version 35mm f/2.8 Biogon (6 elements, 4 groups), can only be fitted to the Contax I, II, and III cameras (not the IIa and IIIa).
These are the five basic 35mm Contax lenses, with some further variations of these depending upon when and where produced, barrel construction, coating, etc. Favorite of the group is probably the late model Biogon and definitely the espresso ;).
 
Honu-Hugger said:
Left to right:
  1. Late version 35mm f/2.8 Biogon (7 elements, 4 groups) on a late model IIa Color Dial (last of 300 made), with 427 finder.
  2. 35mm f/3.5 Planar on a IIa Black Dial with a 440 Universal finder.
  3. 35mm f/4.5 Orthometar on a Contax II with a 436 Universal finder.
  4. 35mm f/2.8 Biometar on a IIa Color Dial with a 432/5 35mm Finder.
  5. Early version 35mm f/2.8 Biogon (6 elements, 4 groups), can only be fitted to the Contax I, II, and III cameras (not the IIa and IIIa).
These are the five basic 35mm Contax lenses, with some further variations of these depending upon when and where produced, barrel construction, coating, etc. Favorite of the group is probably the late model Biogon and definitely the espresso ;).
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Lordy, that is not only a fine line-up, but a fine photo. I am ruined.

Trius
 
Yep Ikonta - the Super version of it ;)
The meter is the Quantum Calculight XP that I've bought from a fellow rff member. I'm quite happy with it. With both of them, in fact. The camera in my left pocket, the meter in my right pocket, ready to shoot!
 
Honu-Hugger said:
Very nice, Pherdi. Good to see you have your priorities in order -- photographic equipment on top of the text book!!!
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LOL, right, that's true (no wonder i am still messing with the last chapter of my thesis!:bang:)
but don't tell my boss - extra aggravating fact is, that he wrote himself a chapter in that text book :rolleyes:
 
well, I learned a lesson on this one about shooting reflections, but it may actually have come out better than what I was thinking.

Trung Nguyen coffee in a Library Hotel mug, my morning ritual (alternating with a Blue and White Diner mug from Tunica, Miss.), and me and the 7s reflected in the iPod. The black blob on its right are my headphones.
 
ChrisN - a good shooter and a great place to have coffee... and if you tell me that's your ride parked at the curb, I'll just be too jealous to ever speak to you again!! ;)
 
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