Contarex -normal behaviour?

[Plungefrog]

Hi, I have just acquired a Contarex bullseye with Planar 50mm f2. I do rather like it -it's a really nice piece of engineering and a very cool camera -but I am unsure if all is well with it, perhaps other Contarex owners could help. The shutter release button is rather stiff -it takes quite some pressure to overcome the resistance before the shutter fires, which makes me wonder if camera shake will be the result. Also, the lens diaphragm closing mechanism seems a bit sluggish -with the back removed, if I look at the lens diaphragm (set to f22) through the shutter, at slow shutter speeds it is closing down fine and forms a nice visibly small shape. At higher shutter speeds the diaphragm opening looks bigger -implying that the stop-down mechanism is not closing the diaphragm quite quick enough for the faster shutter speed.

Any thoughts please? And any advice on who services these cameras (preferably in the UK) if I decide to keep it?

thanks!

 

[Ranchu]

Sounds like a 'get rid of it' kind of situation to me. I've never been a Contarex owner though. Have you seen this? http://www.zeisscamera.com/services_overhaul-contarex.shtml

 

[Vickko]

I've had a few Contarex cameras in my time.

1. on the shutter release, I didn't find them stiff. No different than most other cameras. Sounds like yours is due for a lubrication. And you are correct, on a vertical push shutter, if it is stiff, you do risk shaking the camera when taking photos.

2. on the aperture closure mechanism, it is a ring that must rotate fairly quickly in the body, with a follower ring in the lens. You could take the lens off and try the ring on the lens. On the ones I remember, it ran very smooth, like it was on ball bearings. I think the camera body ring was spring loaded but needed proper maintenance to run properly.

Good luck

 

[leicapixie]

Reading about servicing/repairing Contarex SLR is pure horror!
It seems strange how complex German and European manufacturers made and still do such complex mechanisms..

I was a Master Watchmaker trained by the Swiss.
A typical Swiss mechanical watch had about 18 or more different screws..Citizen,Seiko and other Japanese Manufacturers all shared same screws..There were about 6 sizes.
On a certain very expensive Swiss watch, self winding, no complications there were more than 24 different sizes.
The base metal platine used to hold the mechanism was of such a soft metal, one could strip the threads in a jiffy!
After a few of those, I would suggest returning to factory..

Cameras are no different. Nikon, Canon,Sony,Pentax all share many similar units in their Digital models..Sensors..
Leica is a sign of this similar problem..
Pentax/Nikon copied the Leica shutter but simplified the complexity.

I was offered a complete Contarex SLR kit ,one SE body the other the regular SLR, many lenses from a Zeiss Person and photographer, as Zeiss was leaving South Africa(sanctions BUT mostly negative sales).
I never bought it. Thank goodness.

My one original Pentax Spotmatic from about 1966, is still in use!
I repaired the door lock once!

 

[sevo]

Probably both body (release knob) and lens (aperture mechanism) need a cleaning. The way the parts of the mechanism are spring loaded, a sluggish aperture (slow to close) usually is a lens side issue, while slow to open means camera side.

 

[Gareth Rees]

Ed Trzoska of Europhoto Services in Leicester services contarex cameras.
Phone no: 0116 2674247

 

[Ronald M]

KISS is the design goal, keep it simple stupid.

Fine camera and top lenses if you can keep them serviced which is getting more and more difficult. Yours need service. Young are not getting into this work and old are retiring.

 

[Vickko]

Contarex also made it a total nuisance to repair. On some models, a screw is under the aluminum name label. Impossible to remove label without marring it.

But I suspect once you get one opened up, it is repairable.

 

[Pioneer]

I own two of these cameras and both shutter releases are very smooth. No concern with introducing camera shake. A little exercise may sort that out. One of mine required a full service, the other has smoothed out nicely with some exercise.

As for your lens diaphragm, it certainly sounds as though the lens could use some cleaning. You may try e-mailing Henry on this. I know he typically accepts lenses for cleaning without a wait list.

 

[Plungefrog]

Thanks for all the replies, much food for thought. I think I might send it back to the seller but I'll get some repair quotes first; I would definitely be keeping it if it had been cheap but I don't like paying full price for kit that needs work.