Contax II and III Serial numbers

[drmatthes]

Current links for Contax production dates

Current links for Contax production dates

Since the wctatel.net link is broken, here are some more recent links regarding the production years in question (It is, however, necessary to consider that there seems to be no consistent cross-reference in serial numbers for the WW2 years after 1940, and obviously no certain references at all after 1943, while it may well be that many of these later documents have been lost):

http://leicacontax.blogspot.com/p/contax-cameras-serial-numbers.html

https://www.petrakla.com/pages/dating-the-contax

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Zeiss_Ikon_serial_numbers

After WW2, things start getting even more complicated. AFAIK there had been three Contax production lines set up, two in Dresden, and one at the Carl Zeiss Jena plant (or at Saalfeld?), by order of the Soviet authorities. The two Dresden lines were then almost immediately shipped to Arsenal Zavod, Kiev, while the Jena line remained until later (1956?) when it was too handed over to the Soviets and went for Kiev. So, from 1945 onwards, we might have Contaxes (mainly II and rarely III) that should carry serial numbers starting Q, Contaxes without serial numbers, early Contaxes from Kiev of which I don't know anything with respect to serial numbers, and Jena made Contaxes that carry a CZJ-logo and a 5-digit serial number without preceding capital letter, engraved in the accessory shoe.

If I had the time, I would try and look all of this up in the Zeiss Archive which still keeps the post-WW2 files.

http://www.archive.zeiss.de/dosuche.FAU?sid=9C6513E61&dm=1&rpos=1

 

[drmatthes]

Article about post-WW2 Jena Contaxes

Article about post-WW2 Jena Contaxes

P.S.: In an Issue of the Journal of the Zeiss Historica society (Vol. 21, No. 1, Spring 1999), available online via

https://www.mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ZeissSpring1999.pdf

a review article about the much sought-after (VEB Carl Zeiss) Jena Contaxes (also mentioning Contaxes possibly made in Kiev) and their confusing serial number situation can be found.

 

[Shafovaloff1]

Just finished this shutter....marked 1943. Too much time...but pretty happy with the result. Contax II shutters had a lot of variation. Still have to attach self timer lever and a do a few minor things but ready for camera mostly.

 

[steveyork]

I have one of these with a Z serial number and corresponding 5cm Sonnar. If the lists are correct, it's about the 200th Contax II made in circa '35. It's broken and shows a lot of water, but what great Art Deco pieces. Have a few others, later in the production runs, where I know the provenance, having obtained them from the families of the original owners. Every once in awhile I'll taken them out and shoot. The old, uncoated Sonnars are so full of character, and not bad optically either.

 

[Shafovaloff1]

Had problems with 1/ 50 th second escapements engaging on a Contax II, III...and think I know the cause. A little more to do on the shutter, on that later. And I have found ideal ribbon replacement material....just need to get a few more rolls for supply. In the past I have relied upon ribbon from Japan or JoAnn's. The variation is may be a few hundredths of a millimeter but just 0.04 mm one way or the other is effectively huge.

My calipers tell me that the original Contax II ribbon thickness was ~0.233 mm in thickness and 3mm wide. The stuff I have found is <1/8th inch wide and ~0.18 mm, + or - 0.01 mm thickness. The Contax II ribbon weave is tight zig-zag in appearance and slides through un-dented clutch on the curtain pretty easy. The ribbon I found is polyester and has a smooth side and a side with a slight rise across the width. I install the side with the very slight "rise" so it faces the bridge on the clutch, not facing the curtain. After exercising a shutter ad nauseum in figuring out how this thing works the new ribbon has not burred or fluffed up like the earlier stuff. I used a small paint brush to apply graphite to the ribbon also.

The reason I like the polyester is that using a cigar torch, deftly, I can melt the very end to prevent fray yet stay inside the small depression designed to conceal any bump from sewing at the attachment point on the spring rollers. Another thing is that this ribbon will pass through the slits on each side of the 2nd curtain, easily. Attaching the ribbon to the 2nd curtain I also melt the end, a small amount, in addition to the sewing. [ I tried making a larger bead of melted polyester for the ribbon end fold on the back of the 2nd curtain for testing, and no sewing, and it "grabbed on "B" operation. IMHOP the sewing gluing of the end fold will eventually be eliminated on these shutters. Actually the original shutters "stitch" accomplished this.] I have found that ~3 to 4 mm end of fold is enough to hold and not drag in the roller on "B" even without gluing it flat, the end located on the back of the 2nd curtain,

What I recently got on Ebay was a Contax III with an open bottom shutter crate that has a metal extension to stop the 1st curtain at the bottom left side that strikes the film aperture plate. On the right side is a brass fitting to stop the curtain next to the roller. There are "scorch marks" on the escapement-unit parts including the main gear....which had less than the 20 half teeth. [ I suspect that since the escapement delay extends into the film aperture that the prior owner did not feel it interfered with that amount of movement after escapement release.]The axle for the 1st curtain roller is fixed....so no way to remove without damaging the unit...however the main gear (largest gear) can be rotated when loosened when it is pulled away from the crate with the flat spot on the end of the 2nd curtain roller for adjustment. I suspect either this shutter crate was used in development, training or for a repair technical reference.

The keeper for the wound main spring on the above shutter is also a little different [from what I have seen before] having a circular cut out for the axle slot incorporated into the keeper notch. Since the 1st curtain is attached to a point on the ribbons until it reaches the bottom, the thinner than original ribbon I use it is significant that it does not seem to interfere with acceleration(s) through the film aperture. This is a very interesting and much more complex machine than I originally thought. I am but an amateur at this but in order to tune one up one needs to know a little more than generally published.

By the way I am using an old TV to check the evenness of the width of the shutter slit at high speed and for acceleration variations out of the normal....yes "normal", meaning the original design specifications AFAICT.