Contax II changing shutter speed

J

JurajJuan

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Aug 28, 2012
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Hello,
I'm new here, just like I'm to Contax II. I have one from 1939, and I'm not sure, how to change shutter speed. I know, I've read, that I have to cock it first, then change shutter speed, but I had a Kiev 4a, which damaged right after changing from 1/125 to 1/50. It looked like it came right from factory to me. And I do not want to see that happen again. Is there any speciality about that?
Thank you all!
Juraj
 
The Contax II (and by extension, the Kiev) is not supposed to get damaged by changing shutter speeds at any time except when half wound or while the shutter is running. The original manual explicitly states "Beim Verstellen des Knopfes ist besonders zu beachten, daß der Verschluß ganz aufgezogen oder abgelaufen sein muß" - i.e. that speeds may only be set when the camera is either fully cocked or in released state.

Rough old cameras may sometimes slip and end up with a wrong time if set un-cocked - but so far, I haven't experienced anything worse than single wrong exposures from that...
 
So I don't have to be afraid of changing it from 1/125 to 1/50?
And also, shouldn't be there any problems with changing from 1/1250 to B, or in reverse, etc.?
 
Zeiss Ikon doubtlessly believed there was no issue - Henry Scherer may be of a different opinion, but his opinions are by all means somewhat special...

You cannot go directly from 1/1250 to B, by the way, unless something is horribly, horribly wrong with the camera - the time knob only has 180° rotation, with B and 1/1250 at opposite ends.
 
So I tried it. 1/50 did well, except that it was noisier than fast speeds.
1/25 did well to. So as 1/10.
But when I tried 1/5, it just stayed open. And it's opened still.
I didn't move with anything. Is there anything, what could I do?
 
JurajJuan said:
So I tried it. 1/50 did well, except that it was noisier than fast speeds.
1/25 did well to. So as 1/10.
But when I tried 1/5, it just stayed open. And it's opened still.
I didn't move with anything. Is there anything, what could I do?
Click to expand...

The camera will need a cleaning and re-lubrication. Search older threads for Contax repair - there are some repair shops that can service them in Austria, the Czech republic and Hungary, and if their charges should be out of proportion to the value of a well worn camera, there also are many former Arsenal employees are all over the Ukraine, tinkering on Kievs on a very affordable base.

DIY is difficult, but feasible, and if you want to get deeper into Contax, you'll have to learn it anyway - if you want to go that way, buy a broken/dirt cheap Kiev first, to get a feel for the camera's internals. There is a service manual in print, "Zeiss Contax Repair Manual" by Peter Tooke, and there are many excellent how-to/walkthrough files and videos out on the net - mostly on the Kiev, but they apply to the Contax II as its immediate predecessor as well.
 
Highway 61 said:
The shutter ribbons may have broken. Quite normal.
Click to expand...

If any, they tend to break at the higher tensions of the fast speeds - and usually, not both sides will go at once. If the shutter simply stays open or half open at low speeds, the camera will be stuck in gummed-up grease.
 
sevo said:
If the shutter simply stays open or half open at low speeds, the camera will be stuck in gummed-up grease.
Click to expand...

It can be both (gummed-up grease and one ribbon broken).

And the ribbons receive wear on every shot, and more wear at slow speeds than at high speeds, due to how the Contax II shutter works.

Anyway the ribbons, if original, will quickly break on all Contax II cameras which are put at use again after seven decades on a shelf or in some basement/attic.

So, a shutter overhaul (as for cleaning and re-lubricating the drivetrain gears) must include a new set of ribbons.
 
That's interesting, because I have 1 of the original English instruction manuals for the Contax II from the '30s & it explicitly noted that the shutter speeds may be changed regardless of whether the shutter had been cocked.

sevo said:
The original manual explicitly states "Beim Verstellen des Knopfes ist besonders zu beachten, daß der Verschluß ganz aufgezogen oder abgelaufen sein muß" - i.e. that speeds may only be set when the camera is either fully cocked or in released state.
Click to expand...
 
furcafe said:
That's interesting, because I have 1 of the original English instruction manuals for the Contax II from the '30s & it explicitly noted that the shutter speeds may be changed regardless of whether the shutter had been cocked.
Click to expand...

That is probably just a less pedantic (and less German) way of saying the same. Common sense ought to be good enough to keep from changing speeds during exposure or while winding - but the Germans of the period believed in strict orders, not in common sense...
 
Ha, maybe the English version was more oriented towards reassuring users (who may have been more familiar w/Leicas of that time) to not worry about the winding/selecting sequence.

sevo said:
That is probably just a less pedantic (and less German) way of saying the same. Common sense ought to be good enough to keep from changing speeds during exposure or while winding - but the Germans of the period believed in strict orders, not in common sense...
Click to expand...
 
Thank you all!
I tried to wind the shutter, and change the speed. It worked, but despite of that, I'm looking for some nearby Contax repair shop.
Have to save some money for that...
 
A rangefinder Contax always deserves an overhaul or -if it's the case- a cleaning-lubricating service.

Once done that, we have a best camera in our hands.

In my opinion, the same deserve old Kievs, let's say, made until 1970.

Best wishes,

E.L.
 
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