Contax II Restoration questions

richardHaw

richardHaw

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Hello! Saw a nice Contax II up for sale nearby this afternoon.

I am looking into repairing it but I know nothing outside of Nikon. I have several questions which may sound dumb so please bear with me.

1: Spools. The shop told me that they are hard to source individually as parts. Do I need a specific type? Can I modify a spool from a film canister instead?

2: The shutter is dead, from the looks of it the ribbon gave. I have heard that this is a tedious job but other than that, I have no idea about this.

There may be some other problems but these are the ones that I can see so far. They are beautiful cameras and I want to make this thing work again.:eek::eek::eek:

would also be nice if anybody can tell me what to look for (problems). Thanks!
 
 
Original Contax spools are rare, original Contax daylight spools even rarer. But many other detachable spools will work just as well. In desperation, even spools from a film canister will do - but these are somewhat loose (being smaller to leave room for the canister), and generally have no means to attach the film short of bringing along a small length of adhesive tape.

Ribbon repair is possible - there are many instructions on the net. But it is quite unusually complex. If it is your first attempt at shutter repairs, you'd better consider this camera a merely experimental object, to be used for parts once you've learned enough.
 
 
sevo said:
Original Contax spools are rare, original Contax daylight spools even rarer. But many other detachable spools will work just as well. In desperation, even spools from a film canister will do - but these are somewhat loose (being smaller to leave room for the canister), and generally have no means to attach the film short of bringing along a small length of adhesive tape.

Ribbon repair is possible - there are many instructions on the net. But it is quite unusually complex. If it is your first attempt at shutter repairs, you'd better consider this camera a merely experimental object, to be used for parts once you've learned enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your insights! I am OK with Leica-type cloth shutters. the accordion like curtains of the Contax is quite notorious in the repair circle here in Tokyo.

Thanks for the tips about the spools, I asked a shop and they have it in stock but NOT CHEAP :eek::eek::eek: I may DIY one from an old metal film canister. Thanks for the confirmation. I am not a collector, I just want a Contax to play with along with my Nikons:rolleyes:
 
Plenty of solid information about getting the shutter going right here. Actually I don't think there is another forum with the same level of discussion and knowledge on the web. Do a search for Contax II or III shutter. You'll find plenty of good reference material. Here are a few for starters but there are a lot more.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141710
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140159

Rick Oleson knows his way around these cameras very well.
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-23.html
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-29.html
Do note that contrary to Rick's excellent sketches and notes, re-tensioning the shutter springs involves winding the adjuster anti-clockwise, not clockwise. Winding the spring the wrong way will break it, so do not forget this point, it's critical.

Peter Tooke wrote a repair manual for the II and III (with some short notes on the original Contax) and that is readily available online and not expensive. There are quite a few on eBay right now.

One of the Tomosy repair books has a couple of pages on the Contax II.

The Maizenberg Soviet camera repair manual deals with the Kiev rangefinders but they're so close to the original Contaxes that the information in it is just as relevant to those as well.

As long as no parts are broken or damaged beyond repair (they won't usually be providing the camera has not been tampered with internally) it is certainly possible to replace the ribbons and get one working again. Over the years several RFF members have successfully done just that. As one of those, my own suggestion would be to bear in mind that these shutters are not like any other 35mm design, only a select few Zeiss Ikon cameras employed anything remotely similar them. Personally, I think the II/III shutter has a lot going for it despite its peculiarities. Once it's set up properly it will never cap or taper, something you certainly can't say about the "improved" post war Contaxes. But because it's so different to anything else, I think it's important to really get your head around how it works and what it is doing (or should be doing) at the various shutter speeds. When you understand the basics of how it operates, it will help you to interpret what your mechanism is doing when you have replaced the ribbons, and what, if anything, needs fine tuning to get the fast and slow speeds working properly (Eg. the clearance at the ribbon clutches or the spring tension). If you use what most people seem to think are the best substitute for the original ribbons (those from Aki Asahi, which, being in Japan, will probably be some of the most convenient for you to procure anyway) then, you're most likely going to have to gently decrease the clearance at the clutches for starters, to persuade the curtains to travel as one for the high speeds.

In summary I would definitely not suggesting ripping into it immediately. Arm yourself with the knowledge and basic understanding you need to tackle the work and your chances of success will be much greater. I speak from experience!
Cheers
Brett
 
I would not worry too much about a take up spool in the first instance. You have to get the camera working, first.

Besides, you don't actually need a take up spool to use the camera in the interim. The reason it's removable is because (like a later Zeiss Contarex or Contaflex, and notably, also the Exakta SLRs) you can tape your leader to the clipped off end of a discarded pre-loaded 35mm cassette and wind from cassette to cassette. If you sacrifice a blank frame or two, to first wind off any images through to the take up cassette, you can even do mid-roll changes of film if you really wish to because your exposed frames will then be safely contained within the take up cassette. Most film processing labs will happily give you a few dozen spent cassettes out of their bins if you ask them nicely. You may then keep your eyes open for a removable take up spool at an affordable price, at your leisure.
Cheers,
Brett
 
Thanks for all the support! I got the Contax II this lunch. it has a modified flash sync port in the front which I can just cover later on.:bang:

lovely camera. I will see how far I can get with this one, this is no Nikon S :eek::eek::eek:
 
IMG_49301_zps6oewbmyq.jpg



here it is:eek::eek::eek: most important thing for me at the moment is that there are no damaged cosmetic part that can be difficult to source. the sync port was added later and I will leave that alone or maybe plug that thing up depending on my mood.:bang:
 
Very nice ! Second series model (rounder letters on the Contax logo).

As for the spool : the plastic spools from the postwar cassettes will be too short. In any case, a plastic spool is lesser than a metal spool.

I recommend you to get a metal spool for an early Kiev, identical to the original prewar Contax spool, easily available on the 'bay, and marked
Киев.
 
Highway 61 said:
Very nice ! Second series model (rounder letters on the Contax logo).

As for the spool : the plastic spools from the postwar cassettes will be too short. In any case, a plastic spool is lesser than a metal spool.

I recommend you to get a metal spool for an early Kiev, identical to the original prewar Contax spool, easily available on the 'bay, and marked
Киев.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Not sure what series 2 actually meant. is this a good or a bad thing? :eek::eek::eek: talked to a Japanese technician and he will guide me through the repairs in his spare time. I doubt that he will make good of his promise since he is super busy:bang:
 
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