Contax II worth the repair?

If the curtain is uneven then there is a problem with the straps ... as the shutter does not move down, it sounds like a problem with the spring in the lower roller, or possibly someone has been in there and not wound up the spring correctly.
You should get someone to service it.
 
I suspect you may be right. I don't have any reason to believe someone has been inside this one, but I do think it's in need of repair, likely just due to old age and sitting around. I've reached out to Oleg, he's been recommended on more than a few occasions which helps me feel at ease. I did not like the "vibe" of the local shop I initially brought it to and wouldn't have wanted them opening it up. Oleg sounds like he's done quite a few of these.
 
I am very biased but if that were my camera I would have it repaired as soon as I could. They were top of the line cameras in their day, even better than the Leica cameras, though I am sure that will cause a bit of consternation among some on this forum. 😀 I personally own and regularly use a Contax II and in my opinion they are terrific cameras. Mine runs very smoothly and I very much enjoy working with it. In fact in the past couple of years I have sold my Leica M cameras as they did not get as much use as they should to keep them properly exercised. I don't hate Leica, they are fine cameras and I have owned and enjoyed several of them. I just much prefer Contax, maybe it is age.

As for the shutter curtain ribbons, contrary to popular opinion, they actually can withstand quite a bit of use before they finally wear out and break. Though I do not shoot as much as a pro would have back in the day I have been using my Contax II pretty steadily for a bit over 10 years since the last service. By my count have run almost 500 rolls of film through the camera during that period. Not only have the ribbons held up just fine, the shutter speeds are still accurate and so is the rangefinder.

Everybody has their own preferred cameras, and that is how it should be, but modern does not necessarily mean better, just newer. Even Nikon thought the Contax design was pretty good as they copied it at the end of World War II. That decision does not appear to have hurt their business at all. That Contax camera you own is very much worth spending some money on to get it running again.

Just my two cents for whatever that is worth.
 
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I would get the Contax repaired.

The Nikon Rangefinder uses the bayonet mount with internal helical, and looks like a Contax... BUT the rangefinder mechanism is closer to the Leica, with an RF roller that rides the back of the helical of the mount rather than an RF cam on he back of the lens. The helical is not geared to drive the RF mechanism as it is on the Contax. The shutter of the Nikon is similar to the Leica horizontal travel cloth shutter. The lenses for the Nikon are made to the Leica 51.6mm standard, not the Contax 52.4mm standard. Nikon made two prototype cameras with a Leica mount. I suspect Nicca, Canon, and others made the market crowded for Leica copies, Nikon wanted to look different. They also made most of their money selling lenses, in S-Mount, Contax Mount, Leica mount, and even for Exakta.
 
Thank you for all of this input, and appreciate hearing both of your takes on it. I will be getting it serviced. It should be in the mail by the end of the week! I've done quite a bit of homework on the camera since getting it, so now that I'm aware of the history and build quality that comes with it, it seems like a no brainer. I'll be very excited once it comes back working! I'm really hoping the glass is in as good shape as it seems, but we'll have to see what comes out of it once we get a roll of film in there.
 
Having now had the pleasure of using all of the big contenders, my preference is for the Nikon RF series followed by the Canons as users. The Contax II was far better than the Leica II/III but the M's were better than the Contax. The M & Nikons were arguably neck & neck but Leica stayed with RF while Nikon, well, we all know where the "F" they went ... 😉

bbennett, I am very glad to hear it's going out to the spa this week. My S2, it seems, will need a similar vacation soon as the slow speed train is giving me grief. Fortunately the high speeds are working fine so while I wait for my budget to recover from buying a couple of beautiful lenses for it _and_ 100' of HP5, I can still use it 🙂. It'll go to Mr. Hama in Atlanta though, just as soon as it can because, as you say, it's a no brainer.
 
bbennett said:
Thank you for all of this input, and appreciate hearing both of your takes on it. I will be getting it serviced. It should be in the mail by the end of the week! I've done quite a bit of homework on the camera since getting it, so now that I'm aware of the history and build quality that comes with it, it seems like a no brainer. I'll be very excited once it comes back working! I'm really hoping the glass is in as good shape as it seems, but we'll have to see what comes out of it once we get a roll of film in there.
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Be sure to post once it is back from repair.
You are in for a treat using this camera. The shutter sound alone sets it apart from anything else I use.

You can also use the Russian Jupiter lenses on it, these are with a 1955 Jupiter-3 5cm F1.5.

My daughter- some 15 years ago, on the move with her "Heelies".
heely_princessa_j3.jpgnikki_camera_j3a.jpgnikki1_55j3a.jpgswinging11a.jpg
 
Thanks for any tech recommendations! I've been trying to track down repair options (ideally in the southern hemisphere), but have been pretty wary since the Brandon Monroe saga. Sounds like he made off with a few people's cameras.
 
homebrandcrumpet said:
Thanks for any tech recommendations! I've been trying to track down repair options (ideally in the southern hemisphere), but have been pretty wary since the Brandon Monroe saga. Sounds like he made off with a few people's cameras.
Click to expand...
At this point in 2024, Oleg Khalyavin in Slovakia, Radu of 3R in Florida, and Kanto Camera in Tokyo might be the last best options for prewar Contax repair.
 
I’ll most definitely follow up post repair. I’ve been working off this list to figure out compatible lenses, Contax rangefinder lenses - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia, but if you have a better list I’d love to see it. I’m not sure how many you’ve used, but do any lenses stand out in particular over the others? I’m planning on getting my camera and lens back first so I can test it out before getting another lens, but since I did get the adapter as well, they’d be able to be used on a few cameras I’ve got, so I may expand my collection.
 
bbennett said:
I’ll most definitely follow up post repair. I’ve been working off this list to figure out compatible lenses, Contax rangefinder lenses - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia, but if you have a better list I’d love to see it. I’m not sure how many you’ve used, but do any lenses stand out in particular over the others? I’m planning on getting my camera and lens back first so I can test it out before getting another lens, but since I did get the adapter as well, they’d be able to be used on a few cameras I’ve got, so I may expand my collection.
Click to expand...

Now you'll get into opinion land fast 🙂 Sonnar Brian let you know the very real virtues of the sonnars that Zeiss made for them. TL'DR: they're all good.

I'll also say that if you can score one of the uncoated 50/3.5 collapsible Tessars it's well worth the money. Yes, it is slower and it is not sharp all the way to the edges, rather it starts out sharp in the center and then gets smoother and softer towards the edges. It's a look I particularly like.
 
bbennett said:
I’ll most definitely follow up post repair. I’ve been working off this list to figure out compatible lenses, Contax rangefinder lenses - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia, but if you have a better list I’d love to see it. I’m not sure how many you’ve used, but do any lenses stand out in particular over the others? I’m planning on getting my camera and lens back first so I can test it out before getting another lens, but since I did get the adapter as well, they’d be able to be used on a few cameras I’ve got, so I may expand my collection.
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It's been almost a year since you posted. Did you send your Contax to Oleg? Do you have it back? Would like to know what your experience was.

Thank you,
dsymes
 
Santa, in the form of an RFF member, brought me a 1936 Contax II with a 1936 CZJ 5cm f/2.0. The lens seems quite good. The body and the back have matching serial numbers; woohoo! The camera needs Oleg's gifted hands. He has sent me the instructions for shipping and off it will go in a day or two to be made whole, usable and pristine. Many have had to hear me gush about the II's in other threads so I will spare you in this one. Brian is right, even though I have not heard the shutter sound in 70 years I can remember it as the absolute purest of shutter sounds. The sound that a mechanical/analog(ue) should make when the shutter button is pressed. Yes, I will run some film through it. Yes, you will have to see some images. Yes you will have to gush. It's all part of the game. And that way the camera, the Santa and I can all feel pretty good.
 
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Well, as far as the question of whether a mechanical camera has to make as much noise as the pre-war Contax (I also have a II and I do enjoy using it) is concerned, opinions are certainly divided. Sometimes a noisy camera can be disturbing.

If you want a quiet Contax, the post-war IIa and IIIa cameras are great - even quieter than a Leica M2 (we compared them here).

The uncoated Sonnar 50mm f/2 is very nice indeed. Mine is from 1937 - I wouldn't want to be without it 👍. Just because of its imperfections.
 
1936ContaxII said:
Well, as far as the question of whether a mechanical camera has to make as much noise as the pre-war Contax (I also have a II and I do enjoy using it) is concerned, opinions are certainly divided. Sometimes a noisy camera can be disturbing.

If you want a quiet Contax, the post-war IIa and IIIa cameras are great - even quieter than a Leica M2 (we compared them here).

The uncoated Sonnar 50mm f/2 is very nice indeed. Mine is from 1937 - I wouldn't want to be without it 👍. Just because of its imperfections.
Click to expand...
My Contax II and III are reasonably quiet at speeds of 1/50 and higher, but the slow speeds are on the noisy side. My IIa and IIIa are a bit quieter at 1/50 and higher, and the slow speeds are somewhat quieter than the earlier models. But they are all quieter than the vast majority of SLRs where the moving mirror is the main source of noise. I have to admit that this is one advantage that electronic shutters have over mechanical shutters--no slow speed gear train to grind away and make noise.
 
The Contax bug has bitten me bad. The gifted II is till in Oleg's hands. He has much to do with it as the shutter does not work at all and has no curtains. I started thinking that a nice 1.5 would be nice to hang off the front of it. I guess you can see where this one is going.

So I swung by eBay and found prices all over the map. But I did find a '37 1.5 for $225/offers. I sent a $200 offer and it is now in the mail. And it has a '37 Contax III body attached! And the shutter works. So I will probably run a couple of rolls of mono through it and then send it off to Oleg for a camera and lens CLA. eBay is a crack dealer. ;o)

True, there is no fool like an old fool.

 
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wlewisiii said:
Look for a IIa instead. The post-war shutter is _so_ much nicer though you will have to get a post war 35 to go with it too.
Click to expand...

This may be true about the shutter. OTOH there are those who say the '36 was the best of the lot. I cannot comment because I honestly do not know. I can comment, though, that I do not like the smaller viewfinder window in the IIa compared to the II. That is my quirk. I have no idea how it performance.

I understand that the old selenium meters are dead when they are done. If Oleg can make it work, great. Because of early psychological paterning I am convinced that this is the film camera. Regardless it will be fun to have a couple.
 
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