Contax IIa Light Seals?

O

ocala

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I'm new to this forum and have just acquired a Contax IIa in reasonable working condition with a 50mm 1.5 Sonnar lens. My question concerns the light seals for the camera back. There does not seem to be any sealing material either in the channels on the camera body or on the back itself. Is this usual? I would have expected some sort of seal. I don't want to put a film through the camera before I'm sure that there won't be light-leaks.

Thanks

Robin
 
just get some cheap film and go out and shoot the roll in an afternoon.. get it developed at a one-hour place.. that'll tell you pretty quick if you have a problem and you'll sleep much better at night :)

btw, congrats on the Contax and especially the Sonnar!
 
Twitch. A IIa and a Sonnar 50/1.5? You're seriously lucky as you're starting in rangefinders with one of the finest combinations ever made. Congrats, and besure to post your results here for us - and be sure to try something that pushes that sweet lens to it's limits; you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

William
 
I'm looking forward to taking the camera out and using a separate meter again after a long time with TTL. I have an old Weston meter that still seems fairly accurate.
Robin
 
Good meter to use with it. I've got a GE PR-1 for those kind of moments.

I look forward to seeing what you can catch with the combination.

Enjoy!

William
 
In my contax IIIa I didn't see nor miss light seals:)
Surprising to me too. Enjoy that fine tool and hope you'll enjoy the results too!
And, enjoy this forum too;)
 
There are many camera designs that don't have or need foam or cloth type light seals, rather it is the design of how the metal surfaces mate together than seals against light leaks.
 
Is this your first rangefinder? You'll love it, once you get used to it. Be aware, though, that older lenses are prone to flare, so use a lense shade. A nice B+W MRC filter helps, too.

Robert
Contax IIIa
 
Thanks for all the replies - I thought there was no sign of there ever having been seals. I'll just get out and use it now!

Robin
 
If by "seals" you mean rubber, plastic, or foam sealing material, none of the Zeiss Ikon Contaces (pre-WWII II/III or post-WWII IIa/IIIa) had 'em, they rely entirely on the mating of the (metal) back & body to prevent light leaks, a system that works fine (good enough for Nikon to copy), as you'll see.
 
Not true, at least regarding the prewar Contaxes. They have some black string light seals to seal out the shutter and film area from the viewfinder optics up top. I've yet to open a postwar Contax body but the time will come. There is no light sealing material between the removable back and the camera body.

With a IIa, check 1/1250 and 1/500 by firing some shots off wide open viewing through the back. Quite often the shutter doesn't open properly on the top speeds resulting in blank exposures. The II is much better in this regard.
 
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