Contax IIa mod and service...

[boojum]

This may help. Google is your friend. OKVintageCamera

 

[Bingley]

I inherited a Contax lla with an f:2 Sonnar from my Dad. It has great sentimental value. It was my first camera when I was young. When I inherited it the camera had been sitting for a while and the shutter had stopped working.

I wanted to get it up and running. I hate to be discouraging but I had a nightmare getting it serviced.

I put myself on Henry Scherer’s list twice, and somehow got bounced off twice. I decided to move on to Plan B and sent the camera to Mark Hanson. It came back after 6 months, which was ok, with a light leak, which wasn’t OK. I spent the next 6 months chasing Mark who had the nerve to complain to me he has to pay money for film and processing to test the camera and put paying jobs aside to do my warranty work.

It’s a beautifully made camera and the optics are amazing. But few people work on them, fewer still do a good job. A couple months back, after using the camera for maybe 5 years, my rangefinder stopped working. Rather than go through any of that again I bought an M3 and an Amadeo adapter for my Sonnar in spite of the sentimental value.

I think you've hit on the problem with Contax II and III rangefinders these days: hardly anyone works on them, let alone does so competently. Henry Scherer, alas, is no longer with us; I was extremely fortunate that he overhauled my IIa in 2023 (and cleaned the Sonnar 5cm f1.5 that I sent him along with the camera). I think the solution, as you suggest, is to get an Amedeo adapter and use Zeiss glass from the 1950s and before on a Leica body. That f.2 Sonnar you mention is a fabulous optic, I actually prefer it to the f1.5 version. The M3/f.2 Sonnar combination may give you a better shooting experience than the original Contax camera.

 

[boojum]

I think you've hit on the problem with Contax II and III rangefinders these days: hardly anyone works on them, let alone does so competently. Henry Scherer, alas, is no longer with us; I was extremely fortunate that he overhauled my IIa in 2023 (and cleaned the Sonnar 5cm f1.5 that I sent him along with the camera). I think the solution, as you suggest, is to get an Amedeo adapter and use Zeiss glass from the 1950s and before on a Leica body. That f.2 Sonnar you mention is a fabulous optic, I actually prefer it to the f1.5 version. The M3/f.2 Sonnar combination may give you a better shooting experience than the original Contax camera.

Oleg did a great job on my Contax II and at a reasonable price. His prices are posted on his site. Others have had Oleg fix cameras for them with the same results. OKVintageCamera