Contax IIa prices? help please

[wlewisiii]

Grab and run, because you won't probably do better for a color-dial with lens. 😀

William

 

[jlw]

The thing that irritates me about this sort of discussion is that back when I was in college, I had a very nice color-dial IIa with 50/1.5 Opton Sonnar. I really liked it, and shot a lot of good pictures with it.

So when I read this kind of thread, and think how unlikely it is that I'll ever have a spare $600 to buy another one, I scream in my head, "Idiot, why didn't you hang onto it when you had it?!"


(Actually, there's an answer to that question: The Contax eventually got to the point where its shutter wouldn't work if the temperature were below 70 degrees. Back in the day, there was no Henry Scherer to rehab it; I took it to the local camera shop and was told, "Nobody works on those things anymore." I wound up trading it for a pittance toward some Leica lens or other, as I recall... if only I'd had the sense to just wrap it up and put it in a box...)

 

[FrankS]

Grab It!!!!!

I did! I did!

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

Frank,

I'll give you $305.00 for it and you can pack it in with the 5x7. 🙂

Wayne

 

[FrankS]

Hmmm, let me think. Na. Wayne, the 5x7 and stuff going to you is paying for this.

 

[Honu-Hugger]

Frank,
It sounds like a very sweet deal -- congratulations!!!

 

[FrankS]

My Contax IIa is in the mail. Here's a photo of it supplied by the seller:

 

[back alley]

sure looks purty mister frank...

 

[wlewisiii]

Looks like a nice one. Hope it shoots as well as it looks. I'll be looking forward to a camera and coffee shot with the Sonnar mounted 🙂

William

 

[FrankS]

Bad news about the Sonnar: the seller noticed some haze and cleaning marks, so he dropped the price to $275. 🙁/🙂

 

[wlewisiii]

See how it shoots before getting too worried. I've seen some seriously fugly lenses that still produce better images than this operator can... :bang:

William

 

[FrankS]

I'm not too worried, William. A sharp, low contrast/glowy lens is a good thing! It just might satisfy my wish for a Summar.

 

[harry01562]

See how it shoots before getting too worried. I've seen some seriously fugly lenses that still produce better images than this operator can... :bang:

William

Totally agree with this... a few cleaning marks/light scratches on the front, and light haze won't have any apreciable effect on your pics. All these faults do is lower the price, which is great for the new owner. A nice Sonnar is a truly lovely lens to shoot, and way beyond my capabilities, even with the faults.

That looks like a really nice IIa, just check the shutter at top speeds carefully. If those are fine, you are a winner!

Harry

 

[harry01562]

(I threw in a Sonnar shot in low light -- I'll apologize in advance 😀).

Cheers,

Nice atmosphere here... really shows off the qualities of these Sonnars. Should give Frank more to look forward to.

Harry

 

[Honu-Hugger]

Nice atmosphere here... really shows off the qualities of these Sonnars. Should give Frank more to look forward to.

Harry

Thank you Harry. I've always been pleased with the Sonnar and especially so with low-light shots -- not as much spectral flare as I've seen with other lenses under similar conditions (point source lighting can be difficult).

Frank: it looks like you have an extremely nice camera -- do you have a coffee cup in mind for when it arrives? 🙂

It is probably boorish of me to include another Sonnar shot, but I've been accused of worse things (and probably guilty as well) 😀

 

[Pherdinand]

hey frank, congrats on acquiring that beauty!
really, if you want a user, not a display item, you are better off with a non-perfect one. As long as it works good...One is the price, second is the confidence that some scratches, imperfections will give you in using it.

 

[rover]

I don't think my recent and strong M42 fetish will protect me from my Contax desires for long.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

> Bad news about the Sonnar: the seller noticed some haze and cleaning marks, so he dropped the price to $275.

Ohhh. Bad News. NOT! You can always have him send it to me...

Real haze can be cleaned. Often, on uncoated lenses, a "glaze" build up on glass that acts like a lens coating and reduces reflections. Do you know if it is a "Zeiss-Opton" coated lens, or is it the uncoated lens?

 

[FrankS]

Brian, I don't know about the lens. I didn't want to raise too many questions with the seller once I learned the price! (Your Nikon was an unbelieveable deal!)

Ralph, tell me about your m42 fetish, I have some screw mount Pentax bodies and lenses...

Doug2, thanks for those inspirational photos. Were they hand-held? They look so clear.

Pherdinand, I couldn't agree more with preferring a non-pristine body. If you have a classic camera in mint shape, you almost feel responsible for preserving it further.

 

[rover]

I sent you a PM Frank,

I am pretty gitty and long winded this morning.