Contax IIa - Really that delicate??

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Steevo

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Hello,

I recently came into possession of two Contax IIa's. One black dial and one color dial, with a 50mm F2 Ultron, a 35mm F-2.8 Biogon, and a 135mm f4, with matching Zeiss finders for the 35 and 135. Nice kit. Well, not having owned a Contax before, I did all the usual internet research, learning about their history, strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies. The positives are that everything works except the black dial's rangefinder images are out of vertical alignment.

I am putting a test roll through the color dial this week to see how things go. But, my main question is this to those who own and use these.....are they really more delicate than Leicas and Nikons of the same vintage? Or, can I use them with the same type of care I give to them, or do I need to pamper them? I'm not talking about abuse here.....just normal use with "respect".....or are they best left on the shelf?? Please advise.

Thanks.

SW
 
Normal respect is sufficient
If I remember, the rangefinder prism is glued in so vertical adjustment
is hard

When I was a kid, I had fun sticking my finger in the open shutter of my dad's when set to B with the back off, and then letting it close
The shutter was pretty resilient 🙂
 
Lucky you! That is a nice kit - the Ultron especially. I'm always hoping I luck into some of those lenses...

I have a IIa Color Dial - I certainly wouldn't consider it to be delicate, and I do not baby it when I have it out and about. When it does sit on the shelf, I make sure to exercise the shutter once in a while to make sure nothing gums up.

Contaxes, in good operating condition, are just as reliable as the counterparts from Leitz or Nippon Kogaku. That said, they historically need preventive maintenance more regularly than the aforementioned to function in good order. Take the same care with a Contax as you would a Leica - you'll probably get some stunning images from the Biogon and Ultron.
 
This camera has a more robust shutter mechanism than the prewar versions, and is very solid. The focusing mount tends to get stiff but is easy to clean. Like older Contaxes, there are lots of parts that rotate when the shutter fires, and they have a tendency to cap at high shutter speeds. CLA will fix, but more involved than for a screwmount Leica.

Cheers,
Dez
 
If my Contax IIa is delicate it forgot to tell me.

As I understand it the shutter mechanism is stronger in the IIa (not as subject to ribbon failure) while the rangefinder itself is not quite as sturdy (slightly more sensitive to shocks.) It is also smaller and does not quite have the same humongous rangefinder base length as the Contax II and III so the focus may be slightly less accurate.

Since both my Contax II and Contax IIa continue to fire away without problems I couldn't say from personal experience whether or not any of this is actually true or is only internet rumor.
 
Hmm,
in what way are the pre-war shutters inferior to the IIa/IIIa? For clarity I'm referring to the II/III, not the original Contax which has its own peculiarities.

Ribbons in the II and III need re-doing every decade or so but little else ever goes wrong with them, and when they are working, which they do, for long periods of time, the shutters never cap or taper at the high speeds. Personally I think that the post war shutter is a more conventional design but no more reliable for it in comparison. And as has been mentioned the rangefinder baselength is rather shorter in the post war cameras (and as I recall the magnification is lower also, further reducing the effective baselength). No thanks.
 
Pioneer said:
As I understand it the shutter mechanism is stronger in the IIa (not as subject to ribbon failure) while the rangefinder itself is not quite as sturdy (slightly more sensitive to shocks.) It is also smaller and does not quite have the same humongous rangefinder base length as the Contax II and III so the focus may be slightly less accurate.

Since both my Contax II and Contax IIa continue to fire away without problems I couldn't say from personal experience whether or not any of this is actually true or is only internet rumor.
Click to expand...

Sarcophilus Harrisii said:
Here is Rick Oleson's review of the Contax II. He wrote it a few years ago, now, but he sums up my thoughts about the model perfectly. I couldn't agree more with his observations.
Click to expand...
Hey. The OP asks about a postwar Contax IIa.

Why the hell you guys immediatly start to talk about the prewar Contax shutter and rangefinder (which both are of a totally different design on the postwar Contax) is beyond me. 😀

The OP has a problem with the vertical alignment of his IIa rangefinder. Some advices about how to fix it (delicate to achieve but very possible) would be good wouldn't they ? 😉
 
The IIa is a lovely piece of engineering, and in my opinion, not inferior to its contemporaries in terms of build quality.
The same care that you would take with any other manual RF camera should suffice; no need to baby them. Indeed, the RF mechanism is usually quite robust and often stays in perfect alignment for years. I think the vertical misalignment yours has is not common in these cameras. If it is not too bad, you might be able to (and want to) just use it as it is; otherwise, I think you'll need to have it serviced by a knowledgeable repair person to bring it into alignment.
Good luck, and enjoy this fine set!
 
Highway 61 said:
Hey. The OP asks about a postwar Contax IIa.

Why the hell you guys immediatly start to talk about the prewar Contax shutter and rangefinder (which both are of a totally different design on the postwar Contax) is beyond me. 😀

The OP has a problem with the vertical alignment of his IIa rangefinder. Some advices about how to fix it (delicate to achieve but very possible) would be good wouldn't they ? 😉
Click to expand...
Yes, Nikolas, he asked if it's reliable. Compared to what, though? A Nikon F, perhaps?

It's not so very surprising that comparisons are made with the pre-war version, then, is it?

If the OP has a Contax IIa and wants to be able to use a Contax rangefinder that doesn't have a vertical misalignment fault, the most certain way to ensure that, is to flog the IIa and get a II. But surely I don't need to tell you of all people that... 🙂
 
I have a IIa... Its a pretty camera. Never shot with it; the shutter sticks open at low speeds and at high speeds no exposure takes place.

Someday...
 
Contax iia is a fantastic camera. It is relatively easy to clean speed escapements. I own several of them. Black dial one have quieter shutter than color dial ones. I have tried fixing vertical rangefinder misalignment. It worked fine in one camera, drifted off again in another. I left it alone in the rest of them. I really like using them.
Also, that post war 35/2.8 Biogon is a tremendous lens. It produces wonderful images, almost modern look to them.
Now you will need to find 21/4.5 Biogon with finder to have a very versatile system.
Good luck!
 
Is the IIa shutter delicate? I don't know anything about Leicas or Nikons, but compared to the pre-war Contax I'd say it was. It won't tolerate the amount of crud, sand, rust, and dry lube that the pre-war camera will and still produce pictures. Nevertheless, I'm feeling very pleased with myself having stripped and rebuilt one successfully, and I now think it a much more useful and usable camera than I believed before.

Highway 61 said:
The OP has a problem with the vertical alignment of his IIa rangefinder. Some advices about how to fix it (delicate to achieve but very possible) would be good wouldn't they ?
Click to expand...

It happens that I have just drafted a description of my own attempt at vertical alignment. It is very, very long, poorly illustrated, and guaranteed to put off anyone thinking of attempting the job, so I decided I probably would not post it. In many cases it might be possible to do the job more simply, though, and it might provide some useful hints, so I'll put it in a separate thread shortly!
 
Görings War order to provide Zeiss tools to all War efforts Factories in the Optical Industies bedded for Leitz to equal Zeiss. Specially since Zeiss was both bombed out and loothed by the Russians in the end of WWII.
 
Grytpype said:
Is the IIa shutter delicate?
Click to expand...

No. Indeed it is more long-lived than the Contax II shutter, as it does not strain the ribbons as much. It however is prone to fading, so the 1/1250 and often the 1/500 can't be trusted - and that (like the entire shutter) is much harder to fix than its predecessor. But if you consider it a camera with a top speed of 1/250 or 1/500 it is very solid.
 
All thru the 1980's a Contax IIIa was my only camera.
If I had known how "delicate" the shutter was I probably would not have enjoyed using it for everything, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, bicycling, etc. It never had an issue.
 
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