contax iia value?

rover said:
Robert if you check back, would you mind sharing the final cost of the Contax camera you bought through Henry's program? It seems like an excellent way to get a fully serviced and working piece of history.
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so now rover is thinking contax, hhmmm...


:)joe
 
I just survived an ebay trip. No Contax or Kiev heading my way. Alex Photo has 3 nice black Kiev 4as listed.
 
i want a contax / kiev but think that i'm crazy for thinking it.
do i really want to start another whole different system? different mount?
why would i do that to myself?
and i think that move would put me in the dreaded collector category.

joe
 
Joe,
Don't let the Canon "P" hear you talk!

And whatever you do, DON't Let the Canonator see a Non-Canon camera or non-LTM lens in the House! The real reason that I had to let it go...

I keep hearing "I'll be Back!" coming out of the drawer that it is locked into. The Nikons have broken out the 500mm F4 to keep it at bay.
 
rover said:
I just survived an ebay trip. No Contax or Kiev heading my way. Alex Photo has 3 nice black Kiev 4as listed.
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I don't know about Contax.. I've handled one a few days ago, and it is a bit smoother than either of my Kievs, but the price.... :(

I don't know... Actually, ever since my M2 went to CLA, I've been shooting with my other cameras - a bit with Yashica Lynx 14e (nice and bright VF/RF, but big and heavy), a bit even with my Nikon EM and 50/1.8 (light, but I hate the automation and mirror slap!), and lately just my Kiev 4A.

I find the Kiev closest to the "feel" I get from my Leica - sounds preposterous, I know, but it's actually not big or heavy, fits into a bag/backpack nicely, and is very quiet. The only drawback is the squinty finder - although the RF focusing is very precise, due to its long RF base.

So, to anyone contemplating a Contax, I'd recommend trying out a Kiev first, as see how you like it. Buy them from trusted sources (some were already mentioned here on RFF, like Fedka), and see how you like them. I prefer the ones without the meter, since they make for a more compact street shooters.
I sincerely recommend also doing the DIY modification of the leather case - makes a world of difference once you can detach the top part, which no longer dangles from the bottom when you shoot....

I also think that the general opinion is that Russian lenses in Kiev mount are usually a bit better than their LTM counterparts, and you can indeed find some gems in Kiev mount. In short, you can have a very nice RF shooter for way below $100. And, compared to Canonets and other classic fixed-lens RF cameras of the Seventies, this one has interchangeable (and cheap) lenses.
BTW, Jupiter 12 is generally cheaper in Kiev than in LTM mount... And a late Jupiter 12 (black finish) can be great! BTW, look for one with blueish/violet colored coating...
The only drawback I noticed with my Kiev glass (i.e. J12 and J8) is that it has rather strange bokeh - "pointy" OOF sources of light are rendered as triangles instead of circles towards the edges of the frame :(

In short, as funny as it may seem, it took a Leica M2 to make me appreciate my Kiev 4A more :)

Denis
 
rover said:
What model Kiev is that Denis? I am guessing 4a?
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Yes, Ralph - A Kiev 4A, with custom leather(ette) job. I'm quite proud of it - my first Kiev, which I tweaked in various (non-destructive) ways :)
Works quite fine, and looks nice, too...

Denis
 
well, just to add one thing, i'm trying hard not to become a collector. It's a too expensive hobby for me. (Stamp collecting was still affordable...)

This means, if the contax thing will work out for me (read: if i will like USING it out there), something else will have to leave...
Probably i will sell my yashica TLR (although i worked alot on it to align it perfectly and produces unbelievable picture quality), keeping only the CLA'd rolleicord; probably i will sell also two of my three compact RF's. Either both GSN's or one GSN and the CC with 35mm f/1.8 lens will go.
 
Only my Jupiters (8m, 11, 12). They'll do for the meantime. My 4a is a really nice camera and will keep me quite happy till I can pay for Henry to fix/overhaul the III.

William
 
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