Contax IIa WA

[Vics]

Now I'm really confused! Some say that the body is thinner and lenses contact inner parts of the body. It appears that there are 2 different mounting locks. Mine has a half leaf spring that must be depressed to unlock the lens. Nikon and other lenses for the II have a squarish button. Don't need to buying sight unseen and then have to send back. Visited the Gandy site and emailed. They said that the new lenses would fit but they appear to have the squareish button?

Help me Obeywan!

I have a IIIa and use the W-Nikkor 35mm 2.5. Works great. I use a CV 35mm finder, which is just fine. TThe Contax has an outer mount for the 50mm lens which one can focus using the focus wheel. The other lenses mount to the inner mount. This will all come clear in time. DON'T use the focus wheel with lenses other than 50 as you can damage the focusing mechanism. Remember to set focus at infinity when changing lenses.

 

[furcafe]

I think you got this backwards. The inner mount is for the 50mm & is operable using the focus wheel. The outer mount is for the other focal lengths.

Nikon RFs are a teensy bit different in that there are a couple external mount 50mm lenses (vintage 50/1.1 Nikkor-N & the modern Cosina Voigtlander 50/1.5 S Nokton).

The Contax has an outer mount for the 50mm lens which one can focus using the focus wheel. The other lenses mount to the inner mount. This will all come clear in time.

 

[dexdog]

DON'T use the focus wheel with lenses other than 50 as you can damage the focusing mechanism.

I think that this depends on the lens. I have used the focus wheel on Contax II and IIa with a post-WW2 Biogon and Biometar, Nikkor 35/1.8 and a Canon 28/3.5, and it works just fine. The wheel does not work particularly well with my Planar or 21mm Biogon, because these lenses have a stiffer focus ring movement (which probably means that they need an overhaul). I would not try it with a big heavy lens like the 85/2 though, only becuase trying to drive such a heavy lens with the focus wheel is too difficult, even when the lens otherwise focuses easily. YMMV

 

[Vics]

I probably did get it backward. The point is that once you have a 50 AND another FL, You'll see that it doesn't really matter. You'll see how it works.

 

[Highway 61]

Actually the inner mount is at work with ALL lenses. The outer mount is just there to lock all lenses but the 50mm in place so that their helicals can couple with the inner mount helical, making focusing possible.

 

[David Hughes]

...

Also the Jupiter 12 (heir of the old Biogon) is a fine lens but, as said, not usable with a Postwar Contax RF...

Hi,

Does that mean that the Jupiter-12 made for the Kiev will fit a pre-war Contax II or III? I've often wondered about it but...

Apologies for asking the obvious but once you've had the wrong or right lens jam on the right or wrong body you never, ever experiment again. Well, I don't; removing the optics from the tube and poking things down into the body to release the catch etc is bad for my nerves.

Regards, David

 

[sevo]

Does that mean that the Jupiter-12 made for the Kiev will fit a pre-war Contax II or III?

Absolutely. It is the spitting image of that period's Biogon - early ones were even made from original Jena components.

 

[furcafe]

No need to worry, all of the post-WWII wides will fit on the II/III.

Hi,

Does that mean that the Jupiter-12 made for the Kiev will fit a pre-war Contax II or III? I've often wondered about it but...

Apologies for asking the obvious but once you've had the wrong or right lens jam on the right or wrong body you never, ever experiment again. Well, I don't; removing the optics from the tube and poking things down into the body to release the catch etc is bad for my nerves.

Regards, David

 

[batterytypehah!]

Does that mean that the Jupiter-12 made for the Kiev will fit a pre-war Contax II or III? I've often wondered about it but...

Yes, as has been said already. Remember the Kiev is not a copy, in the way that FED/Zorki copied Leicas. Kiev started out with the entire parts inventory and machinery removed from Jena as war reparations. Early Kievs are identical to Contax.

 

[David Hughes]

Thanks everyone, much appreciated.

Regards, David

 

[Crazy Fedya]

I think that this depends on the lens. I have used the focus wheel on Contax II and IIa with a post-WW2 Biogon and Biometar, Nikkor 35/1.8 and a Canon 28/3.5, and it works just fine.

Does this mean that there is no focus shift using 35mm f/1.8 W-Nikkor on Contax II and IIa?

 

[dexdog]

Does this mean that there is no focus shift using 35mm f/1.8 W-Nikkor on Contax II and IIa?

I have never observed any focus shift in the use of the Nikkor

 

[Vics]

I have never observed any focus shift in the use of the Nikkor

Neither have I.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

Not even wide open at close focus?

 

[Highway 61]

Not even wide open at close focus?

Here is a shot wide open at closest focus with a W-Nikkor-C 35/2.5 mounted on a Contax IIa.

Focusing using the rangefinder was done on the left beam optics ; what I got in focus were the ID numbers.

So I'd say that there is some backfocus using a Nikon WA lens on a Contax RF camera body.

Of course this is visible only wide open at closest focus distance.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

When putting a Zeiss lens on a Nikon RF, the shim needs to be increased about 0.4mm.

Going in reverse, putting a Nikkor lens on a Contax- reduce the shim by ~0.4mm.

 

[Highway 61]

Yes. And given that, in case of slight misfocus, frontfocus is preferable over backfocus because depth of field is better behind the focus point than in front of it, the focusing error will be less visible when mounting a Zeiss lens on a Nikon RF camera than when mounting a Nikkor lens on a Contax camera.

To show this, below is a shot wide open using a Zeiss-Opton Biogon 35/2.8 on a Nikon S2 : focusing using the rangefinder was done on the onions juste below the price tag, and there is no focus shift visible.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

Thank you very much, everybody, for answering my question. I am looking for 35mm f/1.8 or so to use on my Contax/Kiev rangefinders. When I read previous posts, I got excited. But Brian confirmed what I read on Henry Scherer's website: there is a difference between Contax's and Nikon's lens to film distance. I guess I will have to get 35mm f/1.8 W-Nikkor, shim it correctly, and then useit on my Contaxes/Kievs

 

[elwrongo]

Very informative thread, thanks guys. Out of interest what is reasonable price to pay for good condition IIIa with a Zeis Opton Sonnar 50mm f2.0?This discussion has got me all intrigued and I feel the plunge is imminent.Thanks

 

[batterytypehah!]

You should be able to find a good range of completed auctions on eBay.

This one should be about the high end of the retail price spectrum: https://www.leicashop.com/vintage/contax-iiia-p-3594.html