Contax IIaand IIIa: Two Beauties

raid

raid

Dad Photographer
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I now have these two beautiful cameras to use and enjoy.
I am still a Leica Man at heart, but the Zeiss vintage lenses are superb. Now, I have only a Menopta 53mm/1.8 [seen here on my IIa], a Zeiss Jena Sonnar 5cm/1 [seen here on my IIa], plus a Sonnar 13.5cm/4 and a J-9 85mm/2.0.

I have a squarish lens hood by Franka that fits on many ofmy 50mm lenses, and that is shown here on the Zeiss lens with the IIIa. The IIa shows a lens hood that has a flip-away polarizer filetr built-in.

The smoothness of the shutter release is still amazing to me. It sounds better than my M3, M6 or CL.

The Sonnar look from the CZJ 5cm/2 is in its own class. I have such a lens in LTM and in Contax mount. This could be my favorite lens.


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The photos look so-so, and I have taken new photos of the two cameras.


Here is the Contax IIIa with Zeiss Jena 5cm/2:

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Here is the IIa with the Menopta:

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Both beauties together:

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View from top:
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If I get a wide angle lens for the Contax, I am ready to use this set for a trip somewhere. A FSU lens would do. Maybe the J-12 in Contax mount would be a good choice here.
 
raid said:
If I get a wide angle lens for the Contax, I am ready to use this set for a trip somewhere. A FSU lens would do. Maybe the J-12 in Contax mount would be a good choice here.
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Raid, a fine set of cameras you have there!

A J-12 would be a good choice, reported to be a very good lens in Contax/Kiev mount. Also much cheaper than a Contax or Nikon 35mm lens.
 
dexdog said:
Raid, a fine set of cameras you have there!

A J-12 would be a good choice, reported to be a very good lens in Contax/Kiev mount. Also much cheaper than a Contax or Nikon 35mm lens.
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Mark,

From the beginning, I decided to keep my Contax equipment relatively inexpensive since I already have a good Leica set of lenses and cameras. My IIa and IIIa were both bought here as broken cameras. Now they are totally CLA'd and function like new cameras again. Another possibility is getting a Prominent-Contax adapter for $125 and to use my 35mm Skoparon, unless the adapter is meant only for the Nokton lens.
 
Raid, a J12 will not fit your cameras. You would need a III or a II (sans the "a"). With postwar Contaxes, you're basically stuck with the postwar Biogons. Knowing you from your posts, I think you would enjoy my personal fav- the 21mm Biogon. Not cheap, but not outreagous either if you are patient. The 35mm 2.8 Biogon is almost as expensive, at no as cool IMHO. But of course, an excelent performer nevertherless.
The other practical option in the 35mm Nikkor, as most other possibilities are more or less collector's items.
 
wooow i really loooove how that contax IIa looks. looks really small and elegant. i hope i will have one one day.
 
Raid, nice cameras :)
I use Mamiya C330 square hood for J8 on my kiev - looks very similar to what you use on your contax :> It vignettes a little, and hides quite a bit of viewfinder when in diagonal position.
 
micromontenegro said:
Raid, a J12 will not fit your cameras. You would need a III or a II (sans the "a"). With postwar Contaxes, you're basically stuck with the postwar Biogons. Knowing you from your posts, I think you would enjoy my personal fav- the 21mm Biogon. Not cheap, but not outreagous either if you are patient. The 35mm 2.8 Biogon is almost as expensive, at no as cool IMHO. But of course, an excelent performer nevertherless.
The other practical option in the 35mm Nikkor, as most other possibilities are more or less collector's items.
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Thanks for reminding me of this fact. Frank S once told me the same, but I forgot about it. Unlike many people here, I mostly use 50mm lenses anyways, and wide angle lenses are "exotic" for me. I will be a good man, and maybe one day I will be rewarded with a nice 21mm Biogon, as you have suggested. Thanks for posting the photo. It looks nice.
 
nzeeman said:
wooow i really loooove how that contax IIa looks. looks really small and elegant. i hope i will have one one day.
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I find both cameras cool looking. The "bump" in the IIIa is of course the meter, making the camera larger than the IIa. I have a similar situation with Konica RF cameras where the IIIM is bulkier than the IIIA due to the meter. Still, the Konica IIIM looks cool to me.
 
Igor.Burshteyn said:
Raid, nice cameras :)
I use Mamiya C330 square hood for J8 on my kiev - looks very similar to what you use on your contax :> It vignettes a little, and hides quite a bit of viewfinder when in diagonal position.
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Igor,

I find the squarish Franka hood very useful. It moves from one 50mm lens to another, as I use them. I have not sen any vignetting yet with this lens.

edited: If you meant vignetting in the viewfinder, then yes, it does.
 
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Raid, as several folks have pointed out, a J-12 will not fit the post-WW2 Contax. I forgot this fact as well. I normally don't give it a thought, not having any Jupiter lenses, and preferring to use the pre-WW2 Contax II anyway.

Good that RFF has folks with better memories than me.
 
raid said:
Another possibility is getting a Prominent-Contax adapter for $125 and to use my 35mm Skoparon, unless the adapter is meant only for the Nokton lens.
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Raid, the adapters I have seen fit the Nokton and Ultron lenses made for the Prominent, but I think that the Skoparon made for the Prominent has a different mount than the Nokton/Ultron, and may not work with the adapter. Maybe some who knows for sure will chime in.

I have a Nokton that I use with an adapter on my Contax cameras, and it works really well. Nice lens, too
 
dexdog said:
Raid, the adapters I have seen fit the Nokton and Ultron lenses made for the Prominent, but I think that the Skoparon made for the Prominent has a different mount than the Nokton/Ultron, and may not work with the adapter. Maybe some who knows for sure will chime in.

I have a Nokton that I use with an adapter on my Contax cameras, and it works really well. Nice lens, too
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Mark,
I may get such an adapter just to use my Nokton. It really is a fine lens. I think, I tried out your lens in the test of 50mm lenses, didn't I? I had not known of the Nokton before using the lens.

The Skoparon seems to have a different mount/base than the Nokton.
 
raid said:
I think, I tried out your lens in the test of 50mm lenses, didn't I? I had not known of the Nokton before using the lens.
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Raid, you did try the Nokton in one of your tests, with the Prominent to Contax adapter.
 
Do keep an eye out for the VC S-mount lenses, which in 35mm and wider are a good choice for the Contax IIa. It was brave of Cosina to launch lenses for such a comparatively esoteric lens mount, and I'm sure these will end up as very collectible.
 
Paul T. said:
Do keep an eye out for the VC S-mount lenses, which in 35mm and wider are a good choice for the Contax IIa. It was brave of Cosina to launch lenses for such a comparatively esoteric lens mount, and I'm sure these will end up as very collectible.
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Would such lenses be shimmed for the Nikon S mount, and then we would have to hope that at smaller apertures, using a Contax we will not see any serious focusing problems?
 
raid said:
Would such lenses be shimmed for the Nikon S mount, and then we would have to hope that at smaller apertures, using a Contax we will not see any serious focusing problems?
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Raid, I believe that the 35mm and wider Voigtlander SC lenses are built to the Nikon focusing standard, however the depth of field is great enough to overcome the differences, even at large aperatures. No shimming or other work would be needed to use the Voigtlander lenses on the Contax.
 
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