Contax III -- Top Cover Removal and "Catch" Adjustment

[KoNickon]

I thought I'd ask this question rather than trying to infer things from Maizenberg, who after all is dealing with the Kiev 3. I don't know how similar the two are.

Problem -- the leading curtain can start to open when I half-depress the shutter. Same thing occurs when the selftimer is activated. This only seems to be a problem with the highest speeds, 1/500 and 1/1250, though 1/250 sometimes does this as well.

My take is that by adjusting the central catch at the top of the shutter so that it doesn't release so quickly, that should cure this problem. There is an eccentric adjuster for the catch, but I have to remove the top cover of the camera in order to do so.

So what do I have to watch out for in removing the top cover? Again, this is the III, so the rewind knob is above the meter adjustment knob -- that is, it's different from the II. And, am I right about adjusting the latch? Or should I leave well enough alone? I tend to like to slowly depress the shutter release, so I would like to be able to do that and not use more of a "stab" approach.

Thanks very much.

 

[Deklari]

I thought I'd ask this question rather than trying to infer things from Maizenberg, who after all is dealing with the Kiev 3. I don't know how similar the two are.

Problem -- the leading curtain can start to open when I half-depress the shutter. Same thing occurs when the selftimer is activated. This only seems to be a problem with the highest speeds, 1/500 and 1/1250, though 1/250 sometimes does this as well.

My take is that by adjusting the central catch at the top of the shutter so that it doesn't release so quickly, that should cure this problem. There is an eccentric adjuster for the catch, but I have to remove the top cover of the camera in order to do so.

So what do I have to watch out for in removing the top cover? Again, this is the III, so the rewind knob is above the meter adjustment knob -- that is, it's different from the II. And, am I right about adjusting the latch? Or should I leave well enough alone? I tend to like to slowly depress the shutter release, so I would like to be able to do that and not use more of a "stab" approach.

Thanks very much.

If it Contax III with "tower" rewind knob. You will need to remove top rewind knob and rewind axle too. But don't remove meter adjustment knob. Also remove winding knob.

 

[Deklari]

look here some pictures, how they did on Kiev
the Contax III will only different in rewind knob
http://bbs.camgle.com/thread-588539-1-1.html

 

[KoNickon]

Thanks very much.

 

[KoNickon]

OK, done. At any rate, things are back together OK. The instructions in the photos were most helpful. Getting the catch adjusted right was a tedious process, though, and I'm not 100% confident that I was able to get the catch to release properly in self-timer mode. But more important, I think I've adjusted the catch so that it will not release early if I happen to slightly depress the shutter. That was the main reason I did this.

I had a difficult time getting the top body casting back in place -- it simply would not go. Then I realized that the frame counter disc was blocking it from reseating. Maizenberg suggests that you lay the frame counter disc in place under the top cover (slipping its serrated edge through the thin slot on the back top edge of the top casting) and then bringing the the top casting together with the rest of the body horizontally (so the disc stays in place), and he's right. This made no sense to me at all when I read his book, but it does when you actually do it.

So we'll see! But things at least seem right. Thanks again for pointing me to those pictures.