Contax IIIa w/ sonnars 1.5/50 and 2/80 value ?

[Wouter]

I have the opportunity to buy the above described set, that seems to be in good to ex condition. The sonnars appear to be opton T. What would be its value ? The seller is asking a little less than 1000 dollars ... but gas is attacking ... and Henry Scherer could make this so beautiful ..
Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[wlewisiii]

Way overpriced and don't let Henry molest them. Seriously, even buying from Kevincameras.com could be cheaper. You can do better, I think.

 

[Vickko]

Seems high. www.keh.com has a few IIIa's for sale, highest price $235. I'd check ebay for the lens prices, but for the body and those two lenses, as good as they are, $1k seems a bit steep.



...Vick

 

[Vickko]

Henry? Molest? I thought he was the god of Contax rebuilds. I know he is expensive, and the turnaround time is long, but I thought the quality of work was top notch.

Are there new stories, on his work?

...just curious...

Vick

 

[wlewisiii]

His self promotion is first rate ... :bang:

Let's just say that there are stories around. Use the search function here & at nelsonfoto & you'll find a few of them.

William

 

[Wouter]

Clear enough, thanks !

 

[Sine]

So, if you contend that Henry's not worth the time and money, who is? I have a Contax II on his waiting list and it's difficult to find someone who can manage this 700+ part camera AND fix it without subbing in Kiev parts. Eddy Smolov has been mentioned on these boards as a good guy, and I'm sure he's a great and competent person, but he's surrounded by Kiev parts on a daily basis so you can understand my hesitation.

On a side note, $1000 is entirely too much. I've seen fully overhauled body + lens kits going for around that price, but never one that needed a CLA. I found a working, pre-war Contax II body at my local Penn Camera the other day for $100; that was a good deal.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Don't forget the OP is located in Brazil, so there may be a steep import duty on any items from the US. This can seriously skew prices in-country. (Not sure about Brazil, but I've seen such stories from other South American forum members.)

 

[Wouter]

60% import tax here, which is why we employ tourist-couriers and take our chances ...

 

[xayraa33]

Just think, our David Murphy was selling a working Contax IIIa colour dial body for 200 dollars, which he since sold.

 

[Gary Sandhu]

contax

contax

I had a contax iiia from Henry Scherer.

Recently bought a contax iia and opton 50/1.5 from his as well.

Excellent cameras and lenses -- essentially as new operation. I have a
ebay contax iia as well, and the Henry iia is as quiet as my Leica MP, the ebay contax is much louder.

I've never had a problem with Henry. He honours his warranty as well.

I sold my contax iiia with 50/2 for $700 a couple of years back.

You should contact Henry to see if he has a contax and lens for sale and what price he charges -- might be cheaper than buying and having a repair done.