Contax IIIa: which ( if any ) FSU cases will fit ?

Luddite Frank

Luddite Frank

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I just picked-up a fairly decent IIIa Contax to be a user camera.


I am looking for an eveready case for it, ideally a Contax case.

In the meantime, which FSU cases would fit the IIIa ?


Thanks,

Luddite Frank
 
A leather case designed for the Kiev 4 series will fit perfectly. Their bottom locking nut is right in the alignment for the Contax IIIa tripod bush.

You can even split the case within its two halves to use it as a bottom half-case. Easy and clean DIY job.

Example :

http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/kiev_4.html

Once the Kiev 4 case fitted on a Contax IIIa you will have a little extra space at each side end but this is nice at it will allow to attach a modern neckstrap directly to the camera eyelets. Much more secure than using the original leather strap, prone to suddenly break one day or another without ringing the warning bell.

A nice Kiev 4 case is made of a more supple leather than the original Contax IIIa case.

Note : the cases designed for the Kiev II and 2a won't fit (locking nut shift).
 
Update - Contax IIIa + Kiev 4 case = Happy Camper !!!


I just received a very nice eveready case for a Kiev 4 from Fedka. $8 + S&H.
(Thanks for the tip, Highway 61 !)

It fits my Contax IIIa very nicely.

I will eventually chase-down a Contax case, but in the meantime, the Kiev case will be perfect for my "user" Contacx.


Luddite Frank
 
The original Contax IIa and IIIa leather cases don't age very well (the leather they're made of usually gets dry and brittle with time) and they sell for more than what they're worth.

Plus, they fit tight on the camera body - attaching a strap to the camera eyelets and at the same time using the original case as a bottom half-case isn't as easy as it is with the Kiev 4 case.

I'd stay stuck with the Kiev 4 case. Once you have made it a bottom half-case with a removable top flap following Matt Denton's tips, you won't need anything more for your IIIa.

Glad the tips I provided you worked fine ! Thanks for the feedback.
 
KoNickon said:
Funny -- after reading Henry Scherer's site I am nervous about using these cameras' eyelets! It sounds as though they are often not well secured at all.
Click to expand...


I have used 5 or 6 Contax cameras on 2 week vacations relying soley on a strap hooked into the eyelets. In one case, used only a wrist strap on a Contax IIa with a 21mm lens mounted. I have not experienced any problems with the eyelets on these cameras. Question whether it is a concern with the average Contax.
 
Last edited:
I find cases and half cases only useful for storage of cameras but not for actual usage. When changing a roll of film, it is a time consuming issue to remove the half case, and there is an additional chance of dropping the camera.
 
KoNickon said:
Funny -- after reading Henry Scherer's site I am nervous about using these cameras' eyelets! It sounds as though they are often not well secured at all.
Click to expand...
True to say that the Contax IIa and IIIa eyelets are a bit fragile by design. That said, wear on the eyelets brass (there are no steel inserts like on the Nikon F2) from the strap rings is way more prone to get the eyelets break than their weakness from the screws that get through the eyelets axles to attach them to the camera chassis.

If you think of it, any old camera is prone to have its strap eyelets screws getting loose. I had to make them tight again on two of my Nikon rangefinders (S2 and S3) and on a Nikon F.

Anyway, any time you get out and use your camera, with or without a half-case, you might drop it, bang it, break it, or get yourself crushed by a truck.
 
Is not the Kiev everycase a little too large for the Contax IIa/IIIa body?
The Contax IIa body was smaller than the Contax II body, or am I splitting hairs?
 
"Just in case..."

I prefer to have my cameras in some sort of case when I'm out shooting. (Call me "clumsy" - I tend to knock into things ! )

As for Contax IIa / IIIa having "weak lugs", I have visited Mr. Scherer's excellent site several times ( makes my brain "hurt" every visit , LOL ), and I noted his caution on the lugs.

The "rewind-side" lug on my IIIa is quite loose. It has been my general experience that when structural parts get "loose", and begin to "work" against one another, failure is imminent.

I feel safer carrying my IIIa around now that it is wrapped in "fine Soviet leather"...

It is true that a case makes changing film a little slower, but then the completely removeable back on a Contax, plus that very loose spool flopping around (and falling-out) are a bother too. I tend to use the ER case to hold the camera while I'm re-loading. No matter what the equipment, I'm not a "fast" photographer.

I'm always a little concerned about the straps on old cases: I have a number of Leica cases that I WON'T use until I put new straps on them. And as far as screw-mount Leica cases go, I prefer the kind where the strap wraps all the way under the bottom, as opposed to being rivetted to the sides.

The Kiev case is a tad loose on the IIIa Contax, but no more so than an -f case on a pre-c Leica (read: I can live with it just fine).

Now to get on Henry's waiting-list...


Cheers,

Luddite Frank
 
raid said:
I find cases and half cases only useful for storage of cameras but not for actual usage. When changing a roll of film, it is a time consuming issue to remove the half case, and there is an additional chance of dropping the camera.
Click to expand...

In my case, it depends on the lens that I am using. If using a 21, 35 or 50, I prefer to go au naturel, using the lugs on the camera. However, I generally use a half-case with integral strap lugs with a modern nylon strap to help support the added weight when using an 85mm lens. I am more or less of two minds with RF cameras- either 35mm or 85mm, with few exceptions.
 
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