Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
Right here's the images from the auction I decided to burn my money on. The cheque sent, but I guess I could risk the £20 charge to cancel it, or else go through ebay buyer protection once the camera is in my hands.
What looks like a Flash Sync is really throwing me here, but the seller also has a G1 or G2 up for sale, so I kinda had faith he bought a real II in the first place. That, and I've never seen a fake with Zeiss bumps!
Maybe I'm getting overly worried thanks to Scherer's "beware the fake Contax" stuff on his site!!
Course I'll only know then the camera arrives and I can use and inspect it.
Any thoughts? Anyone good enough to decipher what Contax II this is (ie production run) from the images??
What looks like a Flash Sync is really throwing me here, but the seller also has a G1 or G2 up for sale, so I kinda had faith he bought a real II in the first place. That, and I've never seen a fake with Zeiss bumps!
Maybe I'm getting overly worried thanks to Scherer's "beware the fake Contax" stuff on his site!!
Course I'll only know then the camera arrives and I can use and inspect it.
Any thoughts? Anyone good enough to decipher what Contax II this is (ie production run) from the images??
Attachments
FrankS
Registered User
What makes you think it's a fake, Ash?
Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
Aside from all the fakes on ebay, and my Kiev having a Contax front plate? 
dexdog
Veteran
Ash, I have just compared your pics to one of my Contax IIs, and aside from the funky-looking flash sync, everything appears to be as it should. It's an export model, based on the Made in Germany engraved on the rewind knob. It does not exhibit the most common tell-tale signs of a fake, such as the lack of raised edge on the film counter, flat bails around the bottom locking knobs, or simplified engraving such as no or minimal feathers on the rewind knob arrow.
Looks legit to me.
Looks legit to me.
Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
Thanks for the confirmation
I'm hoping that flash sync was a factory mod, but either way I have a Contax on the way
Did I tell you I saw a Contax I in the science/optics museum in Oxford?? I felt so upset it was being wasted on display, when I could be out taking photo's with it! (yes, your photo of yours planted a huge seed)
I'm hoping that flash sync was a factory mod, but either way I have a Contax on the way
Did I tell you I saw a Contax I in the science/optics museum in Oxford?? I felt so upset it was being wasted on display, when I could be out taking photo's with it! (yes, your photo of yours planted a huge seed)
Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
It better be Aria Giovanni, she's the only lady I'd trade a Contax for
dexdog
Veteran
Ash, send your camera to me and I will be glad to do an in-depth examination, field testing et cetera. Shouldn't take more than a year or two
Oh, remember to includes lots of film in the package.
Oh, remember to includes lots of film in the package.
Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
Next you'll be wanting me to start a thread "Pass the credit card" !
dexdog
Veteran
I had to Google Aria Giovanni because I had no idea who she was. I see that she's an actress, or something.
Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
yes......actress.....
physiognomy
Confirmed RF addict...
dexdog said:
I think the "or something" is right from what I saw... Not a big movie guy, but I hadn't heard of her either. Maybe she's more popular for her still work
Glad your contax was given the ok Ash...
Peter
ErnestoJL
Well-known
I wouldn´t say it´s a fake.
Everything seems to show the real thing.
Some Contax IIs had flash synch added at a later date either factory mods, or done by external shops. It means that the shop placed the PC connector in any suitable place, close to the place where the Kievs had the connector.
I´ve got one with the PC connector clearly added after she left the factory in 1937, and is located right (seen fron the front of the camera) of the lens and in mid way between the front chrome panel and the removable camera back/bottom. It´s usually located under the metal sheet that holds the supply reel in position.
Kievs have it located close to the inner right corner of the front plate.
Besides, the two metal feet (where the locks are) is finely ribbed. Kievs have it coarser.
Another thing that shows that it can be a real Contax is that some of them had their S/N marked in different places, but allways the body and back numbers (a letter telling production year and some digits telling production number) must match. Mine has S/N marked in the acces. shoe, the back and the body. Many cameras don´t have any numbering visible from the outside.
Hope this helps
Ernesto
Everything seems to show the real thing.
Some Contax IIs had flash synch added at a later date either factory mods, or done by external shops. It means that the shop placed the PC connector in any suitable place, close to the place where the Kievs had the connector.
I´ve got one with the PC connector clearly added after she left the factory in 1937, and is located right (seen fron the front of the camera) of the lens and in mid way between the front chrome panel and the removable camera back/bottom. It´s usually located under the metal sheet that holds the supply reel in position.
Kievs have it located close to the inner right corner of the front plate.
Besides, the two metal feet (where the locks are) is finely ribbed. Kievs have it coarser.
Another thing that shows that it can be a real Contax is that some of them had their S/N marked in different places, but allways the body and back numbers (a letter telling production year and some digits telling production number) must match. Mine has S/N marked in the acces. shoe, the back and the body. Many cameras don´t have any numbering visible from the outside.
Hope this helps
Ernesto
Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
Thanks Ernesto
jano
Evil Bokeh
I bought one several months ago, and also got the same vibes you're getting. When I received it, several things made me very suspect to it.. the grinding, non-smooth advance; irregular frame spacing; non-straight frames; strange sounding shutter; and the fact that I couldn't unscrew the back (the screws were glued in). The seller apparently performed a full CLA on this, and I was expecting a much, MUCH smoother camera without the previous issues, and just had my suspicions that the insides were not contax. I don't care that it was a 70 year old camera, with a full CLA, these things should have been addressed. The seller listened me out, and I was fortunate that he was good on taking a return and refunding my money. The lens on the other hand.. my god what a wonderful piece of work. Even with the new ZM sonnar, I miss it, and wish I could've kept it
Jano
Jano
physiognomy
Confirmed RF addict...
darkkavenger
Massimiliano Mortillaro
can I buy your "fake"? I've got 20$ spare
V
varjag
Guest
So Ash, we made you do it
To me that flash socket alone is a certain sign of authencity. It devalues a camera, so you'd unlikely see it on a fake, unless it was made from a later synched Kiev and scammer was too lazy to remove it. But then, the PC socket would've been located in the "proper" place.
To me that flash socket alone is a certain sign of authencity. It devalues a camera, so you'd unlikely see it on a fake, unless it was made from a later synched Kiev and scammer was too lazy to remove it. But then, the PC socket would've been located in the "proper" place.
darkkavenger
Massimiliano Mortillaro
welcome to the club
dexdog
Veteran
Phys,
I concur, that one is certainly a fake. According to several books I have read, CZJ made only 5 of these cameras as a marketing test. This camera exhibits many hallmarks of a fake.
I concur, that one is certainly a fake. According to several books I have read, CZJ made only 5 of these cameras as a marketing test. This camera exhibits many hallmarks of a fake.
physiognomy said:
Someone is going to hell for doing that to a camera.