Does this look like a good Contax IIIa?

[CPDST]

Hi All,

I know I might run the chance of pushing up the price on this camera, but I was wondering what all you Contax aficionados thought of This Example

I know it has a bit of filth, but the lens looks ok, apart from cleaning marks, and the shutter curtain looks to be well aligned in it's cavity. (Though a slightly different design, many Kievs with shutters mis-aligned tend to have ribbon issues..). The body also looks relatively alright, with the dirt you might expect form being stored in case for 30-40 years. It is a black dial (BD) model, so, at US$37.00, is it worth it? This will be my first Contax (If I decide to go for it, which is why I ask for your opinions..) by the way! I have only ever handled a non-functional IIa Color Dial at a friends house, but I really liked the small size, combined with the heavy, quality feel. Then again, I hear the IIIa is significantly heavier, and bulkier than the IIa, so we will see.

Cheers,
Craig 🙂

 

[MISH]

looks good to me at anywhere near that price ........ good chance it will need a CLA if it has not seen much use in a while........ I much prefer the IIA but if you can get it at a good price go for it

 

[S.H.]

At $37 you can't go wrong, but I really do not think it will end that cheaply... perhaps it will fetch over $150. A lens like this in good working order (good clean glass) is worth $100 for me. However, if the shutter is out, the RF in a bad state and the lens dirty (and I see rainbows in it : can be edge separation? hard to tell) this is a costly paperweight.

But anyway, I bought my Contax II + 3.5cm finder + planar 35 with a completely underexposed fuzzy picture. For 100$, I have a perfectly working camera and the lens is like new (worth $300 by itself).

If you have $100 to burn, bid! But it is risky (and that's part of the game 😀)

 

[KoNickon]

Yeah -- without some sort of representation that indeed the shutter works at all speeds and the rangefinder is lined up, the camera isn't worth paying any attention to. Because these will be expensive repairs (the RF especially so).

 

[farlymac]

Hope you got it (bidding has ended). Most of the 'dirt' may just be detritus from the leather case. Not only is it possible there is some seperation on the elements, but the lens inside looked a bit too hazy in places. Other than some possible issues with the chrome on the top around the rewind knob, the rest of the body looks good, along with the shutter.

PF

 

[CPDST]

Hi PF,

No, I did not get it in the end. I decided to go for a very mint Kodak Retina IIIS (Another son of Stuttgart 😉) for my second interchangeable lens RF (My first was Werramatic E) - there's less to go wrong in a leaf shutter, and what does go wrong can normally be fixed with a CLA. I hear Contaxes often need replacement parts (Ribbon, and if the prism is separating or de-silvering, a new prism), and the lens can be fairly expensive - I want to build up a near-full set for each camera I own. But I still have a Contax in my sights, I just want to build up more funds, to find a good looking/functioning one, and also to allow me to send it off for a CLA/Ribbon replacement. It really is very sad that restrictive Leica patents gave the Contax a less reliable shutter (But even that is debatable...)

Cheerss,
Craig.

 

[Vics]

Craig, since you didn't get it, I think you should focus on the IIa. I have the IIIa and the meter adds quite a bit of bulk and weight. I, too, handled a IIa a few years back, and I was amazed at what a little jewel it is. My Contax came down to me from my Dad, and once overhauled by Henry Scherer in 2003 it has worked perfectly ever since. I love the image quality of the Sonnar 1.5, but have no experience with the 2.0. Here's an example from the IIIa with Sonnar 1.5/50, Wide open.


Rural Cemetery by travlrs2, on Flickr

 

[farlymac]

Who knows, Craig, maybe it's a good thing you didn't get it. And the Retina IIIS is a nice replacement. I really like my Contax IIa, even though it was damaged by the previous owner after he took the photos of it for the auction. It doesn't count the frames correctly, so I lose track of how many shots I have left, but the rest of the camera is working good. The lens has some spots inside, but you wouldn't know it from the photos. I need to shoot it more often. And unlike the Leica, you don't burn holes in a metal shutter!

PF