Fear Of Contax

S

Stu W

Well-known
Local time
3:50 AM
Joined
Sep 18, 2005
Messages
680
Location
Brooklyn, New York
View My Gallery
I own 3 post-war Contaxes, and I'm afraid to use them . Seems the previous owners were too, as they are all in just about mint condition. One is absolutely mint. What if something breaks? There is no Dag or Sherry for the Contax. I can't see shelling out twice the amount for a service as I paid for them. I guess they're going to stay closet cases, unless I can find someone who repairs these. BTW, the Tewe finder I picked up to not use on them is mint. Stu
 
Hey, it's just a camera. Use it. The real shame is having them sit on a shelf and collect dust. The postwar Contax isn't that complex, and generally can hold up to very hard use.

I have a number of Contaxes -- I had to retire one body because the shutter is no longer reliable. I have a rather "rare" model as my daily user. It has a three-digit serial number.

I also have an anniversary Contax -- but that needs some rangefinder work. I also have a color dial IIa and two IIIa's plus two more IIIa's in a bin -- they need restoration.

The cameras were built and sold to be used as photographic tools. Leave the fondling to others.
 
Do take pictures !!

Do take pictures !!

If one wants contax camera look perfect but in bad internal condition, best way is TAKE NO PICTURES !!! This camera needs practice !!!
 
I am a firm believer that something made by a craftsman to do a job, should do that job, or the craftsman wasted their time. It's just the way I feel.
 
I don't understand what you're afraid of.. I have a hard time believing you, as a camera afficionado, would break them.. my IIa is nearly mint, but it gets used on a regular basis, and is none the worse for wear.. the finish on a Contax is much more durable than on a Leica, IMO.. and the mechanisms will hold up to normal wear for decades
 
Stu W said:
...the Tewe finder I picked up to not use on them is mint.
Click to expand...

Hmmmphf. Good one, sir.

If you're dead set on not using them, keep the prettiest or weirdest one, liquidate the other two to people who like one-year waiting lists and reading websites with 3000-word paragraphs while they wait, and buy another Leica with the fric.

I've kept one or two pistols and wristwatches that I'd I bought to not use, but I've sold off many more to fund things I do use now. I don't miss them a bit.
 
Post-war Contaxes are relatively inexpensive. Why not just select a nice user for everyday photography. If it does break, get another user.
 
I'm w/JoeFriday. Why are you afraid you're going to break them? If it's working, the Contax is just as reliable as any Leica or other mechanical camera.

Also, there are people who work on the Contax who are as skilled as DAG/Sherry Krauter are w/Leicas, e.g., Wolf Umbach of Z-V Service (252-249-2576) or Ken Ruth of Photography on Bald Mountain (831-423-4465), neither of whom have 1-year waiting lists. Henry Scherer is by no means the only game in town for Zeiss Ikon service.

Stu W said:
I own 3 post-war Contaxes, and I'm afraid to use them . Seems the previous owners were too, as they are all in just about mint condition. One is absolutely mint. What if something breaks? There is no Dag or Sherry for the Contax. I can't see shelling out twice the amount for a service as I paid for them. I guess they're going to stay closet cases, unless I can find someone who repairs these. BTW, the Tewe finder I picked up to not use on them is mint. Stu
Click to expand...
 
Essex will service Contax' and has a short turnaround. They did great jobs on my Leica's and Canon's.

If it really bothers you, I will trade you an EX condition Contax IIIa for one of your mint ones. I even made a Nikon S2 case fit it well. I'll throw it in.
 
Users they will now become. The whole thing that scared me off was Henry's website, and as far as I knew there was no one else who can repair them. My Leicas, as indestuvtible as they are, have been off to service, but I thought that for the Contax Henry was my only recourse. I might use one of them today. They really are beautifully made. Thanks for the wake up. Stu
 
... yeah, good points by all USERS but just a bit off the psychological clue Stu has given us.

It's like the mint 1938 Mercedes SSK in your garage you would or rather wouldn't want to drive. Friday night it's gonna be cloudy with a chance of rain according to your local radio station, on Saturday afternoon, after just these few short hours of dawn to noon sleep, your're too tired and wouldn't want to risk an accident, and on Sunday your gilfriend raises hell on you because you're vacuum cleaning the seats instead of the carpet in the living room. Monday thru Friday you're too busy anyway.

That's almost like in Alannis Morissette's song "Ironic"...

My simple solution is: I never buy mint cameras.

I love my 1936 Contax II not only for her looks and her technical complexity (yes, the camera is feminine) but also for her beautiful "patina", the little rubs and scrubs, the golden shiny brass beneath the chrome at the rims and edges and the shadow of the Zeiss bump in the leather on the back I had removed last autumn. What else should I expect after 70 years - and she is working.

Or could Albrecht Dürer have depicted his mother as a virgin cheerleader with the same emotional impact?

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/d/durer/2/11/4/04mother.html

Of course a reliable repairperson is essential. I know two of them in Germany, that's something like an insurance or a good doctor in case something goes wrong.

Old ladies want to be treated with respect and dignity. I must admit that I don't take her out as an everyday shooter. No rain and no below zero centigrade. That's a decent way to take an old lady out for dinner or anything.

So the question is not only if to take her out but how to do it properly.

Jesko

________________

2006 AD
800 yrs Dresden
80 yrs Zeiss Ikon
 
I understand your feelings, but what is the fun in owning something if you can't use it? I have been shooting with my grandfathers 1950s iiia for many years. It was always my main shooter, and has great sentimental value too. That camera needed repairs (eyelets wore out) and now I am without the camera and experiencing pretty serious separation anxiety. The feeling of potential loss is very real, and I hope to have it up and running soon.

However, I do realize that the many years of pleasure I have gained (and hopefully many more to come)from using the camera are far more valuable to me than if the camera were preserved in mint condition and resold on ebay after sitting on a shelf for years. We don't live forever! Use it and have fun with it and don't even freak if you get a ding or two. Unless of course you do intend to sell it on ebay, or to anyone else for that matter🙂. ...

Amy
www.amybphoto.com
 
In 7-10 years from now when you feel like the camera is about a year away from breaking down, put it on the list and keep using it for the year! When your turn is up it will either be good and ready for a CLA or you'll get one a little early and then you won't need another one for a decade or so. Or... if it breaks or gets a little balky, put it on the list and let it sit there for the year. You'll be no worse for the time lost because that is what it is doing now anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Did Nikon really blow Leitz and Zeiss out of the water in 1950? Not quite, but....
Replies
9
Views
2K
aoresteen
aoresteen
stephen_lumsden
New M42 body instead of a second Contax/Kiev RF
2
Replies
38
Views
4K
titrisol
titrisol
Coldkennels
Contax II film transport issues
Replies
10
Views
817
Shafovaloff1
Shafovaloff1
J
  • Article Article
Camera Collecting, The Incurable Passion, How to know if you’re a camera collector and what you can do about it.
3 4 5
Replies
88
Views
12K
AlexMogens
A
J
  • Article Article
Camera Collecting, The Incurable Passion, Part 2: Tales of RegretGreat vintage cameras I never bought, and others I foolishly sold.
2
Replies
37
Views
5K
ranger9
R
Back
Top Bottom