Got my Zeiss Ikon Contessamat SE

[bmattock]

Looks to be in fantastic cosmetic condition - very clean! Someone has had the top off, there are bugger marks on the screw heads. Not bad though. The rangefinder patch is clear enough, the viewfinder is not bad at all. I can focus with this thing indoors, that's good.

One small problem - it winds and winds and winds etc. Seems not to 'stop' at the next frame. I don't know even if this is a one-stroke or two-stroke winder. So I guess I need to fix that. Other than that, looks like a keeper. 45mm f2.8 Color-Pantar lens, shutter speeds from B, 1/30 to 1/500 (nothing slower than 1/30, though, weird). Aperture 'Auto' or 2.8 to 22. The meter responds to light, even. Visible on top of the camera and in the viewfinder window. Most clever. No need for frame alignment marks, the viewfinder is directly over the lens. And the hidy-hole for the x-sync jack has to be seen to be believed - those Germans, they're wacky!

Titrisol? You got your ears on?

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[FrankS]

Hi Bill, I've got one of those too, but mine is missing something from the front of the lens that allows it to focus. Can you take a pic of the fron of your camera so I can see what it looks like, please?

 

[bmattock]

Frank,

I'll do it this evening when I get home from work.

Best,

Bill

 

[titrisol]

BILL Congrats! great camera!

I hear ya! Same problem I got with my new Contessamatic E
It just denotes that it has not been used in a long time. When you widn do you hear a "clik"?
If so the winder/shutter are sticky and at the end of the winding it is firing the camera.

I thought I had fixed that, it woked fine when "wet" with Ronsonol but it got sticky again when I tried it last night (optics are still not back in camera)

I also have to adjust the rangefinder on mine... is it better to do it at infinity or at close focus?

PS. does it look like Belgian's SBE?

One small problem - it winds and winds and winds etc. Seems not to 'stop' at the next frame. I don't know even if this is a one-stroke or two-stroke winder. So I guess I need to fix that. Other than that, looks like a keeper. 45mm f2.8 Color-Pantar lens, shutter speeds from B, 1/30 to 1/500 (nothing slower than 1/30, though, weird). Aperture 'Auto' or 2.8 to 22. The meter responds to light, even. Visible on top of the camera and in the viewfinder window. Most clever. No need for frame alignment marks, the viewfinder is directly over the lens. And the hidy-hole for the x-sync jack has to be seen to be believed - those Germans, they're wacky!

Titrisol? You got your ears on?

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[bmattock]

BILL Congrats! great camera!

I hear ya! Same problem I got with my new Contessamatic E
It just denotes that it has not been used in a long time. When you widn do you hear a "clik"?
If so the winder/shutter are sticky and at the end of the winding it is firing the camera.

I thought I had fixed that, it woked fine when "wet" with Ronsonol but it got sticky again when I tried it last night (optics are still not back in camera)

I also have to adjust the rangefinder on mine... is it better to do it at infinity or at close focus?

PS. does it look like Belgian's SBE?

It does not 'fire' when you wind it - you can press the shutter button after the first wind. I could do a work-around by just not winding it on more than once after each shot, but it *should* lock when it is wound. The winder seems sticky and slow, that's for sure. If I let it 'snap back' when I wind it, it does so slowly.

My SE looks very much like the SBE you've pictured here with the following differences:

1) My SE has 'front cell' focusing - you turn the actual front cell itself, like you would on an old medium-format folding camera. This moves the image in the rangefinder as well, so it is 'coupled'. Also, it is a 45mm Color Pantar, not a 50mm Tessar. I believe that the Pantar is a 4 element Tessar design, though. I could be wrong.

2) The f-stop scale goes the other direction. There is "Auto" when the aperture ring is rotated completely counter-clockwise, then as you move the ring clockwise, you get f2.8, 4, 5.6, etc. Your images shows the opposite, I think.

3) I'm not positive (I'm at work right now), but I don't think mine has the white stripes across the glass areas of the rangefinder/viewfinder/light sensor. I could be wrong on that.

Other than that, it looks very, very, much the same. Even the little revolving thing on top - which covers the flash sync and a hole which I presume is rangefinder adjustment.

As I mentioned last night, it looks like someone has had the top off of the this one. There are two flat-head screws on either end of the top cap that have their surfaces a bit buggered, and they were loose when I got the camera. It looks as though that is all that is required to take the top off - no levers or other protrusions to remove first, right? If so, I'll try to get into it tonight after my KofC meeting.

Thanks!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[captainslack]

Funny you should post this now, because my father-in-law is visiting at the moment and he brought his Zeiss Ikon Contessa up for me to send to the local repair guy in Cary!! He's had it for years, but hasn't been able to use it because something is broken in the shutter release. Chuck at Southeastern Camera thinks it won't take much to fix, though.

His is different than the one titrisol posted, though. It's an acutal Contessa folder. In fact, it's the same one Stephen Gandy profiled at CameraQuest (http://www.cameraquest.com/contessa.htm). I'll post some photos of it when it comes back from the shop.

 

[bmattock]

Funny you should post this now, because my father-in-law is visiting at the moment and he brought his Zeiss Ikon Contessa up for me to send to the local repair guy in Cary!! He's had it for years, but hasn't been able to use it because something is broken in the shutter release. Chuck at Southeastern Camera thinks it won't take much to fix, though.

His is different than the one titrisol posted, though. It's an acutal Contessa folder. In fact, it's the same one Stephen Gandy profiled at CameraQuest (http://www.cameraquest.com/contessa.htm). I'll post some photos of it when it comes back from the shop.

Interesting coincidence! I'm going to have a go at fixing this one myself - after all it was an $8 BIN on eBoy.

I do have some cameras that need to go in for repair though - I wonder if he'd be willing to fix my big-boy Fujica G690? That also has a problem with the shutter release.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[titrisol]

I guess the SE Camera guy is pretty good but the "real" repair man for Zeiss/Contax is Mr Wolf UMBACH in Oriental NC.
Umbach, W W
1410 Seafarer Dr
Oriental, NC 28571-9651
(252) 249-2576

Funny you should post this now, because my father-in-law is visiting at the moment and he brought his Zeiss Ikon Contessa up for me to send to the local repair guy in Cary!! He's had it for years, but hasn't been able to use it because something is broken in the shutter release. Chuck at Southeastern Camera thinks it won't take much to fix, though.

His is different than the one titrisol posted, though. It's an acutal Contessa folder. In fact, it's the same one Stephen Gandy profiled at CameraQuest (http://www.cameraquest.com/contessa.htm). I'll post some photos of it when it comes back from the shop.

 

[titrisol]

So it is not locking in place.... just needs some Ronsonol to unstick the shutter and it will stay.
The SBE has a self timer and other niceties but is very similar IMHO.

The SE is like my old one:

but that one is a couple thousand miles away 😉
The lightmeter works when you move the thing to AUTO, then you choose shutter speed and the needle will tell you which f-stop to use.

The top comes off with those 2 screws, and turning the winding lever about 1/8th of a turn. But you'll gain nothing taking the top off. You have to work on the lenns/shutter

Danny MIthcell's site has a complete dissasembly of the Pronto/prontor shutter
Mine looked awfully similar

It does not 'fire' when you wind it - you can press the shutter button after the first wind. I could do a work-around by just not winding it on more than once after each shot, but it *should* lock when it is wound. The winder seems sticky and slow, that's for sure. If I let it 'snap back' when I wind it, it does so slowly.

My SE looks very much like the SBE you've pictured here with the following differences:

1) My SE has 'front cell' focusing - you turn the actual front cell itself, like you would on an old medium-format folding camera. This moves the image in the rangefinder as well, so it is 'coupled'. Also, it is a 45mm Color Pantar, not a 50mm Tessar. I believe that the Pantar is a 4 element Tessar design, though. I could be wrong.

2) The f-stop scale goes the other direction. There is "Auto" when the aperture ring is rotated completely counter-clockwise, then as you move the ring clockwise, you get f2.8, 4, 5.6, etc. Your images shows the opposite, I think.

3) I'm not positive (I'm at work right now), but I don't think mine has the white stripes across the glass areas of the rangefinder/viewfinder/light sensor. I could be wrong on that.

Other than that, it looks very, very, much the same. Even the little revolving thing on top - which covers the flash sync and a hole which I presume is rangefinder adjustment.

As I mentioned last night, it looks like someone has had the top off of the this one. There are two flat-head screws on either end of the top cap that have their surfaces a bit buggered, and they were loose when I got the camera. It looks as though that is all that is required to take the top off - no levers or other protrusions to remove first, right? If so, I'll try to get into it tonight after my KofC meeting.

Thanks!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[captainslack]

Interesting coincidence! I'm going to have a go at fixing this one myself - after all it was an $8 BIN on eBoy.

I do have some cameras that need to go in for repair though - I wonder if he'd be willing to fix my big-boy Fujica G690? That also has a problem with the shutter release.

I'm sure Chuck would have a go at it. He's the guy that fixed my Minolta A5 and he did a really good job of it. He's also a really nice guy, not a jackass like the guy at Peace Camera I pointed out to you. Quite a talker, though!!! 😀

I haven't taken you by SE Camera yet, have I? Have to swing by there next time we get together.

 

[titrisol]

Didn't he have a shop in Cameron Village?

I'm sure Chuck would have a go at it. He's the guy that fixed my Minolta A5 and he did a really good job of it. He's also a really nice guy, not a jackass like the guy at Peace Camera I pointed out to you. Quite a talker, though!!! 😀

I haven't taken you by SE Camera yet, have I? Have to swing by there next time we get together.

 

[bmattock]

Hi Bill, I've got one of those too, but mine is missing something from the front of the lens that allows it to focus. Can you take a pic of the fron of your camera so I can see what it looks like, please?

Frank,

Will this work for you? Happy to take more photos if required - just let me know.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[captainslack]

Didn't he have a shop in Cameron Village?

Peace Camera, which is about a mile and a half down the road from Cameron Village, used to called Southeastern Camera. The two owners split up, one keeping the store and the other keeping the name. The one with the name also kept the other stores in Chapel Hill and Wilmington and opened a new store on Kildaire Farm Rd. in Cary.