Roger Hicks
Veteran
Ah, sorry: I never read those lists of cameras in signatures. Love the finder! I have the monster pentaprism with built in meter and direct vision finder on mine.
Cheers,
R.
In Love with a Contax I..
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Ah, sorry: I never read those lists of cameras in signatures. Love the finder! I have the monster pentaprism with built in meter and direct vision finder on mine.
Cheers,
R.
RanceEric
The name is Rance
Haha no worries.. I normally don't either.
Thank you! Antique Store find. 🙂 They're beautiful cameras, but mine just sits on my shelf.. I haven't shot with it in a couple months
Dralowid
Michael
I use mine occasionally but need to be in a mascohistic mood (spelling?).
Compared to a Leica II or III it seems all wrong and odd but...
I find the infinity lock annoying . Using an 85 or 135 with the viewfinder mask is hit and miss. The viewfinder/rangefinder are on a par, possibly better on the last version. The combined shutter advance/speed knob is a struggle but not counter intuitive but you need glasses and finally, winding on is a bit of a pain, you learn to hold the knob still and twist the camera. Yes it is a bit of lump but it is fun!
And the last version is by no means the most expensive and it is better! Look for four screws in the accessory shoe and an arrow like pointer by the shutter dial instead of the round stud.
Michael
Compared to a Leica II or III it seems all wrong and odd but...
I find the infinity lock annoying . Using an 85 or 135 with the viewfinder mask is hit and miss. The viewfinder/rangefinder are on a par, possibly better on the last version. The combined shutter advance/speed knob is a struggle but not counter intuitive but you need glasses and finally, winding on is a bit of a pain, you learn to hold the knob still and twist the camera. Yes it is a bit of lump but it is fun!
And the last version is by no means the most expensive and it is better! Look for four screws in the accessory shoe and an arrow like pointer by the shutter dial instead of the round stud.
Michael
Roger Hicks
Veteran
You can jam the infinity lock with a little bit of toothpick or similar in the lock that is actuated by the lens mount. Just remove the little bit of wood when you want to un-jam it.
Cheers,
R.
Cheers,
R.
RanceEric
The name is Rance
Thanks for all the help, Michael. I can't wait to try it out for myself! I feel like a kid waiting for a new toy..
RanceEric
The name is Rance
My first Contax I (second variation) came in the mail today! She looks beautiful! Can't wait to see the results of the test roll!
Highway 61
Revisited
The results you will see are the ones from the 50/3.5 Tessar, which would perform the very same way on a Contax II or a Contax IIa - unless you realize that your Contax I shutter doesn't work 😀
Fingers strongly crossed that the shutter ribbons on this very Contax I have been replaced already... 😉
RanceEric
The name is Rance
Were you going to attach your results/photos to that? 😛 haha
And the shutter seems to be working fine at all speeds. Looks great, but I plan on sending it out to be checked and cleaned in the near future. The rangefinder and viewfinder could use a cleaning.
Walter Ulreich
Established
Congratulation to that beautiful Contax I and good light for your photos! Reading a lot on Contax I over some years, collecting some literature on it and finding your thread made me wanting one too. My first bad condition I version 4 is at repair now, unsure if it will work again properly. But I still am searching for a better one. Two proper lenses are waiting for a Contax I.
With kind regards,
Walter
With kind regards,
Walter
RanceEric
The name is Rance
Thanks Walter! So far I'm loving it. Just finished shooting the test roll. I'm anxious to see the shots.. now I want to get another, but. With slow speeds.. Haha :angel:
jdriffill
Established
Your Contax I looks great. I hope it delivers the goods. They have a reputation for being temperamental and needing a lot of maintenance. Good luck with all that. A back-up or two to use the lenses on, when and if that one needs attention, might be a good idea. Another Contax, or a Kiev perhaps. I've found a couple recently, and they seem rather good. All the best, John
Vince Lupo
Whatever
I just found a Contax I (a) body for $286.00 -- the shutter speeds are supposedly 'off', but I think that is a pretty good price for a Model 'a'. i'll let you know how it really is when it shows up!
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RanceEric
The name is Rance
On Keh? I saw that also.. I really want to find a later model with slow speeds now, though.. haha
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Yup - couldn't resist. Also picked up a 50/2 Sonnar T they had for $109, so we'll see how that package is....should be here next week.
RanceEric
The name is Rance
Awesome! I was actually looking at that lens too. I need to get something faster than my 2.8
Vince Lupo
Whatever
I'll be sure to post a few shots of it when it arrives. I really don't need this camera, but it seemed like a good price, plus the 'a' is very difficult to find (assuming of course that it is in fact an 'a').
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Got my Contax -- good news and bad news. It's not a Model 'A', but a Model 'E' instead (slow speeds, no dimple etc). Nice thing is that all the shutter speeds seem to work fine -- gotta admit though, that shutter adjustment dial can be a confusing affair! Very much like the shutter in my Contaflex TLR, but I got it figured out and it seems fine. Has the 135mm mask.
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Just ran a test roll through my Contax I -- the speeds were supposedly 'off', but the roll revealed that they're perfectly fine (admittedly, it's a bit tricky to figure the shutter speed adjustment out). Here's one test shot, I think I'm at 1/100th @ f/2.8, Ilford XP2. I think that something in the camera is causing some scratches in the negs, so I'll have to investigate that a bit further.
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Another shot from the test roll -- the lens is a post-War f/2 Sonnar T (309xxxx), and seems to produce pretty sharp pictures!
At about f/5.6
At about f/5.6
Vince Lupo
Whatever
I've been looking a bit more closely at the different Contax I models, and now I'm thinking that I might have a 'B' or a 'C':
The serial number starts with 'AV', it does not have a 'foot' on the tripod socket, it has the slow shutter speeds. Can't been completely certain though. Is there a source somewhere that lists the Contax I serial numbers?
The serial number starts with 'AV', it does not have a 'foot' on the tripod socket, it has the slow shutter speeds. Can't been completely certain though. Is there a source somewhere that lists the Contax I serial numbers?
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