shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Hi folks,
New to me, a Contax IIIa. I used to look down at the big head (that big meter on top) and told myself, there's no way I'm getting that one over a IIa.
Well, to make long story short, I got one in my hands and suddenly the well built craftsmanship and the shiny chromes melted my heart
And you know what...?
The bulbous meter doesn't bother me at all... in fact, it looks cool now.
Now, the lens, it's one of my dream lens, an honest-to-goodness Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5. I remember watching auctions for Jupiter-3 went by and feeling the GAS. Now I am using the "real thing"
So, how do these two perform? well, if I can get off my butt and actually scan the roll of Tri-X that I developed a couple days ago (still hanging in my spare bathroom), I would be able to tell you.
From the cursory look on the negatives, at least there are some pictures in there
Now the inevitable comparison with the Kiev 4A that I also have. It's better made, feels better, and one interesting thing is that the removable spool actually straighten itself when I wound the film up for that first blank shot with the back open. That never happened with the Kiev, I have to half-nudge, half-hoping that the bottom of the spool will connect with the cam on the back.
Having said that, I stand by what I said always, the Kiev is *not* a bad camera. It's just the Contax feels a bit better made.
I'll post some pics from that test roll soon.
New to me, a Contax IIIa. I used to look down at the big head (that big meter on top) and told myself, there's no way I'm getting that one over a IIa.
Well, to make long story short, I got one in my hands and suddenly the well built craftsmanship and the shiny chromes melted my heart
And you know what...?
The bulbous meter doesn't bother me at all... in fact, it looks cool now.
Now, the lens, it's one of my dream lens, an honest-to-goodness Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5. I remember watching auctions for Jupiter-3 went by and feeling the GAS. Now I am using the "real thing"
So, how do these two perform? well, if I can get off my butt and actually scan the roll of Tri-X that I developed a couple days ago (still hanging in my spare bathroom), I would be able to tell you.
From the cursory look on the negatives, at least there are some pictures in there
Now the inevitable comparison with the Kiev 4A that I also have. It's better made, feels better, and one interesting thing is that the removable spool actually straighten itself when I wound the film up for that first blank shot with the back open. That never happened with the Kiev, I have to half-nudge, half-hoping that the bottom of the spool will connect with the cam on the back.
Having said that, I stand by what I said always, the Kiev is *not* a bad camera. It's just the Contax feels a bit better made.
I'll post some pics from that test roll soon.
robin a
Well-known
Very Handsome....................Robin
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Robin, thanks you're always the encourager
Here's three from the test roll:
They are not kidding when they say that this lens is sharp
And this is the first time I use tri-x ever, and I like the look, very much.
Here's three from the test roll:
They are not kidding when they say that this lens is sharp
And this is the first time I use tri-x ever, and I like the look, very much.
David Murphy
Veteran
Will, I agree with you 100%. The Contax IIIa is a miraculous little creation of photographic technology. It must be seen and used to be fully appreciated. From a historical perspective it's eye opening to see just how advanced German photographic engineering was (at that time) compared to the rest of the world. I also agree with you that the Kiev is also a decent camera, one certainly worthy of backing up and complementing a Contax collection, but it's not at the level of genuine Contax.
David Murphy
Veteran
Those are excellent shots by the way - nice work.
crawdiddy
qu'est-ce que c'est?
Nice shots there, Will. The Contax looks sharp, and of course the Sonnar does also.
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
David and Dan, thanks for the kind words.
If this is going where I think it would go, I'd have to let go of the Kiev kit and have it used by someone else rather than gathering dust in my cabinet
If this is going where I think it would go, I'd have to let go of the Kiev kit and have it used by someone else rather than gathering dust in my cabinet
ray*j*gun
Veteran
Hi Will
Tell me about the Kiev kit.....lol the only reason I haven't taken that particular plunge is my fear of getting a broken camera that's in need of tricky work. I am truly all thumbs!
Ray
Tell me about the Kiev kit.....lol the only reason I haven't taken that particular plunge is my fear of getting a broken camera that's in need of tricky work. I am truly all thumbs!
Ray