Jena Contax

[re-naissance]

Yesterday I purchased a Jena Contax. I am looking for somebody who knows the variants of this mysterious camera. Thank you in advance.

 

[Paul C. Perkins MD]

I there somewhere you could pos sme mages of the camera? TIA.

Paul

 

[santino]

Contax D? Pentacon F? SLR??

 

[re-naissance]

Paul,
It was sold by a Hungarian internet shop as a cheap Zeiss Ikon Contax, but it is marked Carl Zeiss Jena on top. Tomorrow I'll take some pictures. (Here it's midnight now.) Serial nr.: 11868, lens (Sonnar 2/50mm) nr.: 3060407. Numbers are ok for a Jena Contax. Inscription in shoe ok. Lettering style ok. Camera case, lens cap are Jena style originals, too. The camera back has matching number, but it is aluminium, not brass!
Good night.

 

[re-naissance]

No, Santino, it is a rare variant of the rangefinder Contax II. Normal Contax II's were made by Zeiss Ikon in Dresden, mostly before WWII, the few specimens of the Jena Contax were made by Carl Zeiss Jena, about 1947. Maybe these were Kiev prototypes.

 

[Paul T.]

Well done, if you have finally managed to track down one of these semi-mythical beasts.

You will doubtless have seen the Peter Hennig piece hosted at Russ Pinchbeck's site:

http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/zconrfKiev.htm

A variant with more photos is here:

http://www.zeisshistorica.org/sample.html

I am sure you can contact Peter via the Zeiss Historica Org - LngubasaATSYMBOLzeisshistorica.org

Most importantly, do post photos of your new acquisition!

 

[re-naissance]

Photos of Jena Contax

Photos of Jena Contax

I am new in RFF it's the first time I try to upload photos.

 

[re-naissance]

2 more photos.

2 more photos.

The back is made in aluminium, not brass, but has the matching number.

 

[re-naissance]

Here is the internet shop's site where I acquired the camera:
http://soosfoto.hu/arveres_archiv.php?kat=1&archivido=2008-11-13
Text is Hungarian but you can see the erroneous date (1938).

 

[raid]

This is very cool indeed. Congratulations on this buy.
By the way, could you help me understand the currency value in the internet price list. Thanksl

 

[re-naissance]

Hungarian Currency

Hungarian Currency

This is very cool indeed. Congratulations on this buy.
By the way, could you help me understand the currency value in the internet price list. Thanksl

1 USD is slightly more than 212 HUF (Hungarian Forint).
37,500 HUF = 177 USD.

 

[Paul C. Perkins MD]

Way cool! Congratulations!!!

 

[Nikon Bob]

Congrats on getting, what appears to be, are fairly rare piece of Contax RF history.

Bob

 

[Paul C. Perkins MD]

She's a beauty - that much is for sure. Send her to Henry for an overhaul. - Paul

 

[re-naissance]

Many, many thanks.

Many, many thanks.

Thank you for your help, advices and warm words. My English is too poor (my best foreign language is French), so I can't express my deep gratitude.

 

[photovdz]

quel coup de bol... (en français dans le texte)...

culd you please show us the back (of the back) and the engravings or embossing on the leather ?

 

[ZorkiKat]

Then in 2013 you'll be tired with not having got your camera back and so you will give that Jena Contax II to him so that he sells it for his own profit or strip it down for parts to fix cameras having been in his workshop since 2004.

.

Are Contax owners and technicians immortal? No one seems to mind waiting for 1, 2 or 5 (!) years to be on the fix-list, and then waiting for some more to have their cameras actually serviced. Just wondering... :angel::angel::angel:

 

[ray*j*gun]

I second that......the wait is long but he insanely good.

Ray

She's a beauty - that much is for sure. Send her to Henry for an overhaul. - Paul

 

[Carlsen Highway]

I havn't sent my Contax to Henry and it works just fine.
I understand therefor, that I am doing something wrong.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Let me say two things....one I don't like your insinuation that I am somehow a shill for anyone.....like your irresponsible comments above..... if you accuse people of something you better have proof or the balls to say it to a mans face.

Two, this is a forum where opinions are expressed. My opinion is that a fine historical camera like this one should have a chance to be used reliably and my own experience with HS has been very good.

Ray

Oh yes, of course, send that extremely rare camera to Henry right away. This is what any of us ought to with any newly acquired Zeiss Ikon Contax rangefinder : send it to Henry. This is what to do, it's an emergency, nothing else should be done.

Then in 2013 you'll be tired with not having got your camera back and so you will give that Jena Contax II to him so that he sells it for his own profit or strip it down for parts to fix cameras having been in his workshop since 2004.

"Henry... ! Henry... ! Henry... ! Henry... !"

(Keep saying it 24/24 even when you're asleep, this is the prayer's text).



Now back to serious meanings : Ivan : I suppose that the back has a plain black leather covering without any Zeiss-Ikon logo embossed. This is defnitely the real McCoy, a 1946-1947 Contax II made at Saalfeld near Jena as a training for the Ukrainian techs. who were working on the "Volga camera project" (this is how the Kiev rangefinder should have be named).

As Paul T. cleverly told you, get in touch with Peter Hennig. Your camera serial number should be registered at the Zeiss Historica database.

Congrats for that find, it happens once in a lifetime.