Let's see your vintage Contax

Here is mine after some bumps removal. I bought it for the lens, it is uncommon to have a prewar T coated collapsible. The VF is starting to separate, but it still works.

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1961 llla

Acquired from a local auction house in December 2013 with a case and F2.0 Sonnar. The shutter runs erratically and slow and the focus helical is strangely loose and 'clatters'. Now fully restored with accurate speeds including 1/1250.
I bought a very tatty Contax lll with an F2.0 Sonnar with a missing bayonet catch when I was in my early 20's. I put one film through it before the shutter ribbons gave out. I parked it for 15 years and finally sold it for parts. from that single roll I could tell that the lens was excellent and superior to the F2.8 Elmar on my Leica M2, I managed to make one decent image from the roll as most of the frames are under-exposed due to early incompetence. These new cameras are something of a return to Contax photography, Im looking forward to it and hope it lasts a little longer than last time.
 
M6 and lla

M6 and lla



This Contax lla arrived a week ago from the USA, dead on arrival other than very slow speed firing and a very rattly and stiff rangefinder assembly. With the help of advice and pictures posted by you guys it now fires perkily on all speeds, the self timer cycles and the viewfinder is sparkling clean. The focusing is silky smooth, the rangefinder operates and is surprisingly accurate proven by the first roll of HP5 I developed yesterday. Exposures are not bad when the shutter works, appearing 1/2 stop over the marked value. 1 sec is 1.5 sec etc.

Problems remain as follows: The shutter blanks out on 1/250 upwards. The blinds travel at inconsistent speed on one of the slow speeds, the self timer is weak and requires further cleaning. I did not pay enough attention to the gears under the chassis - shutter, bevel gears, shafts and wind on train. I think I will look much more closely at this area once I have it stripped down again.
The wind on is smooth but notchy and I guess requires some adjustment to take up slack or maybe just feed some lubricant into it.

A big thanks to all of you who post, selflessly, your experience and pictures, these have been invaluable in this project.

Update 20th January 2014
Now fully restored with the exception of the self timer. Acurate speeds including 1/1250, accurate focus and sparkly viewfinder. A tribute to Zeiss engineering that this camera really only needed a thorough clean and minor adjustments to bring it back to life 60 years on. It is a joy to use.
Further update February 2014
After a thorough ultrasonic clean and re-lube the self timer cycles correctly and fires the shutter, wind on is smooth an all speeds are good enough, wow!
 
Here's my Contax II. I was quite pleased when I bought it as, with all that wear, it had obviously been used and not sat in a box because it was faulty. It was working when I bought it but a bit tight. I had it serviced by Jerry Sorin and now everything works perfectly.
 

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Larry Cloetta said:
Nice (and rare) to see one that has not only stayed in the family that long, but is still being used. Congrats.
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Thanks Larry. It has sentimental value for sure. This was "my" first camera, on loan from Dad. Though I didn't take procession until recently. He must have bought the contax somewhere around when he got me. I never knew which preceded which! I can't imagine being a twenty something working guy with a new wife and baby and buying a contax!
 
Contax IIIa color dial. Some of my best Tri-X photos have been made with this camera and lens.
 

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Here is my Contax II

Here is my Contax II

This is my Contax II with Zeiss Jena Sonnar 50mm f2. The body is serial F73971 (1938) and lens is 1629880 (1935).

Any ideas where I can get a CLA done in Western Australia, or Australia safely?














 
Contax IIIa(1961) w/Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm f2(1948) recently purchased from fellow RFFer Gerry M.

ContaxIIIa.jpg

Fun camera.

Best,
-Tim
 
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