Let's see your vintage Contax

shawn said:
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Just look at that. That’s one of the reasons I bought a Contax: nobody will ever make anything like that again.
 
My newly acquired 1936 Contax II, SN A 49151. This puts it probably at 1651 serial numbers after the first production began, though I am not sure how many Contax II's were part of that Z/A serial group. It is one of the early bodies with a fluted wind knob and 100/200 shutter speed engraved on the dial. The previous owner is a semi professional technician and he did a complete tear down and service on the camera, including curtain cleaning, alignment and latching. All the speeds seem to be correct, and it has the smoothest mechanical action of any of my two working Kievs and one other 1937 Contax II. There is some brassing from use, but the leather is very presentable with no bumps. The lens is one I had since this body came without a lens. I will be putting a roll of film through it this week.
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Your case seems to be pretty handy - when I look at the grip feature for the right hand.

It's a pleasure to see all of your beautiful cameras in here :)(y).

This is my favourite gear on travels when I go by train and have to carry around all my stuff - when SLR's would be much to heavy:

A 1936 Contax II with a 1937 Sonnar which I'm very fond of (I still have a coated 1947 Sonnar 50mm but mostly I use the uncoated one)...

Contax_II_1936.jpg

Plus my first Contax: a 1951 body. The finder is a pre-war one:

Contax_IIa_1951_mit_Zeiss-Opton_Biogon_35_mm.jpg

And my last Contax body: a Contax IIIa. The meter still works more or less. This 583/03 finder is not too comfortable ;). But the 85mm Sonnar is from 1946 or 47 - it's beautiful:

Contax_III_a_1952_N.JPG

This is the last lens I found this spring - an uncoated Sonnar 135mm from about 1937 or 38. It has just been serviced by an East German workshop which has serviced all my other lenses already. I had a coated Opton Sonnar already but now I would like to check out this heavy uncoated one:

Messing-Sonnar 135 mm.jpg

Michael
 
1936ContaxII said:
Your case seems to be pretty handy - when I look at the grip feature for the right hand.
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It is! The case and strap are from Luigi Crescenzi. Expensive, but you get what you pay for :)

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Elegant choice of location for the after-market flash connector on that Contax II. I've seen them put in the spot like on the Kiev-2A



My Contax IIa "Color Dial" and "Black Dial"
ContaxIIa_03.jpg
 
I kind of want a Contax IIa, but trying to find one in actual usable shape seems daunting. I've done it enough with old barnack leica bodies that I'm tired of the endless ebay sifting and repairs etc. Is there a reputable seller that's the go-to place? I emailed Henry Scherer but haven't had a reply.
 
I heard that Henry Scherer is unfortunately ill at the moment. :(

I got my three RF-Contax from the well-known internet auction house. All three were declared as working and I was not disappointed.
I would not buy a Contax which is not declared als working by a seller who seems to be trustworthy.

It seems that all three have difficulties keeping to 1/1250 sec. This is a common problem.
As this is most serious with my Contax II, I have given it to a repairman. I hope he will be able to handle it. With the other two, I can live with "only" being able to use 1/500 as the fastest shutter speed.

The II and IIa were given a CLA after purchase. The third one (a IIIa) will also get it as soon as I get the II back from the repair.

I remember that Henry Scherer has written a warning that there are faked pre-war Contaxes which are Kievs internally. One of the reasons because I would always prefer to buy a post-war Contax (mostly I'd do so because they have a shutter that is as silent as a Leica M shutter - I have compared it to a Leica M2, the M2's shutter was louder 😛 ).
 
Mr_Flibble said:
It is! The case and strap are from Luigi Crescenzi. Expensive, but you get what you pay for :)



Elegant choice of location for the after-market flash connector on that Contax II. I've seen them put in the spot like on the Kiev-2A



My Contax IIa "Color Dial" and "Black Dial"
ContaxIIa_03.jpg
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I like these best of all cameras ever made. I had heard that they were delicate and finicky but in conversation Saturday with a happy owner I learned they are neither. The drawback for me is that they are film. A boon for some, and bane for others. I am with the "others". But they are just gorgeous to look at and to handle. And they remind me that there is a road not called Barnack. There is more than one "correct" in the camera world. I wish that Zeiss had pursued the camera body business longer. I wish I were handsome and sexy, too. ;o)
 
boojum said:
I like these best of all cameras ever made. I had heard that they were delicate and finicky but in conversation Saturday with a happy owner I learned they are neither. The drawback for me is that they are film. A boon for some, and bane for others. I am with the "others". But they are just gorgeous to look at and to handle. And they remind me that there is a road not called Barnack. There is more than one "correct" in the camera world. I wish that Zeiss had pursued the camera body business longer. I wish I were handsome and sexy, too. ;o)
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I own 6 working Contax bodies: a Ic, II, III, IIa and 2 IIIa. Most of them have been to Henry Scherer for overhauls and work like new. The Contax I is an ergonomic nightmare with the front winding knob, although if you're trying to cut your film consumption it is probably a good way to go. I have most of the common lenses for these cameras and appreciate how good they are given their age and the limitations that the lens designers were up against. I also have a Leica IIIa that I only have a 50 mm lens for. I don't like the placement of the shutter release, and I refuse to get caught up in the Leica price mania for lenses and accessories because it just isn't a camera that fits my hands. Contax isn't known for its ergonomics either, but somehow except for the Ic they make more sense to me and the shutter release is where I want it to be. Further Zeiss camera bodies could have been interesting, but the economics of that didn't make sense, unfortunately. I'm sure I could adapt to a digital M series Leica, but not without a serious windfall to pay for it.
 
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