My Contax II arrived... It's a beauty!

[physiognomy]

I received the sonnar in the post. So much for it replacing the one I already had!! It's got the "lens cleaned with sandpaper" look. :bang:

Ash, in case you haven't heard of these guys... ARAX (click)... Scroll down to the bottom to see their price for lens polishing/recoating. I'm thinking about sending the front element from a well worn J-8 just to see how it turns out.

Cheers!

Peter

 

[physiognomy]

Hey Phys, nice Contax! It is amazing how well the chrome on these things holds up over the years. Enjoy.

Thanks Mark, I was surprised because I expected a little brassing (couldn't really tell all that much from the auction pics), but there isn't any. I've been looking over the film spool this morning & it's pretty different from the ones in my Kievs. It has a central slot & a wedge cut into one side that has a catch inside. No Contax or Zeiss markings on it... do you think it's original or a replacement? I'll post a pic when I have one.

Thanks

Peter

 

[dexdog]

I've been looking over the film spool this morning & it's pretty different from the ones in my Kievs. It has a central slot & a wedge cut into one side that has a catch inside. No Contax or Zeiss markings on it... do you think it's original or a replacement? I'll post a pic when I have one.

Thanks

Peter

Can't say for sure w/o a picture, but the spool sounds similar to the plastic ones included in post-WWs Contax cameras. All the ones of this type I have seen have had a Contax name embossed into the end of the spool.

 

[physiognomy]

Can't say for sure w/o a picture, but the spool sounds similar to the plastic ones included in post-WWs Contax cameras. All the ones of this type I have seen have had a Contax name embossed into the end of the spool.

I will take a pic to give you a better idea... It seems to be made of metal & does have 'Made in Germany' stamped on the bar that engages the film rewind.

Peter

 

[darkkavenger]

The Jupiter-3 is your friend 🙂

 

[physiognomy]

A couple of quick snaps of the film spool... What do you think?

Peter

 

[Trius]

Peter: Do you have synthetic fingers? The magenta shift in the second shot tells me you used an M8. (ducking)

 

[dexdog]

Phys, that spool looks like the one I was thinking of, but I have only ever seen that design in plastic. It also looks very similar to the spool that came with my Contax S SLR. Thanks for the picture.

 

[furcafe]

Per dexdog's post, if the spool is plastic, then it's from a post-WWII Contax IIa or IIIa.

A couple of quick snaps of the film spool... What do you think?

Peter

 

[Ash]

Yea I want to send this lens to Arax. I'm afraid the results are going to be super low-contrast otherwise. Strangely the lens is very much older than the one from my Contax. It surprised me since the front writing was rougher and a little larger, as if the machinery was less sophisticated (but unlike the Russian lettering, it's DEFINITELY the correct typeface). I'll see about Arax in the new year.

Any instructions online for dismantling a Sonnar??? 😀

 

[physiognomy]

Peter: Do you have synthetic fingers? The magenta shift in the second shot tells me you used an M8. (ducking)

😀 Not sure what was up there... Maybe it was pre & post coffee this morning! 🙂 I have some daylight compact flourescent as well as normal incandescents in the bathroom, so funny things happen sometimes if I use them as a light source (I hate flash!). I wish I had an M8 to play with though! For those into the magenta thing, maybe you should go out & pick yourself up a Rollei dt4000 on the cheap & be done with it 😉

Phys, that spool looks like the one I was thinking of, but I have only ever seen that design in plastic. It also looks very similar to the spool that came with my Contax S SLR. Thanks for the picture.

Thanks for the info Mark & furcafe. I'm almost 100% certain the spool is made of metal... If I had to guess I'd say aluminium or some such alloy. The camera is loaded up now, & I must say that it was much easier with this spool compared to the ones in my Kievs... I guess they don't turn up for sale all that often?

...Any instructions online for dismantling a Sonnar??? 😀

I only know of the J-8 dismantle instructions on Russ' Kiev survival site (click)...

Peter

 

[Ash]

Yikes, I forgot how much effort will be put into reassembling the lens for correct focus!

 

[Screwy]

I received the sonnar in the post. So much for it replacing the one I already had!! It's got the "lens cleaned with sandpaper" look. :bang:


I hope they took better care of the Contax you'll receive 🙂

It that bad Ash ? It was quite dirty when I picked it up so I resisted the urge to clean it and just gave it a blow off to get rid of some of the dust . The camera body didn't look to bad , though the shutter did appear to be running in treacle and as the seller stated the RF didn't work but hopefully Frank can get that sorted . On the plus side I've just fixed the meter on the Kiev , Just need to shove a film through it now to check for light leaks etc .


Oh and very nice Contax Peter 😎

Paul

 

[Ash]

I think it's an Arax-job, Paul.
Definitely quite nasty when held up to the light.

 

[Screwy]

Bung it on your camera and give it a try , You never know it might not be to bad .



Paul

 

[Ash]

It's on the camera now, but there's not been anything to photograph yet.

 

[FrankS]

When's the GF coming over?

 

[Ash]

I only see her on saturdays. But a week Friday I'm stopping overnight at hers.

 

[FrankS]

We're expecting pics. Until then, photograph your parents or anyone else in the house.

 

[Ash]

There's a photo of her in my gallery in the Contax folder. Not a great photo, but a photo none-the-less.