Clyde1945
Newbie
I have a IIa that is butter smooth. Kievs are another question entirely. Quality control was always a problem with Soviet gear and even moreso with the Kievs because they were more technically complicated. Some of the last Kievs mad (the 4AM, I believe) were hauled directly from the factory to the landfill because they were so poorly made.
mutikonka
Member
I find that hard to believe. The Contax IIa was the Leica M9 of the 1950s, a refinement of a proven camera costing a huge amount of money. I have a IIa that has worked smoothly for years, and have also had various other Contax and Kiev cameras that have all worked reliably.
johank
Established
Strange becurse in those days the USSR needed $s so I belive they where reworked to almost working before sold. Nowadys they are the junk that is beyond help or aid.....
Paul T.
Veteran
Henry is a great tech, and some of the repair work he does is actually very good value.
But his claims about the failure rate of the COntax IIa should be filed along with the death rate from bacteria on kitchen worktops, the ridicule you'll attract if the shirts hanging on your clothesline aren't pure brilliant white, and other great advertising myths generated to sell us things we don't necessarily need.
But his claims about the failure rate of the COntax IIa should be filed along with the death rate from bacteria on kitchen worktops, the ridicule you'll attract if the shirts hanging on your clothesline aren't pure brilliant white, and other great advertising myths generated to sell us things we don't necessarily need.
I do not understand why Henry feels the need to put these idiotic claims on his site. He's good at repairs, but seems to want to be heralded as the only person in the world capable of working on a camera. It invites ridicule, and at some point will hurt his business. No one at RFF seems to post where in line they are on Henry's repair list as they once did.
Pickett Wilson
Veteran
Folks draw a lot of conclusions about cameras from only trying to use them after many years of disuse. My experience with Contax IIa's has been positive, but only after having them CLA'ed. Sadly, the squinty finders are unusable wearing eye glasses, so I eventually sold both of mine. But after the CLA, they functioned perfectly and very smoothly.
Essex Camera did both my CLA's, and did a great job with a quick turnaround.
Essex Camera did both my CLA's, and did a great job with a quick turnaround.
furcafe
Veteran
He reminds me of a lot of autodidacts I've encountered who've mastered an obscure or esoteric topic & think that they've become experts on everything related to that topic, e.g., guys who are really into German tanks from WWII & believe themselves to be experts on armored warfare.
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