Pre-war Contax II - where to find ?

[bolas]

Hello,
Since some time i am seeking for original pre-war Contax II with Sonnar 2/50 mm. I was trying to search on variuos ebay auctions, different shops on the internet. To be honest - the pricese which one can find there are terryfiing for me. As a newbie in Contax cameras i dont know the prices and many details.

I would like to ask You about your opinion:
- what should rational price for such a set (full operational pre-war contax II with 50mm Sonnar) ?
- what will you advice in seeking ? where to look ? auctions ? maybe some kind of shops etc ... ? I am just a student and cant afford to spend a lots of money for a single camera.

Right now since maybe a year i am shooting with Kiev 4A. I bought it just to learn 🙂 I feel ready to try original Contax II.

I have seen only two Contax cameras in my area. One was damaged and the price was about 150 USD, and the second one was quite OK and the price was 200USD. I had bad luck and someone else was faster with buying. Was it worth of that price ?

 

[dexdog]

Don't know where you are locate, but in USA $200 is a good price on a fully functional Contax II with a lens. I would expect to pay about $250-300 or so for a nice one that works.

Good luck on the search. From what I understand, the Kiev would give a similar experience to the Contax, except that the operation would likely be smoother on the Contax, and the fit and finish a lot nicer.

 

[ErnestoJL]

I guess that it all depends on what condition the camera is: mint, well used, used and probably abused, etc.
I payed for mine just USD 50 knowing thast the shutter was stuck in only one speed (B) and condition was well used, no ER case, etc.
Repair of the shutter was easy as it was caused by a broken spring under the top hood. Appearance was the least important as long as it was functional (some Zeiss bumps under the leather in the back, some brassing as well as lack of the selftimer lever retaining screw).
I think that a good one but not mint may be as Dexdog says about USD 150 to 200. A mint one shoud go for not less than 300.
Mine has a Collapsible Tessar 2.8 instead of a Sonnar and this may reduce the price too.
Sonnars ar well sought for as they are excellent lens but if you take some time and accept a decent replacement, any J8, J8M or J3 can do the same for a lot less money.
Look for auctions or shops close to where you live. And also in garage sales... most of the bargains I got came this way.
Good luck!

Cheers

Ernesto

 

[bolas]

Thanks for answers ... !
What about this one ... what is a good price for it ? It's a new one available to buy for me. Seller want circa 120-140 USD, is it a good price ?
Is is an original pre-war one ? Sorry for dumb questions but Contax world is a new one for me. I used to Kiev 😉

 

[dexdog]

Yes, that camera was produced prior to WW2. Info on the Cameraquest.com website says that "B" serial numbers were produced in 1936.

Camera looks to be in decent condition, and the serial number of the lens corresponds to the date of camera production.

 

[andreas.pichler]

Hello!

I have started with a KIEV 4 as well, then bought a technically working CONTAX II with some signs of use. I do not want to have a mint one, because then I would leave it on the shelf instead of walking around with and making pictures.

A very good source for CONTAX cameras, lense and repair/restauration as well is Uwe Kersten in Recklinghausen, Germany. Uwe has a homepage and making international business as well:
http://www.classic-camera.de/

I know Uwe since decades (from school), but have made (camera) business with him as well. I was very satisfied with him and his experience, so I can make a strong recommendation. It is woth to contact him, normally he has something CONTAX in stock.

Best regards,

Andreas

 

[ErnestoJL]

If it´s in working condition, I´d buy it at once!

Good luck!

Ernesto

 

[bolas]

Thanks ... !
Do you think everything is OK with him ? I mean i can't identyfy all diferences between Contax/Kiev parts for now and i am affraid that i can easy be cheated and buy Contax with half of its parts replaced with Kiev parts ... is this camera "pure" Contax ? 🙂😀

Seller says that it's working good. Only thing he mentioned already is some kind of very very small dust inside a lens and a bit of "oil" on the shutter. Lens surface is in very good shape - not scratches etc ...

 

[ZeissFan]

That camera looks to be in very good condition. I think the price is very good.

You should expect to replace the shutter straps at some point, unless they've already been replaced.

It otherwise looks to be a very clean model.

I wouldn't worry about the loss of chrome on some parts. That's very typical.

 

[ZeissFan]

You're going to need a takeup spool. You can use one from a Kiev, or you can make one from a 35mm spool.

 

[bolas]

Ok, i bought it ... 😉
FInal price was 125USD ... well i hope everything will be ok with this camera 😉

 

[outfitter]

Seems that you may have mutually exclusive goals, i.e. cheap vs perfect.

The most cost effective pre-war Contax user is one that has no collector's interest eg one with an added flash sync, a name or number engraved on it, worn leather etc. They take pictures just as well as a mint gem and it is unlikely that anyone would go through the expense and trouble to use Kiev parts. I have bought a few of these in the $75 range and they suit me just fine but I must confess I got the collector thing out of my system years ago - I sold a major Contax collection to Bob Pins in 1989 - and now I just want to enjoy taking Contax pictures.

There are many valid arguments for buying the very best collector grade example you can find, but be prepared to spend. To be certain you are getting what you bargain for buy from a reputable specialist until you learn enough to go off on your own.

 

[FrankS]

Good buy! Good luck with it. I just noticed that the serial numbers on the body and the back match. That's a good thing.

 

[bolas]

Well i always wanted to have an original pre-war Contax II because Robert Capa used the same one during WW2. I am also an reenactor in a living history group, and buying classic camera was one of the goals to feel more realistic during this fun. We've been shooting a lots of photos with modern digital cameras and later were trying to stylize them to look like original ones. All those tries were fails - photos always looked like modern. Someday i decided to buy Kiev IV - as a cheaper "Contax". I bought one, learned how to use it in a proper way and till now Kiev is shooting great pics from living history events. To be more purist i always wanted to have an original one. So now, when i used to Kiev and know all his "mysteries", now it's a good time to switch it to pre-war Contax. Of course during usage of Kiev i loved rangefinder cameras - my old digital is fogotten now and most of my pics i am shooting with Kiev (and from now on i hope with Contax). That's how i can describe my interests with Contax - for sure i am not a camera collector 🙂 I just need it in my travels in time to WW2 😉

Man i am really happy that this one is from 1936 😉 In 100% fit to WW2 events 😉

Few samples from Kiev ... is it 2008 or 1939 ? 😉
Whole set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27604426@N08/sets/72157607107075538/show/

 

[bolas]

My new camera just arrived.

I have silly question about collapsible Sonnar 2/50 mm. Should i pull lens forward before start shooting ? Or maybe the should be left in collapsed position ? I have no idea ... Kievs don't have such things 🙂

Second thing - should those lens moving back/forward while i am rotating the larger milled ring ? Or is it moving just when you manually push/pull it ? I have no experience with collapsible lens like this one 😉

My first idea was that something is wrong with lens ...

Another question is about fitting lenses from the Kiev cameras ? Do they fit ? I was trying to change them and Sonnar 2/50 fits to Kiev with no problems, but in the opposite direction it was impossible to mount Jupiter 8M and Jupiter 12 on my Contax ... also a universal turret viewfinder from Kiev doesnt fit.

 

[blazejs]

Collapsible lens should be always uncollapsed before taking pictures. Otherwise pictures will be blurry.

 

[bolas]

I just developed my first test film on this Contax ... the results are not really impressive, but this was the cheapest film i've found (50 cents Kodak ISO 200), and the scan was made really fast in lab (also the cheapest option). Test ride was quite good. I am a bit surprised cause most of pics i have taken with speeds like 1/50~1/200s and as you can see some static things like parked cars or buildings are blurred. Maybe something is wrong with shutter speed ? I am really glad that there are no light leaks ...

Any opinions ? 🙂 Pics are avarege ... i was shooting in hurry, just to test the camera.

 

[Robburrito]

I enjoyed those re-enactment photos. Nicely done!