Prewar Contax (plus Kiev) VS. Postwar Contax: Did They Change The Exterior Bayonet?

[radi(c)al_cam]

Recently I realised that my «TAXPRI» mirror box aka «reflex attachment», manufactured in the 1950s by Novoflex for the Contax IIa and IIIa, doesn't fit my Kiev-5.

O.K., I know the Kiev-5 is special, anyways; but additionally I found out that Novoflex asked their customers who wanted to use the «TAXPRI» or «TAXSE» on their prewar Contaxes, to send their cameras to Novoflex for an «adjustment».

My hypothesis is, that there's a difference between the prewar Contax (plus Kiev) exterior bayonet, and the postwar Contax exterior bayonet.

Does anyone know more about this topic?

 

[sevo]

The bayonet is the same. However, the whole lens mount protrusion on the IIa/IIIa is narrower than on the earlier models, and everything else on the IIa/IIIa face is receded or on the same plane, while the II/III (and Kiev) had that focus wheel/rangefinder hump close to the mount.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Thank you, sevo.

So my hypothesis was close but no cigar, so to say.

But what was the reason for them to alter the mount protrusion?

They must have had a good reason, unless they didn't care that this «amendment» would be annoying the customers, since new lenses on old bodies, and old lenses on new bodies, sit a tad more tightly resp. more loosely than it actually should be?

 

[sevo]

Thank you, sevo.

So my hypothesis was close but no cigar, so to say.

But what was the reason for them to alter the mount protrusion?

They must have had a good reason, unless they didn't care that this «amendment» would be annoying the customers,

Size. The Contax II is big compared to the competing thread mount Leica - the IIa was downsized to be close to the latter. I do not think that breaking backward compatibility for third party accessories was any concern for Zeiss Ikon - most original Contax II accessories did fit (save for things like the rangefinder macro attachments, which were dependent on the finder/rangefinder window positions). A far more considerable side issue of the smaller body (and cramped shutter space) was that the Jena made 35/2.8 Biogon became incompatible...

In any case, the matter obviously did not even annoy a relevant number of Novoflex customers, or they would not have addressed it through a merely optional modification, but designed their mirror boxes to fit the II off the shelf.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Size. The Contax II is big compared to the competing thread mount Leica - the IIa was downsized to be close to the latter. I do not think that breaking backward compatibility for third party accessories was any concern for Zeiss Ikon - most original Contax II accessories did fit (save for things like the rangefinder macro attachments, which were dependent on the finder/rangefinder window positions).

Now I understand, thank you.

A far more considerable side issue of the smaller body (and cramped shutter space) was that the Jena made 35/2.8 Biogon became incompatible...

Hm. I guess it's not an exaggeration if I say: Basically all West German camera industry's decision makers were weirdly aloof (and hence they lost their world leadership in the 1960s). — Probably the Zeiss Ikon guys thought approximately: «If you can afford a new Contax IIa/IIIa, you can also afford a new Zeiss-Opton wide angle!»

 

[Highway 61]

Hm. I guess it's not an exaggeration if I say: Basically all West German camera industry's decision makers were weirdly aloof (and hence they lost their world leadership in the 1960s). — Probably the Zeiss Ikon guys thought approximately: «If you can afford a new Contax IIa/IIIa, you can also afford a new Zeiss-Opton wide angle!»

The Contax IIa prototype was made in 1942 by Hubert Nerwin's team in Dresden. West Germany and West German camera industry didn't exist at that time. The camera marketed in 1950 was the same as the prototype. Hence a certain number of design flaws which hadn't been turned out.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

The Contax IIa prototype was made in 1942 by Hubert Nerwin's team in Dresden. […] The camera marketed in 1950 was the same as the prototype. Hence a certain number of design flaws which hadn't been turned out.

That's intriguing — where did you find that?

If it's true, then the so often told story that the WEST German Zeiss guys built the new Contaxes «from scratch» is humbug?

 

[Highway 61]

Peter Hennig of the ZHS once sent me some pictures of the IIa prototype. According to what he found out, Hubert Nerwin's team designed the IIa prototype during the war. Then, as you know it, all the Zeiss Ikon cameras blueprints were destroyed during the RAF bombing of Dresden in February 1945. After the end of the war Hubert Nerwin and some of his techs managed to be caught by the US headquarters and went to the USA. The remaining techs then started the IIa project again in Stuttgart, not exactly from scratch because a prototype had been made already, but without the blueprints and without their main ingeneer. All of this according to Peter Hennig of course.