Vintage Classic Cameras: The Unvarnished Truth
Zeiss Contax rangefinder 35s: Pre-WWII Contaxes are charming, extraordinarily complex, difficult to work on, and expensive to fix. If you’re a user, go for the postwar Contax IIa or IIIa.
By Jason Schneider
The Contax
Contax l introduced in 1932, with collapsible 50mm f/3.5 Zeiss Jena Tessar lens
In designing the Contax I of 1932 Zeiss-Ikon’s ambitious goal was to produce the best interchangeable-lens rangefinder 35 in the world, one that surpassed its chief competitor, the 1932 Leica II, model D (the first Leica with a built-in coupled rangefinder) in both features and performance. In purely technical terms the Contax I was a rousing success, outclassing even the new Leica III (model F) released in 1933, which added a slow speed dial. The Contax had a much longer rangefinder base than the Leica, enhancing focusing accuracy, its ingenious metal roller-blind focal plane shutter had burn-proof curtains, and because it ran vertically it could provide a top shutter speed of 1/1000 (twice as fast as the simpler horizontal cloth focal plane shutter in the Leica II and III, which topped out at 1/500 sec). In addition, the Contax offered bayonet-mount lenses for quicker lens switching, and it had a removable back, which made loading film faster and less fiddly than bottom-loading a screw-mount Leica.
On the minus side, the interlocking black finished brass slats that comprise the Contax I’s shutter curtains are held together with specially fabricated silk ribbons—ingenious and quite strong, but also subject to wear. The Contax is also noticeably heavier than the Leica, its boxy, sharp-cornered contours are far less ergonomic than the svelte Leica’s rounded ends, and though it’s well made, the general consensus is that it doesn’t quite equal the Leica in terms of fit and finish. But the main issue with the Contax I is its shutter, which is notoriously unreliable. Indeed, I’d estimate that well over 90% of the Contax I’s offered for sale on eBay have shutters that are either totally or partially inoperative, and that’s why most of them are sold As Is with No Returns, strictly as collector’s pieces. On the plus side the uncoated Zeiss Jena lenses from the Contax I era (1932-1936) are outstanding so long as they’re free of fungus and haze, and they’ll fit and couple to the Contax II, III, IIa and IIIa perfectly. To cut to the chase, the Contax I is a gorgeous piece to place lovingly in your collector camera display case and admire its distinctive front-mounted film-wind knob with integral shutter speed dial (assuming you’re OK with paying a hefty price in the $350-800 range)—just don’t think of it as a user-collectible.
The engineers and designers at Zeiss-Ikon in Dresden were well aware that the Contax I had a number of deficiencies and the camera was in a constant state of evolution throughout its 4-year production run. Based on external features alone there were 6 distinct iterations, and actually many more if you count unseen internal changes aimed at upgrading the rangefinder and improving reliability. According to Contax experts, later versions of the Contax I are much more likely to be found in working condition, and any of the improvements built into them were incorporated into the landmark Contax II, a better and much more reliable camera.
The Contax II and III
Contax II introduced in 1936, with collapsible 50mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar lens
The Contax II, designed by Hubert Nerwin and unveiled in 1936, was one of the greatest interchangeable-lens rangefinder 35s of all time, and a notable advance over its predecessor. Better made and finished than the Contax I, it was the first camera of its kind to incorporate a single eyepiece for the combined 0.75x-lifesize viewfinder and rangefinder, the latter an ingenious full prism design with a colossal 90mm base length, ensuring unparalleled focusing accuracy even with the longest and fastest lenses in the Zeiss optical arsenal. Even today, the rangefinder in the Contax II is renowned for its ability to remain in perfect adjustment even when the camera is subjected to rough use, one reason the Contax II was favored by many battlefield photojournalists throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Its vertical roller-blind shutter system was also completely revised, using only a single pair of ribbons for both the opening and closing curtains. This ensured that both curtains travel at the same speed, completely eliminating “fading” due to curtain speed variations. This design also enabled the shutter to achieve a breathtaking top speed of 1/1250 sec, which became a signature Contax feature, and it also allows all speeds to be combined on a single non-rotating dial built into the film-wind knob, creating a sleek, elegant design.
Contax lll with built-in selenium cell meter and 50mm f/1.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar lens
The Contax III, also introduced in 1936, is essentially a Contax II with a fairly large, boxy coupled selenium meter unit (with hinged cover) built into the top, but it still requires transferring the settings to the camera’s controls. Most of these meters are no longer working, are virtually impossible to repair, and even those that do respond to light often can’t be adjusted to give accurate readings. If you do manage to find a Contax III with an accurate meter, consider yourself lucky but remember that these meters have a very wide acceptance angle and are not sensitive enough for low light readings. Bottom line: You’re probably better off with a meter-less Contax II, but if you can snag a clean, functional Contax III at a good price, and you can live with an ugly meter on top, go for it. Aside from the meter-related stuff, the Contax III is virtually identical to a Contax II. All the uncoated Carl Zeiss Jena lenses for the Contax II/III are among the best of their era, and they’re renowned for their high image quality and vintage rendition. Both the 50mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar are outstanding examples (assuming they’re free of fungus and haze!). Current eBay prices for a Contax II or III with original 50mm range from $200- $500 and up. Caveat Emptor: the complex and exotic shutters in these ancient Contaxes can still give trouble, and if that happens, they’re expensive to fix, repairs aren’t easy to come by, and spare parts often have to be cannibalized. Bottom line: before you pull the trigger make sure the seller accepts returns for any reason.
After World War II, the great Zeiss empire was split up into two separate and competing East German and West German companies, and in 1950 the Western branch of Zeiss based in Stuttgart brought forth the Contax IIa and IIIa, the meter-less and selenium-metered analogs of the Contax II and III. While both models retained the established Contax bayonet mount allowing full lens interchangeability among all Contax models, the new models had completely re-engineered shutter mechanisms, lighter, more compact bodies that retained the same distinctive rectangular cut-corner shape, an upgraded chrome finish, and an improved leather-textured covering. While the Contax IIa gives the impression of being about 15-20% smaller than the Contax II its body weighs only 3 ounces less (18 ounces vs. 21 ounces) so looks can be deceiving.
Contax IIa introduced in 1950, with coated 50mm f/2 Zeiss-Opton Sonnar T lens
In the new, improved Contax IIa/IIIa shutter the ribbons connecting the shutter curtains were replaced with gears, and the brass shutter slats in the II/II were replaced with lighter weight painted aluminum slats. The simplified shutter had fewer parts, and is claimed by many to be more reliable, but not all Contax aficionados agree. The shutter speed dial that had been integrated into the film-wind knob is now a more convenient separate lift-and-set ring placed concentrically below the film-wind knob, and the manually zeroed film counter was now inset into the top of the film-wind knob instead in a separate arcuate window to its left. Built-in flash sync was added—the original “black dial” IIa and IIa with black shutter speed numerals required special Zeiss flash sync cords; later “color dial” models had a standard PC connector. X sync was at 1/50 sec. Finally, the rangefinder base length was reduced from a stupendous 90mm to 73mm, still quite long, and the finder magnification was reduced to 0.66, giving an effective base length (EBL) of 48mm, a tad less than that in most M-series Leicas. The design of the rangefinder was simplified to lower production costs, and as a result it can go out of vertical or horizontal alignment, which is virtually impossible with a Contax II or III. Also, the little hinged foot on the raised tripod socket platform on the Contax II/III has been eliminated and the tripod socket is now even with the baseplate. Happily, the coated Zeiss-Opton and Carl Zeiss lenses for the Contax IIa and IIIa are superb—equal to or better than anything on the market at the time. And for the record, despite lots of online handwringing, I’ve never found any discernible performance difference between earlier Zeiss-Opton- and later Carl Zeiss-labeled lenses so long as they’re coated and marked with a red “T” on the I.D. ring.
Late Contax IIIa with color dial and coated 50mm f/1.5 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T lens
Although the classic rangefinder Contax IIa and IIIa remained competitive with the Leica, Nikon, and Canon cameras of the early ‘50s, they didn’t keep pace with the more advanced rangefinder 35s that began to arrive in the mid-and late ‘50s—the Leica M3, Nikon SP, and Canon 7—all of which had parallax-compensating frame lines in the finder, rapid-wind systems, etc. Evidently Zeiss didn’t believe sales were sufficient to justify the considerable cost of a major upgrade, and the last of the classic Contax rangefinder 35s were quietly phased out in 1961.
In my opinion, the best user-collector Contax in the entire series is the Contax IIa closely followed by the IIIa, which isn’t as elegant because of that ugly built-in meter on top but is just as good at taking pictures. These cameras are currently selling in the $200-500 range on eBay (complete with coated 50mm f/2 or f/1.5 Sonnar lens, both magnificent assuming they’re in top condition) and they’re well worth the money. They’re better as user cameras simply because they’re newer, and therefore less likely to give trouble than their pre-WWII equivalents. Yes, their viewfinders aren’t the brightest, they have old fashioned film-wind knobs instead of film-advance levers (ask me if I care), and they have no viewfinder frame lines, but they’re phenomenal picture takers. I have to conclude by admitting I’ve never liked that dinky little milled focusing wheel used on rangefinder Contaxes and Nikons and I always manage to slide an errant finger over the front rangefinder window when using it. I’m a big fan of the classic Leica-style focusing tab with spring-loaded infinity lock found on classic Leica and Canon lenses. Sorry I saved the biggest brickbat for last, but no, it’s not a deal breaker and I still love fondling and taking pictures with my beloved pre-war, and post-war Contaxes.
Zeiss Contax rangefinder 35s: Pre-WWII Contaxes are charming, extraordinarily complex, difficult to work on, and expensive to fix. If you’re a user, go for the postwar Contax IIa or IIIa.
By Jason Schneider
The Contax
Contax l introduced in 1932, with collapsible 50mm f/3.5 Zeiss Jena Tessar lens
In designing the Contax I of 1932 Zeiss-Ikon’s ambitious goal was to produce the best interchangeable-lens rangefinder 35 in the world, one that surpassed its chief competitor, the 1932 Leica II, model D (the first Leica with a built-in coupled rangefinder) in both features and performance. In purely technical terms the Contax I was a rousing success, outclassing even the new Leica III (model F) released in 1933, which added a slow speed dial. The Contax had a much longer rangefinder base than the Leica, enhancing focusing accuracy, its ingenious metal roller-blind focal plane shutter had burn-proof curtains, and because it ran vertically it could provide a top shutter speed of 1/1000 (twice as fast as the simpler horizontal cloth focal plane shutter in the Leica II and III, which topped out at 1/500 sec). In addition, the Contax offered bayonet-mount lenses for quicker lens switching, and it had a removable back, which made loading film faster and less fiddly than bottom-loading a screw-mount Leica.
On the minus side, the interlocking black finished brass slats that comprise the Contax I’s shutter curtains are held together with specially fabricated silk ribbons—ingenious and quite strong, but also subject to wear. The Contax is also noticeably heavier than the Leica, its boxy, sharp-cornered contours are far less ergonomic than the svelte Leica’s rounded ends, and though it’s well made, the general consensus is that it doesn’t quite equal the Leica in terms of fit and finish. But the main issue with the Contax I is its shutter, which is notoriously unreliable. Indeed, I’d estimate that well over 90% of the Contax I’s offered for sale on eBay have shutters that are either totally or partially inoperative, and that’s why most of them are sold As Is with No Returns, strictly as collector’s pieces. On the plus side the uncoated Zeiss Jena lenses from the Contax I era (1932-1936) are outstanding so long as they’re free of fungus and haze, and they’ll fit and couple to the Contax II, III, IIa and IIIa perfectly. To cut to the chase, the Contax I is a gorgeous piece to place lovingly in your collector camera display case and admire its distinctive front-mounted film-wind knob with integral shutter speed dial (assuming you’re OK with paying a hefty price in the $350-800 range)—just don’t think of it as a user-collectible.
The engineers and designers at Zeiss-Ikon in Dresden were well aware that the Contax I had a number of deficiencies and the camera was in a constant state of evolution throughout its 4-year production run. Based on external features alone there were 6 distinct iterations, and actually many more if you count unseen internal changes aimed at upgrading the rangefinder and improving reliability. According to Contax experts, later versions of the Contax I are much more likely to be found in working condition, and any of the improvements built into them were incorporated into the landmark Contax II, a better and much more reliable camera.
The Contax II and III
Contax II introduced in 1936, with collapsible 50mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar lens
The Contax II, designed by Hubert Nerwin and unveiled in 1936, was one of the greatest interchangeable-lens rangefinder 35s of all time, and a notable advance over its predecessor. Better made and finished than the Contax I, it was the first camera of its kind to incorporate a single eyepiece for the combined 0.75x-lifesize viewfinder and rangefinder, the latter an ingenious full prism design with a colossal 90mm base length, ensuring unparalleled focusing accuracy even with the longest and fastest lenses in the Zeiss optical arsenal. Even today, the rangefinder in the Contax II is renowned for its ability to remain in perfect adjustment even when the camera is subjected to rough use, one reason the Contax II was favored by many battlefield photojournalists throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Its vertical roller-blind shutter system was also completely revised, using only a single pair of ribbons for both the opening and closing curtains. This ensured that both curtains travel at the same speed, completely eliminating “fading” due to curtain speed variations. This design also enabled the shutter to achieve a breathtaking top speed of 1/1250 sec, which became a signature Contax feature, and it also allows all speeds to be combined on a single non-rotating dial built into the film-wind knob, creating a sleek, elegant design.
Contax lll with built-in selenium cell meter and 50mm f/1.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar lens
The Contax III, also introduced in 1936, is essentially a Contax II with a fairly large, boxy coupled selenium meter unit (with hinged cover) built into the top, but it still requires transferring the settings to the camera’s controls. Most of these meters are no longer working, are virtually impossible to repair, and even those that do respond to light often can’t be adjusted to give accurate readings. If you do manage to find a Contax III with an accurate meter, consider yourself lucky but remember that these meters have a very wide acceptance angle and are not sensitive enough for low light readings. Bottom line: You’re probably better off with a meter-less Contax II, but if you can snag a clean, functional Contax III at a good price, and you can live with an ugly meter on top, go for it. Aside from the meter-related stuff, the Contax III is virtually identical to a Contax II. All the uncoated Carl Zeiss Jena lenses for the Contax II/III are among the best of their era, and they’re renowned for their high image quality and vintage rendition. Both the 50mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar are outstanding examples (assuming they’re free of fungus and haze!). Current eBay prices for a Contax II or III with original 50mm range from $200- $500 and up. Caveat Emptor: the complex and exotic shutters in these ancient Contaxes can still give trouble, and if that happens, they’re expensive to fix, repairs aren’t easy to come by, and spare parts often have to be cannibalized. Bottom line: before you pull the trigger make sure the seller accepts returns for any reason.
After World War II, the great Zeiss empire was split up into two separate and competing East German and West German companies, and in 1950 the Western branch of Zeiss based in Stuttgart brought forth the Contax IIa and IIIa, the meter-less and selenium-metered analogs of the Contax II and III. While both models retained the established Contax bayonet mount allowing full lens interchangeability among all Contax models, the new models had completely re-engineered shutter mechanisms, lighter, more compact bodies that retained the same distinctive rectangular cut-corner shape, an upgraded chrome finish, and an improved leather-textured covering. While the Contax IIa gives the impression of being about 15-20% smaller than the Contax II its body weighs only 3 ounces less (18 ounces vs. 21 ounces) so looks can be deceiving.
Contax IIa introduced in 1950, with coated 50mm f/2 Zeiss-Opton Sonnar T lens
In the new, improved Contax IIa/IIIa shutter the ribbons connecting the shutter curtains were replaced with gears, and the brass shutter slats in the II/II were replaced with lighter weight painted aluminum slats. The simplified shutter had fewer parts, and is claimed by many to be more reliable, but not all Contax aficionados agree. The shutter speed dial that had been integrated into the film-wind knob is now a more convenient separate lift-and-set ring placed concentrically below the film-wind knob, and the manually zeroed film counter was now inset into the top of the film-wind knob instead in a separate arcuate window to its left. Built-in flash sync was added—the original “black dial” IIa and IIa with black shutter speed numerals required special Zeiss flash sync cords; later “color dial” models had a standard PC connector. X sync was at 1/50 sec. Finally, the rangefinder base length was reduced from a stupendous 90mm to 73mm, still quite long, and the finder magnification was reduced to 0.66, giving an effective base length (EBL) of 48mm, a tad less than that in most M-series Leicas. The design of the rangefinder was simplified to lower production costs, and as a result it can go out of vertical or horizontal alignment, which is virtually impossible with a Contax II or III. Also, the little hinged foot on the raised tripod socket platform on the Contax II/III has been eliminated and the tripod socket is now even with the baseplate. Happily, the coated Zeiss-Opton and Carl Zeiss lenses for the Contax IIa and IIIa are superb—equal to or better than anything on the market at the time. And for the record, despite lots of online handwringing, I’ve never found any discernible performance difference between earlier Zeiss-Opton- and later Carl Zeiss-labeled lenses so long as they’re coated and marked with a red “T” on the I.D. ring.
Late Contax IIIa with color dial and coated 50mm f/1.5 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T lens
Although the classic rangefinder Contax IIa and IIIa remained competitive with the Leica, Nikon, and Canon cameras of the early ‘50s, they didn’t keep pace with the more advanced rangefinder 35s that began to arrive in the mid-and late ‘50s—the Leica M3, Nikon SP, and Canon 7—all of which had parallax-compensating frame lines in the finder, rapid-wind systems, etc. Evidently Zeiss didn’t believe sales were sufficient to justify the considerable cost of a major upgrade, and the last of the classic Contax rangefinder 35s were quietly phased out in 1961.
In my opinion, the best user-collector Contax in the entire series is the Contax IIa closely followed by the IIIa, which isn’t as elegant because of that ugly built-in meter on top but is just as good at taking pictures. These cameras are currently selling in the $200-500 range on eBay (complete with coated 50mm f/2 or f/1.5 Sonnar lens, both magnificent assuming they’re in top condition) and they’re well worth the money. They’re better as user cameras simply because they’re newer, and therefore less likely to give trouble than their pre-WWII equivalents. Yes, their viewfinders aren’t the brightest, they have old fashioned film-wind knobs instead of film-advance levers (ask me if I care), and they have no viewfinder frame lines, but they’re phenomenal picture takers. I have to conclude by admitting I’ve never liked that dinky little milled focusing wheel used on rangefinder Contaxes and Nikons and I always manage to slide an errant finger over the front rangefinder window when using it. I’m a big fan of the classic Leica-style focusing tab with spring-loaded infinity lock found on classic Leica and Canon lenses. Sorry I saved the biggest brickbat for last, but no, it’s not a deal breaker and I still love fondling and taking pictures with my beloved pre-war, and post-war Contaxes.
