What about this camera

[ultimajk]

Hi there everyone, I hope you dont mind me hijacking your forum but I am looking for as much advice that anyone can give me regarding a camera. I was given this of my dad but know absolutely nothing about it. All that i can tell you is its in good working order and my dad brought it back to the UK (from Germany) after the 2nd world war, he swapped it for a pack of cigerettes!

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=81312&limit=recent

As i say I would just like to know as much about it as possible, where, when, value etc. Also are there any dealers or enthusiasts where i could get it professionally cleaned and valued in the UK.

Thanks in advance for all you words of wisdom

Kind regards

John

 

[bmattock]

It appears to be a Contax IIIa, which is a fine camera. With regards to age, that model was introduced in 1950, so well after WWII.

http://www.cameraquest.com/conrf.htm

 

[Film dino]

You have a classic camera with a classic lens, but I don't know enough about Contaxes to be helpful.. there are lots of folk here who will chime in though. Meantime, congratulations.
David

 

[Nikon Bob]

I agree with Bill, it looks like a Contax IIIa. It is a very nice classic camera with a coated lens. I can't help with values as they are bound to be different and possibly higher on your side of the pond. If you are using the camera always make sure you cock the shutter, wind on, first before changing shutter speeds. I haven't a clue who works on these in the UK but I am sure some of our European members will know. Enjoy your camera. one thing for sure, it is worth more than a pack of fags even at today's prices.

Bob

 

[crawdiddy]

In those days, I guess everybody needed a smoke! That's a pretty good swap your dad made, and a great story.

 

[ErnestoJL]

Congratulations! This is a nice and very well cared classic.
Re. cocking the shutter before changing speeds, I´m not sure if it´s true or not, as I do not have any one at hand to test it, but I can assure you that neither the Contax II (pre war antecessor of yours) as well as the Kievs (their russian made sibling) suffer from this. There is also an old Zeiss ad telling that "you can change speeds either before or after shutter cocking" (hopefully I´ll find it again to post it).
The IIa and the IIIa (yours) have a revised shutter design in regard of their prewar sisters. Surely Zeiss avoided this problem at the design stage in order to retain some advantage over Leitz IIIc Leicas. Also, this camera series has been redesigned from zero in Stuttgart as the Red Army seized the entire Zeiss Dresden factory to Ukraine after WWII.

The only cameras suffering from this shutter disease are those derived from the Leica II shutter, it is all III series Leicas as well as the Zorkis/Zeniths and Feds where the shutter dial rotates when cocking and firing.

The only thing to take care of, is that Zeiss used in some lenses (do not remember if they are marked Zeiss or Zeiss Opton) a synthetic adhesive compound to glue lens elements together which in some cases caused premature separation.

Cheers

Ernesto

 

[Socke]

Hm, cigarette money was in use before the D-Mark was introduced, from June 21st 1948 everything was available for real money which had to be traded against something else before. As far as my father told me, shops where magically full over night 🙂

During the black market, i.E. after the fall of the 3rd Reich until the monetary reform, a pack of american cigarettes fed a family for a day. Or more, you could get things unavailable on ration cards. As far as I recall one cigarette bought half a pound butter.

 

[bmattock]

Hm, cigarette money was in use before the D-Mark was introduced, from June 21st 1948 everything was available for real money which had to be traded against something else before. As far as my father told me, shops where magically full over night 🙂

During the black market, i.E. after the fall of the 3rd Reich until the monetary reform, a pack of american cigarettes fed a family for a day. Or more, you could get things unavailable on ration cards. As far as I recall one cigarette bought half a pound butter.

In Okinawa in 1983, a carton of Marlboro cigarettes on the US base cost $2.25. There was a ration card, you could only buy two cartons a month. But a carton of smokes could be traded for the equivalent of $30 USD to any honcho driver (taxi driver). The Japanese government had a monopoly on cigarettes, and American cigarettes were prized - Japanese were not. At that time, I made about $300 a month, so $30 was a tenth of a month's pay.

 

[MickH]

I have 20 Benson's available if you need 'em! 😉

 

[ultimajk]

thanks for all the info (and b&h Offers) greatly appreciated. Can any one in the uk point me in the right direction to get it valued, both for ebay😉 and insurance purposes.

Thanks again

John