Who Repairs Contax I's ?

MISH said:
I recommend Frank Marshman, Camera Wiz in Virginia. He likes working on Contax and he can tell you if it can be saved or not. (Frank is getting a little older and I hear he slowing down a bit)
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I will have to contact him again. I talked to him about a year ago and he didn't have any contax shutter ribbon (which I needed) but anyway, even if I provided it, he didn't want to work on Contax cameras any more. Hope you are right and he has changed his mind.
 
Yeah, Henry Scherer is mentioned somewhere on the first page I think. Also the first one to pop up on a google search if you look for Contax 1 repair.

Refreshed the Contax engravings with a laquer-stik yesterday. It came out quite nice. Don't think I'll try it on the distance scale on the lens mount , though. Too many spots the stuff can get smeared into.
 
Now, with photo

Contax1d02.jpg
 
Rick,

Lettering looks good.

The camera looks exactly the same as the one I have pulled apart. If you need pictures of the insides let me know!

You need eyesight of special type to be able to read the depth of field scale!
 
Thanks, though, I'm in no rush to tear it down myself just yet. Not unless someone has a comprehensive disassembly / repair guide. ;)
 
I also have one exactly like this. Serial number V37084. Works for 100%.

I've been asking myself why there is a red dot on the frame counter at 29. Anybody?

Erik.
 
If I were to venture a guess I'd say it's the maximum capacity of Zeiss' own brand cassettes at the time.

I have a couple of them that came with one of my Contax II, still loaded with film (possibly vericolor), but I've never checked how much film they take.
I might shoot that film for fun, but I guess it expired at the same time the shutter straps died on that camera (and I had fixed by Milo last year).
 
Mr_Flibble said:
If I were to venture a guess I'd say it's the maximum capacity of Zeiss' own brand cassettes at the time.
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Yes, I have heard this too.

As to a disassembly guide, the 'ribbons' thread show a fair amount of dismantling...but we are yet to achieve a repair!
 
I finished off the roll with the camera over the weekend. Will probably get round to developing it this evening.

If there are any other faults (focus, light leaks, sticking or capping shutter) they will hopefully show up on the film.
 
Mentioned this before, came across the photo earlier today:

165thSPCMarketGarden.jpg

165th Signal Corps Photographers/Cameramen, Just before Operation Market Garden.
Al Meserlin in the middle with the Contax I(d?). He didn't actually make the jump into the Netherlands, but was sent to France and became Eisenhower's personal photographer.

I love small details in photos like this, mainly the location of the green felt photographers/cameraman patch on the right shoulder, where it 'officially' should NOT go and it was 'officially' succeeded by the black/gold arched "Official US Army War Photographer" patches at the end of July 1944.

.....I'll get my anorak.
 
Honestly I have no idea.

The other two MoPic guys are holding a Bell&Howell 71-Q Eyemo with Spyder turret and B&H Model 71-Z A4 Bomb Spotting camera.

I ordered a photo gallery publication containing some of Meserlin's work as Eisenhower's photographer just now.
 
Interesting WWII photo. Perhaps Meserlin didn't make the jump as he wasn't airborne qualified. The photographer on the right appears to have a tab over the patch on his right shoulder. It could be the airborne tab. Back then, iirc the tab hadn't yet become part of the unit patch. If they had been in combat, I think they could have made a case for the patch on the right.

When I was in Vietnam you did not wear your unit's patch on your uniform's right shoulder until after you left the unit. Then if you were reassigned to the unit, you could show your "combat patch." I am not sure what the uniform requirements/allowances were back in WWII.

I considered the fact that the negative might have been reversed to print. However, all are wearing .45 pistols on the right, Meserlin has what appears to be a wedding ring on his left hand, and he also has a gas mask on his left side (as does the man on the left) which would be normal. So that is out, it was printed correctly. The man on the right may also have a gas mask. It looks like he has a strap over his shoulders which could be to hold the mask, and the top of whatever is on his left appears to be the top of a gas mask holder, and he has two straps on his legs. One could be to tie the mask down, but what the other one is I can't guess. It could be for the .45 but doesn't appear to be, or whatever he has behind it.

What this appears to be is a photo showing them as if they carried all this gear all the time, and in fact they may have. But I have seen GIs try to depict their miserable conditions, showing a lot of gear, even it that was not their normal way to be.
 
The orientation of the photograph is correct, checking the cameras and the layout of the gear.
I think the tab you are seeing is actually the top of the square patch with the arched "Cameraman Official" text.

They are all wearing their rubberized M7 assault gas mask bags on their left hips. It was common for Signal Photo Company cinematographers to keep their films in these bags.
The leg straps on the man on the right are actually part of the M43 Jump suit trousers. They tie down equipment for the combat jump and were often cut off once on the ground.

The rectangular green felt with orange/red thread patches were officially in use up to July 1944 and were to be worn on the lower left sleeve.
Just before operation Cobra the arched gold/black War photographer patch became the Official US War Photographer patch. Which was either worn on the left shoulder if no other patches were worn, or on the right shoulder in combination with an army or army group patch on the left shoulder.
In December 1944 the oblong gold/black photographer patch was introduced and was to be worn on the lower right sleeve.

That said. Once in the combat zone I'm sure they did whatever they liked. I have seen the early patch still being worn in the winter 1944/45. And a lot more patches worn in different spots on various pieces of clothing.

The wearing of the 'previous unit patch' on the right shoulder seems to start towards VE-day.
 
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