What is the Contaflex like compared to other German leaf shutter SLRs? If anybody has owned other ones. I recently handled a Kodak Retina Reflex at a junk sale, and was surprised by how large it was, but it was still in working order. Passed because there was no price market on it and that usually means the seller is going to ask something absurd.
I haven't acquired a Retina Reflex or eg. an Ambiflex yet but as I like the configuration maybe one day. I do have a Bessamatic (first model) I've put quite a lot of film through. There are a few different types of Contaflex though. This has to be borne in mind when making comparisons. Perhaps we should recap those.
The original had a 45mm Tessar f/2.8 lens and is front cell focus. The II added an uncoupled meter to the design. These first two types are very compact for a 35mm SLR, lens shutter or otherwise. The throw on the focus ring is small, the ring is at the front and it uses setting rings for the aperture and shutter. They fall to hand easily.
The III changed the design substantially in many ways. The lens became a 50mm f/2.8 and it was unit focus. The camera body grew in size a bit. The focus ring moved to the back near the body, with two small grips for thumb and finger (the precise location of which around the "clock" varied through the models). Rings for shutter and aperture worked the relevant setting dials on the S/C shutter. The Contaflex IV added a light meter, still uncoupled, to the design of the III which was essentially unchanged.
When the Rapid and first Super arrived the bodies had grown a little more. They were able to accept the interchangeable film magazines for the first time. The Rapid has no meter fitted. It is the rarest Contaflex, with well under 20,000 made. It is the only Tessar model to feature "Contaflex" in cursive script making it unmistakeable.
The Super is also unique. A thumb wheel on the front left of the camera sets the f stop and the light meter was finally coupled to the exposure controls. It is the most numerous Contaflex type. See lam's photo for an example of the first Super.
A New Super model changed to conventional setting rings and a new selenium meter with larger cell. It's not so common and looks very similar to the Super B which introduced shutter priority auto exposure. Subsequently it was modified to take a battery powered CdS cell for TTL metering and became the Super BC. With changes to badging and finish it became the final model, the S.
Cheaper models with Pantar lenses and Prontor models were also made (the Prima, Alpha and Beta). I've stayed away from these to date, depending on condition they are often little if any cheaper than examples fitted with superior Tessar lenses.
Compared to the Bessamatic later Contaflex models have ergonomics that aren't quite as good, in my opinion. The Bessamatic lenses focus rings are where you expect to find them and the exposure setting wheel on the top left, if correctly installed and lubricated, works well as does the accurate selenium meter. The Bessamatic mechanism is beautifully made, and, I believe, essentially reliable, but it is more complicated than the Contaflex equivalent, even the unit focus types. A lot more work is needed to access the shutter of the Bessamatic. But they do sound amazing when you fire them. All those gears, rings and levers make a beautiful noise when they do their job. Occasionally parts of the Bessamatic go out of adjustment due to wear (such as the cocking rack underneath the body).
The different Contaflex types often need attention before they will deliver reliable service, but the main issue is generally only the shutter requiring cleaning. The body mechanism is usually OK. Sometimes the capping plate of later models runs a bit late (the lens shutter blades have just separated before the rear plate has found its seat). Of course there should be no overlap at all, to prevent fogging. I & II models had such conservative timing this is unlikely to ever be an issue for them, but later ones were very tight when new, and I suppose a little wear is enough to delay the capping plate. It's generally an easy fix via the eccentric accessed inside the film gate.
Mirrors can lose focus slightly as well, likely for the same reasons as the capping plate. The mirror adjuster is a cinch to reach from the bottom of the body with the back removed. Once again it is an easy fix, but is frequently not checked and corrected.
III & IV models have a particular issue where the attachment screws for the lens mount tend to loosen. This is not serious in itself, but in order to tighten them a ridiculous amount of the body has to be dismantled to reach them. They're my least favourite model to work on, for this reason.
Like any other camera of similar vintage selenium cells can be prone to failure or inaccuracy but there's still a fair chance of finding Contaflexes or Bessamatics with accurate cells in good order. The II and IV feature cover flaps for the cells when not in use. Although factors such as humidity and storage conditions impact on cell longevity, I think the cover flaps must help, as most of those ones I've handled have good cells. Early Supers dispensed with the cover flap, and my strike rate with these is probably under 50:50 for accuracy. Later models such as Super B tend to be more likely to have good working cells, they are also a little younger, though.
I don't have any personal experience of other makes such as the Retina Reflex or the Agfa SLRs yet. It's hard to say how they stand in terms of reliability because of this. I've read many comments that they are not as reliable but I've read many very inaccurate remarks about Contaflex reliability and quality also. I will say that, whilst they are not admittedly as straightforward as a lens shutter rangefinder, I think they are probably the least complex of the various German lens shutter cameras. The original Voigtlander Ultramatic arguably ranking as the most complex. They were made to the same good standards ZI applied to many of their other cameras, but their reputation for complexity scares people off getting them serviced. In this sense they are no better or worse than any other 1950s or 1960s design that has never had a CLA. Apart from some metering issues, in my experience it is unusual for one not to work well again after nothing more than a CLA, and this is usually limited to the shutter and its actuating components, not the body mechanism itself.
Cheers
Brett
