I may have a Contaflex I available later this year. But more people than ever are sending me cameras to fix, so it's getting harder to find the time to work on my own...another owner sent me their Rolleicord recently (purchased via eBay, was meant to work, didn't, has this ever happened before?). And a nice American owner wants me to get his Contaflex I going. They keep turning up. But if you want, I can let you know if I have a going Contaflex I to spare at some stage.Been on the lookout for one for almost a year now. I'm waiting for a Contaflex I model to pop up. Mostly the ones I've seen lack the take up spool. More importantly though most have not been tested and I understand these cameras are hard to service in case the shutter is not fully operating up to spec.
Would still love to have one though
Cheers,
Brett
bucs
Well-known
Sure let me know! Would be better buying from here. And i am not really in a hurry
Thanks
Nathan
Here's a recent one from the Contaflex Super BC. Film was Fujifilm RVP, lens the 85mm f/3.2 Pro Tessar.
Subject is a gorgeous Triumph Tiger 100, seen at Ross in central Tasmania.
Cheers
Brett
Subject is a gorgeous Triumph Tiger 100, seen at Ross in central Tasmania.
Cheers
Brett
Same camera, same film. Lens was Carl Zeiss 50mm Tessar with two dioptre Carl Zeiss close up lens fitted. Subject is a recently restored Ducati 200cc Elite single cylinder that is too beautiful for words really. Had to frame tight to dodge the other bikes and the madding crowd...
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
The Super BC arrived today - and it is in excellent condition (the less tasteful of us might be tempted to use the term "minty"). I don't have a battery to test the meter or automatic expo. modes, but using manual settings everything works perfectly. Only issue is the missing take up spool... might be able to use one from an Exakta? Haven't tried yet.
The viewfinder is remarkably bright for a camera with TTL metering.
The viewfinder is remarkably bright for a camera with TTL metering.
Sorry, missed this post. An Exakta spool might work. I use a Varex IIa a little bit and have noted the similarity to the Zeiss one in the past. Certainly worth a try, otherwise one from a spent 35mm canister may also be a possibility.
When one considers the 50mm Tessar is a f/2.8, the brightness of the finder is doubly impressive. All the Tessars fitted to the Contaflex range, right back to the original are decent performers. But in my experience, those late ones are real sharp. You may find yourself using it more than you expected to.
Check the usual len shutter things, but also the aperture stop down to make sure it's not sticking. When you get a battery, cross check that by using a constant light source, and adjusting the shutter speed/ASA to verify that the f top changes accordingly. There's a decent chance it will all be working well. Watch the aperture ring when manually setting exposure. Those markings rub off fairly easily. The little plastic grip at the 6 o clock position is an essential item if you don't want the f stop numbers to disappear!
One point not often inspected is the shutter/capping plate timing. Wind the camera slowly with the back off until the capping plate has only just seated fully. Stop winding but keep a constant pressure on the lever as spring pressure will make the mechanism back off very slightly, otherwise. Then, examine the lens shutter blades. With the unit focus models, especially the later ones, sometimes the plate can run a little late and you'll spot a pinhole opening at the shutter blades. Naturally if the camera is wound in bright light this can give some fogging. Later Contaflexes ran pretty tight timing between the plate and the shutter, so with some use, occasionally, the plate can lag enough to do this. The front cell models had much more conservative timing, and I don't think it could ever be an issue with those. There's an easy-ish fix for the issue if it manifests itself. Let me know, if you need more details.
The 35mm & 85mm Pro Tessars are excellent. With the late cameras, they are at their best, and are worth picking up.
Cheers,
Brett
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
I've since tried an Exakta spool and it does seem to fit and work nicely, although I haven't loaded film yet.
I checked the capping plate when I got the camera and that too seems to be working well. I'll put it through its paces once I've emptied two other cameras that have partial rolls in them.
I checked the capping plate when I got the camera and that too seems to be working well. I'll put it through its paces once I've emptied two other cameras that have partial rolls in them.
rhl-oregon
Cameras Guitars Wonders
There's a Super B kit in the classifieds right now! (Pardon the infomercial interruption.) ;-)
farlymac
PF McFarland
The Contaflex II that I spent so much time on repairing for a friend has came back to stay with me.
Zeiss Ikon Contaflex II by br1078phot, on Flickr
I was so happy, I got it a Teleskop to keep company with.
Teleskop 1.7 Mounted by br1078phot, on Flickr
PF
Zeiss Ikon Contaflex II by br1078phot, on Flickr
I was so happy, I got it a Teleskop to keep company with.
Teleskop 1.7 Mounted by br1078phot, on Flickr
PF
The Contaflex II that I spent so much time on repairing for a friend has came back to stay with me.
Zeiss Ikon Contaflex II by br1078phot, on Flickr
I was so happy, I got it a Teleskop to keep company with.
Teleskop 1.7 Mounted by br1078phot, on Flickr
PF
Brilliant! You put a lot of effort into that one as I recall—it couldn't be in better hands.
I have not found a Teleskop yet, but I will certainly get one eventually.
Cheers
Brett
BernardL
Well-known
Hello,
I'm curious why you advise against removing the rear group.
I just completed the refurbishment of a Contaflex II, down to cleaning individual shutter and aperture blades. It was not completely easy, but I managed to avoid fatal mistakes, and now it runs smoothly. I did remove and re-install the rear lens group. Seems I did not disturb the optical configuration: the grub screws for the front-focusing fell right into their conical holes after I had adjusted the focus on a distant church spire.
Something else. To test the focus in real-world conditions (i.e. film rather than ground glass) I took pictures at near-minimum distance and f:2.8. It seems to me (limited evidence) that the optical performance degrades at close focus, maybe inherent to front-cell focusing. Would you concur?
With best regards, and warm thanks for your long posts full of information Re: contaflexes.
Bernard