# Couldn't pass the chance to buy this old Contax



## SwampDude (Jan 25, 2019)

Old and new cameras are fun and interesting, so this one caught my eye at an estate sale. The price was something less than $10, but I may have paid too much! I haven't tested functionality beyond the shutter, but it seems to work. Thought I'd consult the experts here to find out if getting this Contax thoroughly checked out is worth the effort. Please share any info or opinions you may have.


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## dennybeall (Jan 25, 2019)

Looks to be in very nice condition..


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## jcdeboever (Jan 25, 2019)

I bet that lens is sweet.


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## SwampDude (Jan 25, 2019)

jcdeboever said:


> I bet that lens is sweet.



Are cameras like this one used by anyone for serious image making, or is their appeal mostly from an appreciation of photo equipment of the distant past?

My meager photography education started around 1970 with a Minolta SRT-101 match-needle 35mm, so I have a fair grasp of technical fundamentals. If this Contax is mechanically sound and can be tuned at a reasonable cost ($100) to make good images, I'd acquire a decent light meter and go back to the basics for fun.

Your thought that my Contax lens might be "sweet" makes me curious about how the camera was regarded when it was widely used. Were these cameras considered to be high quality? Any idea how old this model might be?


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## jcdeboever (Jan 25, 2019)

Looks like a Zeiss Ikon Contax Iia. That was considered a premium camera back in the day. Excellent build quality, excellent lens. Unique focus dial. I seen one in super condition around $600 before.


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## webestang64 (Jan 25, 2019)

Zeiss = very nice lens. 

Some info....  Zeiss Contax II and III


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## dxqcanada (Jan 25, 2019)

Eh, $10 !!! That is a steal.
Many people actually do use old film cameras to take pictures ... they are not all just mantel pieces.

It appears to be a Contax II type model ... I am not familiar with them but I feel it was a very good camera.

If you don't like it ... I will offer you 200% of the price you got it for ... hmm, maybe even 300% !!!


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## jcdeboever (Jan 25, 2019)

Yup, I would shoot it. I handled the one I seen in the camera shop, Dearborn MI. It was buttery smooth and felt solid in the hand. I actually was considering to buy it but the viewfinder was too small and I wear glasses. He said he would take $525 for it as I was walking out. I walked away but man it was nice. I bet that would have been a nice image maker. It was so clean and smooth, almost looked like it was hardly used. He said it had documentation of a fairly recent CLA. He bought it from the original owner's family after he had passed away. He owned several Contax models and I was the first person to see the collection up for sale. Every single camera was beautiful.  He also had his wonderful Leica DRP, now that was going for some big bucks.


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## Derrel (Jan 25, 2019)

Here is a good article to read on IIa and III   htpps://cameraquest.com/conrf.htm


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## dxqcanada (Jan 25, 2019)

I can just image how freaked out the people in the RFF group would be if they read the OP !!!


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## SwampDude (Jan 25, 2019)

webestang64 said:


> Zeiss = very nice lens.
> 
> Some info....  Zeiss Contax II and III



The article is quite informative, and I feel great about finding this camera for a giveaway price. It seems spending some money for reconditioning would be prudent and 'right' for the purpose of saving a nice old camera.


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## SwampDude (Jan 25, 2019)

dxqcanada said:


> I can just image how freaked out the people in the RFF group would be if they read the OP !!!



Who are the RFF group people?


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## webestang64 (Jan 25, 2019)

Derrel said:


> Here is a good article to read on IIa and III
> link...  Zeiss Contax II and III



Fixed.....



SwampDude said:


> Who are the RFF group people?



Rangefinderforum.com Portal - Rangefinderforum


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## SwampDude (Jan 27, 2019)

I finally figured out how to open the camera, and the inside parts that are visible seem clean and in good condition considering the age (1940s). The shutter curtain and film backing plate show some sign of slight wear or discoloration from age. Some of the controls like the focusing wheel are stiff, but the camera may have been sitting more than 50 years without being used. The shutter seems sluggish. Overall, its in better shape than me, and our ages are about the same.


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## greybeard (Jan 27, 2019)

Beautiful


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## limr (Jan 27, 2019)

SwampDude said:


> Are cameras like this one used by anyone for serious image making, or is their appeal mostly from an appreciation of photo equipment of the distant past?
> 
> My meager photography education started around 1970 with a Minolta SRT-101 match-needle 35mm, so I have a fair grasp of technical fundamentals. If this Contax is mechanically sound and can be tuned at a reasonable cost ($100) to make good images, I'd acquire a decent light meter and go back to the basics for fun.
> 
> Your thought that my Contax lens might be "sweet" makes me curious about how the camera was regarded when it was widely used. Were these cameras considered to be high quality? Any idea how old this model might be?



The Contax II was the camera of choice of Robert Capa. It's what he had with him on Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944. Contax are very highly-regarded cameras, and Zeiss glass is top notch.


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## SwampDude (Jan 27, 2019)

limr said:


> The Contax II was the camera of choice of Robert Capa. It's what he had with him on Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944. Contax are very highly-regarded cameras, and Zeiss glass is top notch.



Thanks, limr. Your historical note about Capa and Contax IIa on Omaha Beach in '44 makes my find more meaningful to me. I was born just a few years earlier.

I have contacted a Midwest camera repair service about restoring my Contax, and I hope to hear it can be done for a reasonable fee. I fear a 70 year old camera that hasn't been used for decades will be difficult (expensive) to restore to working condition.

By the way, I'm wondering if the Contax II will accept standard 35mm cassettes.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 28, 2019)

SwampDude said:


> limr said:
> 
> 
> > The Contax II was the camera of choice of Robert Capa. It's what he had with him on Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944. Contax are very highly-regarded cameras, and Zeiss glass is top notch.
> ...


Yes it will accept standard film. I assume it will be between 125 - 150 for a CLA, which IMO would be worth it. How does the lens look and feel? Does it turn good? Any haze inside?


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## SwampDude (Jan 28, 2019)

[/QUOTE]Yes it will accept standard film. I assume it will be between 125 - 150 for a CLA, which IMO would be worth it. How does the lens look and feel? Does it turn good? Any haze inside?[/QUOTE]

Thanks.

I haven't looked closely at the lens except to determine it doesn't appear to be scratched. I believe this lens is screw-on rather than bayonet mount, but I don't know which direction to turn the lens for removal. 

I'm wondering if a lens that has been attached for 50 years might need special care to loosen. I don't want to force anything.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 28, 2019)

Manual can be found here. You could try it but as you say don't force anything. It should come off ok. Hopefully, you won't need to service the lens. If everything turns well, that's good. Sometimes just working things like shutter, aperture, advance lever gets things going better. If you get it off, shine a bright light through it,  wide open, look for haze, white furry things (fungus),Nick's, scratch's, dust level.  Zeiss Ikon Contax II, Contax IIa  instruction manual, Zeiss Ikon  Contax IIa instruction manual, user manual, PDF manual, free manuals


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## SwampDude (Jan 28, 2019)

jcdeboever said:


> Manual can be found here. You could try it but as you say don't force anything. It should come off ok. Hopefully, you won't need to service the lens. If everything turns well, that's good. Sometimes just working things like shutter, aperture, advance lever gets things going better. If you get it off, shine a bright light through it,  wide open, look for haze, white furry things (fungus),Nick's, scratch's, dust level.  Zeiss Ikon Contax II, Contax IIa  instruction manual, Zeiss Ikon  Contax IIa instruction manual, user manual, PDF manual, free manuals



The glass is really dirty, but I'm reluctant to clean it because of the coating. Is it safe to use a lens cleaning solution?



 

This camera has probably been sitting, unused, in a closet somewhere for decades without a case or lens cover.

Thanks for the instruction manual link.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 28, 2019)

SwampDude said:


> jcdeboever said:
> 
> 
> > Manual can be found here. You could try it but as you say don't force anything. It should come off ok. Hopefully, you won't need to service the lens. If everything turns well, that's good. Sometimes just working things like shutter, aperture, advance lever gets things going better. If you get it off, shine a bright light through it,  wide open, look for haze, white furry things (fungus),Nick's, scratch's, dust level.  Zeiss Ikon Contax II, Contax IIa  instruction manual, Zeiss Ikon  Contax IIa instruction manual, user manual, PDF manual, free manuals
> ...


blownof with compressed or can air. Just plain water and a lot of q tips is what I use. Dip the q tip in water. Small circular gentle strokes. Just do a little at a time until it is clean. Frequently change q tips. No harm done. I clean all my glass this way. Will not damage it at all. People put cleaning Mark's in their glass because they use dirty cloth.


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## terri (Jan 28, 2019)

My advice: once you have found someone who can give this a professional CLA, get it to that person asap.   If you don't feel comfortable doing any cleaning yourself, you probably shouldn't. 

You'll be amazed at what a proper cleanup will do!    Good luck with this.


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## SwampDude (Jan 28, 2019)

[/QUOTE]blownof with compressed or can air. Just plain water and a lot of q tips is what I use. Dip the q tip in water. Small circular gentle strokes. Just do a little at a time until it is clean. Frequently change q tips. No harm done. I clean all my glass this way. Will not damage it at all. People put cleaning Mark's in their glass because they use dirty cloth.[/QUOTE]

If I decide to clean the lens I'll use your method with distilled water. Thanks.

I looked into the wide open lens (still mounted on the camera) with my lighted, magnified visor, and the glass is perfectly clear. Beyond a few specks of dust, there is no sign of dirt, fungus or anything foreign, and the surface looks perfect. To my untrained eye this glass looks beautiful.


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## SwampDude (Jan 28, 2019)

This morning, after spending some time on the Rangefinder forum reading about the lack of CLA services for Contax cameras, I'm wondering if my interest in getting this old camera into working order may be futile. Apparently, most of the pros who worked on these cameras around the world have retired or gone out of business and parts are next to impossible to find. I'm still waiting for an answer from Midwest Camera about their ability to service the Contax II.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 28, 2019)

blownof with compressed or can air. Just plain water and a lot of q tips is what I use. Dip the q tip in water. Small circular gentle strokes. Just do a little at a time until it is clean. Frequently change q tips. No harm done. I clean all my glass this way. Will not damage it at all. People put cleaning Mark's in their glass because they use dirty cloth.[/QUOTE]

If I decide to clean the lens I'll use your method with distilled water. Thanks.

I looked into the wide open lens (still mounted on the camera) with my lighted, magnified visor, and the glass is perfectly clear. Beyond a few specks of dust, there is no sign of dirt, fungus or anything foreign, and the surface looks perfect. To my untrained eye this glass looks beautiful.[/QUOTE]Awesome news, thanks for sharing


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## jcdeboever (Jan 28, 2019)

SwampDude said:


> This morning, after spending some time on the Rangefinder forum reading about the lack of CLA services for Contax cameras, I'm wondering if my interest in getting this old camera into working order may be futile. Apparently, most of the pros who worked on these cameras around the world have retired or gone out of business and parts are next to impossible to find. I'm still waiting for an answer from Midwest Camera about their ability to service the Contax II.


Not to worry really. I'll put money on it it shoots fine. Now I worlould work the shutter, winder, aperture ring, focus ring a while to free it up some. Now how accurate the shutter speeds are is another thing but just keep track of each frame and what you exposed it for and look at the negatives. May take a few rolls to sort out but you might be surprised.


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## LCL999 (Jan 29, 2019)

As collectables Contax would be second only to Leica. You have a great buy reegardless of condition and purpose.


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## SwampDude (Jan 30, 2019)

The service centers I've contacted don't work on Contax cameras. I suppose its somewhat like asking an independent car repair center to tune up a 1940 Mercedes. So, for now, my old Contax II will simply take a spot on the bookshelf in my den. 

Thanks for the comments and suggestions offered here.

SD


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## santino (Jan 30, 2019)

Contact Henry Scherer, he's the Contax guy no 1.
Contact Oleg from okvintageamera.com

Always do mention that it's a IIa, not a II!
Those are totally different cameras! The IIa you have is a piece of art and thus is super complex. It was more expensive than the Leica IIIG. 
If your shutter is sluggish it won't get better, those cameras are comparable to precise swiss watches.
The lens doesn't have a focusing helicoid, it's in the camera so there is nothing to service on the lens unless the aperture is stiff. It has a bayonet mount.


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## SwampDude (Jan 30, 2019)

santino said:


> Contact Henry Scherer, he's the Contax guy no 1.
> Contact Oleg from okvintageamera.com
> 
> Always do mention that it's a IIa, not a II!
> ...



I will contact these guys! Thanks for the information, including the correct model designation. If I learn anything encouraging from Mr. Scherer or Oleg, I'll post an update.


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## SwampDude (Jan 31, 2019)

santino said:


> Contact Henry Scherer, he's the Contax guy no 1.
> Contact Oleg from okvintageamera.com
> 
> Always do mention that it's a IIa, not a II!
> ...



Mr. Scherer said he is the only person doing "complete jobs" on Contax IIa cameras, and he is now years behind in his work backlog. He explained that it's not possible to produce a reliable camera without complete disassembly, cleaning and lubricating each piece, reassembly and calibration. He validated the points in your post about IIa quality, complexity and mechanical perfection, santino.

My planning horizon is far short of 8 years, so my camera will remain on the shelf for the pleasure of knowing how wonderful it once was:

"A 35mm film rangefinder camera, the Contax IIa continues a line of machines that stretches back to the original Contax I of 1932, and is the last of the non-metered Contax rangefinders (the IIIa, a version with a built-in light meter, debuted in 1951). It offers the greatest degree of sophistication in the smallest and most ergonomically pleasing package of all Zeiss rangefinders, and provides the shooter with mechanical perfection paired with what was once the best glass in the world. It is, rightfully so, a legend among photo geeks...."


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## santino (Feb 1, 2019)

You could always buy a soviet kiev camera (20-30 bucks) in order to be able to use that awesome zeiss lens. 
Btw kievs are copies of the contax ii...


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## SwampDude (Feb 1, 2019)

I figured out how to remove the lens today, and all visible components look remarkably good for a 1940ish vintage camera. The glass is pristine. That little lens of finely crafted metal and glass weighs nearly 5 ounces. Its interesting to  think about how cameras have evolved since the 1940s; we have gained so much and yet we have lost much, too.


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## Dave442 (Feb 3, 2019)

Great to see you had an SRT-101, I was given an SRT-101 as my first SLR by my grandfather, he was using a Nikon F at the time. 

During one visit he went back in his photography closet and pulled out his Contax IIIa. The camera was a beautiful shiny monster and looked exceedingly complex compared to my new Minolta. Anyway, he said it was sitting on the shelf as the shutter went out so he just jumped ship and picked up a then new Nikon F Photomic. 

Keep your Contax, even if it doesn't work it's a great camera to look at. If the shutter is good and it works even better, but then it really needs that overhaul.


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## SwampDude (Feb 3, 2019)

Dave442 said:


> Great to see you had an SRT-101, I was given an SRT-101 as my first SLR by my grandfather, he was using a Nikon F at the time.
> 
> During one visit he went back in his photography closet and pulled out his Contax IIIa. The camera was a beautiful shiny monster and looked exceedingly complex compared to my new Minolta. Anyway, he said it was sitting on the shelf as the shutter went out so he just jumped ship and picked up a then new Nikon F Photomic.
> 
> Keep your Contax, even if it doesn't work it's a great camera to look at. If the shutter is good and it works even better, but then it really needs that overhaul.



Thanks, Dave. I think I'll clean the exterior and the glass and apply a little Rennaisance wax to the leather-like material on the body for luster and protection. Rennaisance is used by museums everywhere for preservation of fine objects. I'll enjoy owning this classic just the way it is.


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## jcdeboever (Feb 4, 2019)

I'd put a roll through it. I mean if the shutter fires and it focuses, what's the harm?


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