Couldn't pass the chance to buy this old Contax

[limr]

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.

 

[SwampDude]

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.

 

[jcdeboever]

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 II 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.

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?

 

[SwampDude]

[/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.

 

[jcdeboever]

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

 

[SwampDude]

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.

 

[jcdeboever]

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?
View attachment 168569

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.

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.

 

[terri]

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.

 

[SwampDude]

[/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.

 

[SwampDude]

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.

 

[jcdeboever]

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

 

[jcdeboever]

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.

 

[LCL999]

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

 

[SwampDude]

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

 

[santino]

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.