Contax IIa- impressions

[Biggles]

(looks around) We can write about old Zeiss Ikon Contax stuff in this sub-forum, can't we?

(sound of crickets)




(steps onto soapbox)

Okaaayyy....

Received an old, 1950s Contax IIa in the mail today. Bought it without ever having held one, though I had played a bit with a IIIa.

What a nice old beast.

I immediately rammed the fifty-eff-two Sonnar into its mouth, stuffed a roll of fi'umm into it and scurried off to the riverfront. A few things quickly became apparent:

1) This is going to be a daylight camera. The rangefinder window is bright, but it's quite a bit dimmer than a Leica CL's, for example. However, it's got sufficient eye relief to be pretty easy to use with in slanting light while wearing a pair of sunglasses. This thing'll be a streeter.

2) The finder has no framelines. None AT ALL. This camera was just made to be used with one lens- a fifty. And I came up through the school of the fifty. Good match, there.

3) It's a small, dense sonofabitch. Those crazy Germans- they used actual METAL to make this ingot. (Feels like depleted uranium. What in hell were they thinking?) This is not your father's Olympus Stylus. Not nearly as effortless to carry as a modern point-and-shoot. Makes a far better weapon, though.

4) Winding it takes time. Like rolling a cigarette. So, one does it ruminatively.

5) Bloody depth-of-field scale is in metric. Agh! Thinking! Hurts! Brain!

6) Chicks look at it. This is really odd. Roller girls, bicycle wimmen, sharp older ladies with frou-frou muffdogs; they were all sneaking peeks at the satin nickel-plated Art Deco brick swinging from my right hand. Must have been curator night on the running path. Either that, or the local chickocracy really digs the metric system.

Overall, I like it, even though my fingertip's a bit chafed from the focusing wheel. Pictures later this week, metered with scrap of printed carboard from the film box.

[wlewisiii]

The Contax is a unique flavor isn't it? Just a couple of thoughts to share.
1) You might be surprised at how well that vf works in lower light. The patch shows up pretty well under some fairly dim circumstances. Get a 50/1.5 and enjoy...
2) Yep. I learned with a 50 as well, so I like that. I've come to appreciate the 35/50/85 of my Kiev 5 (to put it mildly... :D ) but the reality is that the 50 is the lens this camera was made for.
3) A wrist strap actually works well with this because of it's weight, I think. And you can swing like all get out if need to and still take pictures afterwards... :p
4) Being slowed down is not necessarily a bad thing. OTOH, I have found that you can twist that sucker faster than you think when you're following a 3 year old around.
5) Think "yards" instead of meters. It's close enough and it's easier to remember.

It's a delightful camera and you'll get years of enjoyment out of it as will any son or daughter you have.

William

[furcafe]

Lucky you. Here in DC, it's only the old-guy-ocracy that peeks @ my old cameras, Contax IIa included, & they usually think every chrome RF, whether a Contax, Nettax, or Foton, is a "Leica." Small correction: the IIa/IIIa ain't Art Deco (wrong time period & style, the pre-war II/III would be closer but still don't look very Deco-ish). For Art Deco you need a Kodak Bantam Special (http://www.cameraquest.com/superban.htm), now that's a slick camera.


6) Chicks look at it. This is really odd. Roller girls, bicycle wimmen, sharp older ladies with frou-frou muffdogs; they were all sneaking peeks at the satin nickel-plated Art Deco brick swinging from my right hand. Must have been curator night on the running path. Either that, or the local chickocracy really digs the metric system.

[Mazurka]

http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/zeiss/ikoflex/ikoflex1.gifIkoflex

[JoeFriday]

now that I've gotten familiar with my Kiev 4a, it probably won't be long until a Contax II shows up in my mailbox.. especially if I find a good on one with a Sonnar f1.5

I really like the film advance wheel.. that's half the fun of taking pictures, IMO.. and that's when people notice I'm not using a P&S digital.. when I have to stop and advance the film with a couple twists

I'm still working on keeping my finger out of the VF window, tho.. I can't get the hang of using the focusing wheel.. I prefer to use the lens barrel.. otherwise I find the camera suits me very well.. hope your Contax does the same for you

[Honu-Hugger]

Lever wind and rewind cranks seem like modern conveniences to me :D (I was shooting the July 4th activities today with a IIa, a Super Ikonta, and an Alpa Model 5).

[aizan]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67376&item=7528329814&rd=1

who's up for a zeiss ikon tshirt? (no relation)

[akalai]

Cool, another Contax IIa fan!!! :D

..."The finder has no framelines. None AT ALL. This camera was just made to be used with one lens- a fifty."

I actually think these camera are MADE for using with wide angles...the 50 is just a bonus. The positioning of the accessory shoe for viewfinders is perfect for wide angles. Sure the original Zeiss lenses are a bit rare on the ground and pricey when you do find them but they are sweet, namely the Biogons, but keep in mind there is also the option of going with Voigtlander lenses made for Contax/Nikon mount.

The Voigtlander SC lenses are currently on closeout sale at one of the RFF's sponsors website, Cameraquest.com. There is a 21mm,25mm,28mm and 35mm which will all work fine on the Contax Range Finders.

...."It's a small, dense sonofabitch. Those crazy Germans- they used actual METAL to make this ingot."

Haha, I love its weight...screams, "NO EXPENSES SPARED QUALITY!" and I think it does actually have a chassis milled from one piece, so I think you are right about it being an ingot! (Please someone who knows more correct me if I am wrong)

..."Bloody depth-of-field scale is in metric. Agh! Thinking! Hurts! Brain!"

I have the reverse problem....feet and yards? I want my metric system!

..."Chicks look at it. This is really odd. Roller girls, bicycle wimmen, sharp older ladies with frou-frou muffdogs; they were all sneaking peeks at the satin nickel-plated Art Deco brick swinging from my right hand."

Haha, and yes I have noticed that too....weird....but not in a bad way! :)

OK well have fun and see you around! Cheers!

[Pherdinand]

It's a great camera, isn't it?

As wlewis said, you will be surprised how easy is to use it in very dark places. I mean f/1.5, 1/50 s at iso3200...

Not only chicks, guys look at it too. It is the only camera that provoked the "give it to me let me see it" effect from every friend of mine. I don't know why. It has some kind of inherent attractive look.

[rover]

Chicks dig it factor? Hmmm, I guess it is easier to care for than a puppy, but man, there is nothing better than a puppy for this.

I am getting over my Leica stage and the IIa is on my mind again.

[Nikon Bob]

Biggles

I agree with all the previous posts. My Contax II is sick, the shutter curtains thing, but is a beauty of an old style camera. I do not find the viewfinder overly dim and the suggestion to tink in yards instead of meters works well. I find that if I use my index finger (the finger that gives the finger) to operate the focus wheel the remaining digits stay out of the way. Great camera, enjoy it.

Bob

[back alley]

I am getting over my Leica stage and the IIa is on my mind again.
__________________


will it never end...?

joe

[Honu-Hugger]

"3) It's a small, dense sonofabitch. Those crazy Germans- they used actual METAL to make this ingot. (Feels like depleted uranium. What in hell were they thinking?) This is not your father's Olympus Stylus. Not nearly as effortless to carry as a modern point-and-shoot. Makes a far better weapon, though."

As God intended; cameras made from metal and glass!!! Congratulations on the purchase, Biggles. I was using a couple of different cameras yesterday and enjoying them all, but every time I grabbed the little IIa it just felt so perfect.

[RObert Budding]

I love my Contax IIIa - great camera to use, once you get used to it. and learn the "claw" grip And the lenses are superb. I'm very fond of my 85/2.0 Zeiss Jena Sonnar. Well, actually I'm fond of the 35mm Biogon, the 50/1.5 Sonnar, and the 135/4.0 Sonnar, too!

Enjoy!
Robert

[Doug]

Wow, Mazurka, that Ikoflex looks positively architectural! :)

And thanks Aizan for the link to the t-shirt!

[Pherdinand]

Doug...you've really bought one?:D

[ruben]

Hi Biggles,

"1) This is going to be a daylight camera"
Not necessarily, as the extremely quiet shutter curtain allows you go slower speeds for low-light situations. The shutter curtain mechanics to make this happen is one of the most sophysticated advances introduced with this camera.

1b) "The rangefinder window is bright, but it's quite a bit dimmer than a Leica CL's, for example".
Yes, but if you add a Russian Universal Turret Finder (around u$ 45 plus postage), you may use the rangefinder window just for range finding and the UTF for composing. The UTF is as bright as the brightest AF modern camera.

"2) The finder has no framelines. None AT ALL. This camera was just made to be used with one lens- a fifty".
The UTF gives you the framing for 28, 35, 50, 85, 135mm.

"4) Winding it takes time. Like rolling a cigarette. So, one does it ruminatively."
Agreed, no doubt this is a take-your-time camera.

"6) Chicks look at it."
Yes indeed.

"Overall, I like it, even though my fingertip's a bit chafed from the focusing wheel"
Do you know that the focusing wheel is even today a unique way for pin-point manual focusing ?

Lastly, I cannot avoid to remark that in my opinion, this is the most aesthetic camera ever produced up to day. The chicks are right, pay them more thoughtfull attention.

Congratulations,

Ruben

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I have never once purchased a camera for the "Chicks Dig It" factor. I usualy get the "don't point that thing at me." And I'm no toadstool.

I guess in another universe this could make one a god-like choice in large gene pool. Enter dream sequence "ooh, nice camera, nice lens... Why its so..." I leave the rest to the imagination. I don't care to offend members of the opposite sex.

Puppies are very good snares for the ladies. I'll wager one better-- stroll around a fashionable shopping mall with your very adorable 11 month old child (my son with his killer eyelashes, years ago) and no wife to be seen. I was actually "hit on" twice in one afternoon. Which made me wonder what happens when these women find men? Do they worry about what their man will do with their cute little toddler in tow?

Back on topic Bob... I have been watching the Contax II offerings on eb*y. I truly enjoy 30's tech and design. While it isn't really Art Deco, I can see the influences. I have come to associate those 45 degree chamfered sides with the "Zeiss Icon" style.

As for cameras as weapons-- "best to fight then run away, live to fight (photo) another day" (A Bob Marley paraphrase, I think from "Rebel Music")

[Doug]

Doug...you've really bought one?:DHi -- If you mean me & the t-shirt, yes! If you meant D2 and a Contax IIa, that's for him to answer. :)

[Pherdinand]

Yep i mean you and t-shirt:)

[Doug]

Yeah, I'll wow the other members when I show up at the photo club meeting in my cool black Zeiss-Ikon t-shirt! :D

[Biggles]

Dragged the thing out of my Packsack during the water break between Frisbee games today; just about everyone's eyes locked onto it. Cries of "That's not digital!" and "Oh, wow- real Old School!"

I think I'm gonna have to paint it black.

[Mike Kovacs]

Ha! A prewar Contax has an even higher depleted uranium content! I'd say they cheapened their lenses and cameras from this standpoint after the war ;)

[NoTx]

[QUOTE=rover]Chicks dig it factor? Hmmm, I guess it is easier to care for than a puppy, but man, there is nothing better than a puppy for this.
[QUOTE]

Yes there is. A baby. Much more attention: a guy walking around with a baby.

No don't have one:) But have 15 neices and nephews... so learned this well.

[Fedzilla_Bob]

NoTx - San Diego? Yo' Neighbor!

[NoTx]

NoTx - San Diego? Yo' Neighbor!

Hey!

Headed to Comic-Con? Lot's of fun taking pics there. And around the area in down town this coming weekend.

[RichardS]

I'm happy to hear that everyone seems to be happy with the Contax II. I was the successful bidder on one Wednesday on e-Bay. Until it gets here I'll practice on my Kiev 4A.

Dick

[Honu-Hugger]

Congratulations, Richard. I hope you are pleased with it -- I enjoy mine immensely. Henry Scherer is the man to go to if you have any problems; he'll make it better than new!!!

[Rich Silfver]

I just started using my IIIa and it's a great looking and 'feeling' camera.
The only drawbacks that I can see at this point are;
* Focusing wheel is a pain. I focus with the lens barrel.
* Loading the film into the spool is a pain.
* Opening and closing the camera back for loading film is a pain.

Apart from the pain mentioned above it IS a sweet camera :)

Now trying to find a hood for the Sonnar 50/1.5....

[Pherdinand]

Rich, a cheap solution is a Jupiter-8 (42mm slip-on) plastic hood from an e-bay seller like alex-photo.
I got one, for a few bucks, it's functional. Be sure to get the round version though.

The focus wheel should be easy to turn; if it is a pain meaning it hurts your finger, the focus helicoid should be cleaned.
But i do prefer focusing by the lens barrel, since the wheel is much slower because of the gear ratio.

[Wayne R. Scott]

I just started using my IIIa and it's a great looking and 'feeling' camera.
The only drawbacks that I can see at this point are;

* Loading the film into the spool is a pain.



Rich,

The way I load film is to remove the take up spool and hold it in my right hand. Hold the roll of film in my left hand. Thread the film tongue in the slot on the take up spool and pull back slightly until the film sprocket hole catches on the little "hook" in the take up spool. Then I rotate the take up spool until the film has wrapped around take up spool for on revolution. Place the take up spool back into camera body and pull the roll of film to the left to place in camera body. Slip the camera back into place, wind on film for two shots and you should be good to go. (remember to reset film counter).

Clear as mud description?

Wayne