James McDaniel
Newbie
While my interest in rangefinders and vintage cameras is only a few months old, today I found a functioning Contax I (revision D) with Sonnar Carl Zeiss Jena f1.5 5cm lens for $30 at a local thrift store. The serial number is Y.34082 and it's in surprisingly good shape both mechanically (the shutter fires, aperture blades move smoothly) and aesthetically (pic below).
Now what?
Until recently I owned only a handful of vintage cameras. Then late last week I stumbled on a motherlode of rangefinders at Goodwill. And today I find this gem!
Normally I'd want to run a roll of film through it right away, but I'm new enough to this hobby that I wanted to ask the experts for options and suggestions first.
I've only had a few hours for a bit of web research so far and I don't want to break it or mess anything up. I got the sense from one of the websites that these cameras were showpieces only due to how easily they might break from normal usage. Is this true?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
James
Now what?
Until recently I owned only a handful of vintage cameras. Then late last week I stumbled on a motherlode of rangefinders at Goodwill. And today I find this gem!
Normally I'd want to run a roll of film through it right away, but I'm new enough to this hobby that I wanted to ask the experts for options and suggestions first.
I've only had a few hours for a bit of web research so far and I don't want to break it or mess anything up. I got the sense from one of the websites that these cameras were showpieces only due to how easily they might break from normal usage. Is this true?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
James
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That is a real find. It is not the easiest camera to use.
Two choices: search Ebay and others for the Manual, probably get a copy of one. I've got some Contax guides, they are "aftermarket" and cover the Contax I. It was from a thrift store, and is an old/complex camera. Dry fire it at different speeds, check through the back.
The second option: offer it for trade on a newer/easier to use camera.
Two choices: search Ebay and others for the Manual, probably get a copy of one. I've got some Contax guides, they are "aftermarket" and cover the Contax I. It was from a thrift store, and is an old/complex camera. Dry fire it at different speeds, check through the back.
The second option: offer it for trade on a newer/easier to use camera.
the Kiev is a copy of the Contax II and Contax III.
The Contax I is a different operation, and a bit more complex. The instructions for setting various shutter speeds took some reading in the Manual.
James- send a PM to me so that i look up the name and author of the Contax manual that I have. Should help find it on Ebay. I'll read the PM when i get home from work, otherwise a "distant memory".
The Contax I is a different operation, and a bit more complex. The instructions for setting various shutter speeds took some reading in the Manual.
James- send a PM to me so that i look up the name and author of the Contax manual that I have. Should help find it on Ebay. I'll read the PM when i get home from work, otherwise a "distant memory".
xxloverxx
Shoot.
Nice find - I've heard that working Contax Is are rare. But I can't see the Facebook photo - at least, not on my iPhone.
N
Nikon Bob
Guest
Congrats on an extremely nice find. If it is still working, find a manual on the net as others have said and then go use it. I have a Contax II with a 50/1.5 Sonnar lens and just love what that lens produces. Alternatively you could re sell it.
Bob
Bob
Dralowid
Michael
I've been wresting with a Contax I recently.
My advice is:
Wind on first.
Understand the process of changing shutter speed.
This is 100% not straightforward and not the same as the Contax II.
The speed dial should only be turned anti-clockwise. You set the main dial to a red or white spot depending on the speed required then lift and turn the upper knob to select the speed with red or white dot.
Yes, you can set some speeds in both red or white. Point being that red engages the slow speed mechanism.
ALL AFTER YOU HAVE WOUND ON FIRST
Get it?
If it takes a fair amount of effort to wind the camera on, something will give sooner or later (a shutter tape maybe). The camera will need a service. If you can find someone to service the camera do so, but it will not be cheap or quick. Or you do it yourself...there is plenty around about Contax II or Kiev but nowt for the Contax I
In use the camera is maddening and yet charming and eronomically way off.
Love 'em dearly, results terrific but from a different age!
Michael
My advice is:
Wind on first.
Understand the process of changing shutter speed.
This is 100% not straightforward and not the same as the Contax II.
The speed dial should only be turned anti-clockwise. You set the main dial to a red or white spot depending on the speed required then lift and turn the upper knob to select the speed with red or white dot.
Yes, you can set some speeds in both red or white. Point being that red engages the slow speed mechanism.
ALL AFTER YOU HAVE WOUND ON FIRST
Get it?
If it takes a fair amount of effort to wind the camera on, something will give sooner or later (a shutter tape maybe). The camera will need a service. If you can find someone to service the camera do so, but it will not be cheap or quick. Or you do it yourself...there is plenty around about Contax II or Kiev but nowt for the Contax I
In use the camera is maddening and yet charming and eronomically way off.
Love 'em dearly, results terrific but from a different age!
Michael
newspaperguy
Well-known
My bad. Didn't read the OP carefully.
See the head barkeep's take on the Contax I:
http://cameraquest.com/zconrf1.htm
See the head barkeep's take on the Contax I:
http://cameraquest.com/zconrf1.htm
Elmar Lang
Well-known
A working Contax I is a really good find!... especially with its finest 5cm lens
The best would be to try it and enjoy the results.
I wouldn't sell such a camera: it's a milestone in the history of photography.
A good thing would also be to look for a working Contax II/III (or a good example of Kiev) and try that superb lens on it.
Best wishes,
Elmar Lang
The best would be to try it and enjoy the results.
I wouldn't sell such a camera: it's a milestone in the history of photography.
A good thing would also be to look for a working Contax II/III (or a good example of Kiev) and try that superb lens on it.
Best wishes,
Elmar Lang
Vics
Mentor
I have a Contax IIIa from the fifties, and it's been bullet-proof ever since Henry rebuilt it in '03. Might be a different story with the model 1. Good find! Shoot pictures. Don't take the lens off till you know how.
Vic
Vic
Dralowid
Michael
This is the one I am currently wrestling with, cost me way more than James's great find. Not quite sure of the version, note black and white distance scale on a later camera and 'Made in Germany' on the counter.
Only fault is it is missing the locating tab on the lens. Since the photo was taken I have repainted the markings on the speed dial to make things a wee bit easier.
If someone could hazard a guess as to which one it is I would be more than grateful, it seems to contradict Cameraquest/Mckeowan
Best
Michael
(Right now two of the three Contax Is I have are working and the Super Nettel has failed, I understand this is a pretty usual state of affairs for these things!)
James McDaniel
Newbie
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Now some questions:
- Michael, you stressed the importance of winding on first BEFORE changing the shutter speed - correct? What happens if I accidentally try to change the shutter speed after firing the shutter but before winding on? Will I break something, or will the shutter speed just not be changed/set properly?
- Is there a reason why the Contax I manual isn't available as PDF on a site like Butkus, which does have many of the other Zeiss Ikon cameras?
- I assume the actual manual is different than this "Contax and the Connoisseur" (http://www.zeisscamera.com/doc_1933.shtml) document? I'm hoping it's shorter and with more detailed operating instructions for each component.
- What's the best way to spot clean this camera without harming it?
- Do these things really fetch $600-$1200 on eBay?
And thanks again for welcoming a "newb" like me.
James
- Michael, you stressed the importance of winding on first BEFORE changing the shutter speed - correct? What happens if I accidentally try to change the shutter speed after firing the shutter but before winding on? Will I break something, or will the shutter speed just not be changed/set properly?
- Is there a reason why the Contax I manual isn't available as PDF on a site like Butkus, which does have many of the other Zeiss Ikon cameras?
- I assume the actual manual is different than this "Contax and the Connoisseur" (http://www.zeisscamera.com/doc_1933.shtml) document? I'm hoping it's shorter and with more detailed operating instructions for each component.
- What's the best way to spot clean this camera without harming it?
- Do these things really fetch $600-$1200 on eBay?
And thanks again for welcoming a "newb" like me.
James
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Dralowid
Michael
James, regarding winding on first, if you don't all you will do is confuse things, depending on version you may lose a frame or two at worst. What will break things is moving shutter speed dial the wrong way, ie clockwise. Another thing that can cause damage is spinning the lens by hand at high speed. This puts a great strain on the gearing of the focus finger wheel.
Manuals, you don't really need one. If it doesn't work 100% then the manual isn't going to help. If slow speeds dodgy just avoid them!
They are difficult to clean without rubbing through to brass or alloy, paint is quite soft and leather thin...best left alone. They do not 'age well'.
Value? They are on Ebay for silly money and stay there. In the UK more or less working ones are regularly available £150 upwards depending on model.
Despite the protestations of others the Contax I is borderline useable with few who will volunteer to service it properly...in contrast with a contemporary Leica.......
Michael
Manuals, you don't really need one. If it doesn't work 100% then the manual isn't going to help. If slow speeds dodgy just avoid them!
They are difficult to clean without rubbing through to brass or alloy, paint is quite soft and leather thin...best left alone. They do not 'age well'.
Value? They are on Ebay for silly money and stay there. In the UK more or less working ones are regularly available £150 upwards depending on model.
Despite the protestations of others the Contax I is borderline useable with few who will volunteer to service it properly...in contrast with a contemporary Leica.......
Michael
Found the book with that covers the Contax I: "Contax Guide", WD Emanual, Focal Point Press. Mine is the 1953 copy, previous editions are 1945 and 1947. The 1953 edition covers through the IIIa, but most illustrations are for the Contax II. There is adequate description of using the Contax I to get the book, should be cheap.
James McDaniel
Newbie
Awesome - thanks Michael for clarifying and telling me which actions to avoid. I get these cameras to actually use them (though it's just a renewed hobby, I'm not a professional) and with your help I'm really looking forward to running some film through it. Maybe I should shoot my first roll of B&W with this little slice of history?
James
James
Ezzie
E. D. Russell Roberts
They go for 10 times what you gave for it, and upwards to many times that again for really good ones. On the ebay that is. A great find.
raid
Dad Photographer
price: $1000.
Congrats. I once nearly bought one on ebay.
Congrats. I once nearly bought one on ebay.
James McDaniel
Newbie
Michael, I see what you mean by this not being straightforward at all. A few questions:
- Does the "always turn counter-clockwise" rule apply to both the lower and upper parts of the shutter speed dial? At all times?
- If so, how do I ever go "backwards" say from 1/1000 to 1/100?
The upper part, when pulled out a bit as you described, seems to move easily in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions ONLY after the shutter has been fired but BEFORE you wind on. Is this the right time to move the upper dial backwards a bit, so that after you wind on you can lift & twist the upper dial counter-clockwise again and slot it back into the 1/100 or 1/200 indent?
Right now on mine the lower part is set to the white dot above 100,200,500,1000, and the top part set to 1000. If I fire the shutter, fully wind on and *then* lift, the top part doesn't want to move at all, keeping it "stuck" on 1000.
James
Dralowid
Michael
James, with similar camera to hand...
Yes, you can move the upper part in either direction to align either red or white dot with the speed of your choice.
The whole 'wind on first' thing may be no more than heresay but is a simple discipline to follow. I have obeyed it for years and surely it can do no harm.
The 'upper part is not 'in tension' after the shutter has been fired. The resistance you feel increases as you select speeds slower than1/1000...if you see what I mean. If it feels like it is sticking just avoid it and do not force things.
For the best chance of getting some enjoyable results restrict yourself to 100 -500 etc, keep away from lazy slow speeds and keep it simple. Your lens, if clear, is something special but beware of flare.
Again, I warn against thinking about high values. Apart from early 'dimpled' cameras I don't know the rarities and condition is all important. I accept that some examples reach very high prices but this is a specialist area about which I know little. The Contax collector would appear to be a rarer beast than the Leica collector but prepared to pay more for his (I assume his) heart's desires!
Run a film through it and see what happens. You'll soon understand why this camera is a bit of an enigma...
Michael
Yes, you can move the upper part in either direction to align either red or white dot with the speed of your choice.
The whole 'wind on first' thing may be no more than heresay but is a simple discipline to follow. I have obeyed it for years and surely it can do no harm.
The 'upper part is not 'in tension' after the shutter has been fired. The resistance you feel increases as you select speeds slower than1/1000...if you see what I mean. If it feels like it is sticking just avoid it and do not force things.
For the best chance of getting some enjoyable results restrict yourself to 100 -500 etc, keep away from lazy slow speeds and keep it simple. Your lens, if clear, is something special but beware of flare.
Again, I warn against thinking about high values. Apart from early 'dimpled' cameras I don't know the rarities and condition is all important. I accept that some examples reach very high prices but this is a specialist area about which I know little. The Contax collector would appear to be a rarer beast than the Leica collector but prepared to pay more for his (I assume his) heart's desires!
Run a film through it and see what happens. You'll soon understand why this camera is a bit of an enigma...
Michael
Dralowid
Michael
James,
How goes the Contax? Looking forward to seeing some results...or, as can be the case, did the shutter not last long enough to complete a film?
Best
Michael
How goes the Contax? Looking forward to seeing some results...or, as can be the case, did the shutter not last long enough to complete a film?
Best
Michael
James McDaniel
Newbie
Actually, I successfully shot a whole roll of B&W film (my first ever, it felt appropriate) over the weekend while I was on Camano Island. The shutter seemed to survive the experience and behaved consistently throughout. I'll know for sure when I get the prints back today! <crossing my fingers> And of course I'll scan the negs and post them here if anything came out.
There's a button on the back, along the top edge on the right-hand side, that slides down a bit - what does this do?
James
There's a button on the back, along the top edge on the right-hand side, that slides down a bit - what does this do?
James