Contax rangefinder repair books

Our library contains more than six hundred factory service manuals, repair articles, and tutorials for repairing cameras. The amount of exposure leica gets compared to contax is out of all proportion to the significance of the zeiss rangefinders from the contax ii and iii of the 1930s to the iia and iiia continuing the line up to 196061. I sold off my leica m6 to fund the purchase of the. Contax is originally the name of the famed 35mm rangefinder camera made from 1932 by zeiss ikon see contax rangefinder, which subsequently became the name of a pioneering singlelens reflex camera made from 1947 by the eastern part of zeiss ikon see contax s. Zeiss contax iia, iiia cameras 100pp, fully illustrated. In the future, we will also have some original hardcopy books for sale. It was released in 1936 and was the successor of the contax i. For the beginning rangefinder enthusiast it would perhaps have been better to produce a book on the great classic 24x36 rangefinder systems of yesterday and today. Many considered the prewar contax the professional 35mm camera, while the leica was for amateurs. This section covers germanmade zeissikon, contaflex, contax, contarex, etc. Manuals and guides for contax camera for sale ebay. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone. The contax ii was the second in the series of contax cameras.

I was looking at an old russian 35mm lens jupiter 12 in a contax kiev rangefinder mount. The first step was to determine what problems exist with the camera. Zeiss ikon contax 2 part 1 richard haws classic nikon. The contax i had six identifiable variants, but fundamentally identical. Recently, i picked up a contax ii in what i consider poor condition. Zeiss and zeiss ikon service manuals learn camera repair.

The zeiss ikon contax camera repair website overhauling. So i remember well the days when the contax was being made and sold and what people were saying about it. The nettax was meant to be a cheaper alternative, it was a derivative of the super nettel with a rigid body and interchangeable lenses with a specific bayonet and a. The contax i, or original contax, is a 35 mm rangefinder camera made between 1932 and 1936 by zeiss ikon. The zeiss ikon contax camera repair website about us. The contax ii was the first camera to incorporate a rangefinder focusing system into the same viewfinder that was used to compose the photograph earlier builtin rangefinders such as was used on the contemporary leica required the photographer to first focus with the rangefinder and then switch to a separate viewfinder to compose the photo. There are literally hundreds of small variations amongst the contax rf lenses. In addition, the value of contax lenses varies greatly between one in very good condition compared to one in excellent condition, more so than most collectible lenses. Nikoncontax rangefinder 50mm internal mount rear lens cap price. Contax iiia is the same camera with contax iia with a light meter. The design endures the test of time and its still a joy to use this camera despite being almost 90 years old. After ww2 the contax ii was reborn as the kiev rangefinder camera, which was manufactured in ukraine as various models until the late eighties, and in 1950 zeiss ikon in west germany introduced the new contax iia camera, a completely redesigned camera using the same lens mount.

I also had a contax t2 from new, a few years back i sold that black ltd edition i bought a black contax t and enjoy it, its benefit is its whisper quiet use and the ability to zone focus alongside any more critical focusing with its clear rangefinder my copy had a dirty viewfinder, but with care i unscrewed the top plate and cleaned the. Peter tookes book on the repair of the prewar contax cameras. The adjustment requires removal of the front lens mount and movenent of the lens mount helical. Theyve also produced bessa r2s and r2c cameras, which are compatible with the nikon and contax rangefinder mounts, respectively. Contax is a work of art, a product of ingenuity, precision craftsmanship and perfection both mechanically and optically. Canon 7 rangefinder camera 54pp, fully illustrated. In summary classic contax rangefinder camera is not just a tool to take great photos, it is a masterpiece of engineering which is a delight to use, a pleasure just to hold and a pride to own.

The contax i was zeiss answer to leicas offerings in. The earlier ones are known as blackdial model, and were made from 1950 to 1954. This is probably the deepest most repairman will bother. For the germanmade contax rangefinder cameras, see the zeissikon section. The super nettel was based on the contax i, with the same kind of shutter, but a folding body, a fixed lens and a short based rangefinder. Because it isnt retrofocus, the rear element almost touches the. S2 viewfinder is somewhat nicer than contax, you need a nikon sp for a great viewfinder. I have often wondered if it might happen and whether it might be a good ideas to buy a few g2 lenses cheap on ebay ahead of a g2d announcement and sudden hyperdemand for the zeiss glass. With the addition of the carl zeiss t lenses which have been tested to be some of the sharpest lenses ever created for 35mm, you have a combination. The zeiss contax was arguably the best 35mm rangefinder made before wwii, with a larger range of. Please note the contax iiaiiia were designed by the zeiss factory not to have a. This is the earliest contax advertising brochure for the contax iia. Contax ii instruction manual on mike butkus excellent website.

The contax i was a high end 35 mm rangefinder system camera made by zeiss ikon. It consists of removing the rangefinder lenses from their frame, cleaning the lenses and mounts and then the lenses are re cemented back into their frames with a critical optical alignment. These repair manuals say all you need to do to get a shutter working is to oil it up on. So i remember well the days when the contax was being made and sold and what people were saying about it then. In this particular marathon however, i brought along my contax g2 with the 282. Contax kyocera service manuals learn camera repair. 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. 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 nonmetered contax rangefinders the iiia, a version with a builtin light meter, debuted in 1951. It had a bayonet lens mount see contax rangefinder lenses instead of leicas screw mount. Cameraquest home shopping cart price list camera articles i buy wants repairs books adapters. The zeiss contax was arguably the best 35mm rangefinder made before wwii, with a larger range of faster and sharper lenses than leica. All in all this book gives the impression of being compiled opportunistically and in great haste. In part 2, we took apart the rangefinder and removed the shutter mechanism from the chassis. Get the best deals on manuals and guides for contax camera when you shop the largest online selection at.

Contax kiev rangefinder on mft micro four thirds talk. Contax rangefinder film cameras with timer for sale ebay. The jupiter12 is a copy of the zeiss biogon, a very famous 35mm f2. It is not in my area of knowledge but i seem to remember contax cy and contax g, also kiev is also somehow. The contax was a cash cow generator of foreign exchange prior to the war and so its a good bet they wanted it back into production as soon as possible. The contax i is a high end 35mm rangefinder camera made by zeiss ikon to compete with leica models. Its probably useful for repairing soviet kiev cameras contax copies, too. I also offer hundreds of original repair manuals in dozens of brands of.

Tocad america serviced contax up through 2015, and handed it off to. If contax could be resurrected with a g2d and full size senor that allowed you to use all the old g2 lenses it would trash all the competition in a single blow. Our library contains more than six hundred factory service manuals, repair articles, and tutorials for repairing cameras and other types of photographic equipment. Overhauling a contax iiiii shutter and rangefinder. The zeiss ikon contax camera repair website the contax. The values below are based upon the common of examples. The contax i was zeiss answer to leicas offerings in the 35mm market, one leica effectively controlled since it helped to create it in 1925. Contax ii photographs, photographers and photography. Were finally here at the end of our contax 2 article. Its not an easy task to take this camera apart but the real fun begins here in part 3 where we repair the broken shutter and adjust it until we get something acceptable. I was lucky to borrow a used one from a camera store i worked in during my student days, along with the contemporary leica iiic, the contax with the 50mm sonnar, the leica with the 50mm summar. Zeiss ikon contax iia type 56324 the contax iia was manufactured from 1950 to 1961, this one is what is known as a colordial model, the latter type made from 1954 to 1961, this one being made in mid 1956.

The contax 2 is a beautiful camera, its amazing to think that this camera was designed in the years leading to the rise of the third reich before the mid 1930s. In fact, its technological ethos employs certain tricks that are outright heresy to diehard fans of the classic rangefinder. The retail price of a contax iia black dial with the 50mm f1. Gus lazzari tlc camera repair 4554 chestnut street ext. This is the largest online collection of free service manuals that we know of. All of the manuals we offer now are free pdf downloads. The ten contax lenses is a very early book published by zeiss ikon concerning the lenses. After ww2 the contax ii was reborn as the kiev rangefinder camera, which was manufactured. Contax and nikon rangefinder screw and bayonet lenses. Contax iiia is a 35mm film interchangeable lens rangefinder camera manufactured by zeiss ikon ag. Every contax camera i have seen has the same problem. The only way to have it right is to put it together right.

The contax g2 is like no other rangefinder on earth. In 2017, its rare that there is still a manual 35mm rangefinder out there in the world and not as costly as a leica or a zeiss ikon. Here are some repair shops that ive heard good things about. Colourconsistency is a major consideration, which is why i very rarely shoot commercial projects with film. In my experience the contax rangefinder mount is often abbreviated as crf when theres any possible confusion, otherwise referred to as contax mount when discussing rangefinders. Using a vertically traveling shutter and worldclass interchangeable lenses, it was quite a formidable opponent to the leica. Because the rangefinder camera doesnt have to work around a viewing mirror, they are almost always smaller and lighter than slr lenses. In 1973 the contax name was licensed to the japanese maker yashica by carl zeiss to create a prestigious brand of 35mm cameras. The fact the contax ii and iii were being manufactured and available for sale around july 1947 is illustrated by advertising produced by the peerless camera company in 1947. The contax i was a high end 35 mm rangefinder system camera made by zeiss ikon to compete with leica models. Contaxkiev same as nikon scontax rangefinder adapted.

Buy and sell used contax rangefinder camera lenses at keh camera. If you send me your camera for a repair estimate i will disassemble it to the extent required to determine the problem. Join rangefinderforum zeiss contax i rangefinder 19321936 the contax is the modern universal roll film miniature camera of unsurpassed efficiency and allround versatility. It was the first camera with a rangefinder and viewfinder combined in a single window. Today, we are going to tackle zeiss ikons masterpiece the contax 2 camera. Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Make offer zeiss ikon contax iii rangefinder camera wcarl zeiss sonnar 1. The voigtlander r4m is a great 35mm rangefinder camera that should still be in production. The contax ii and iii used the same mount, as well as the postwar contax iia and iiia models this mount was also used by the kiev followers of the contax, from the first models to the kiev 5 nikon copied the mount for their own rangefinder cameras just after the war but, being this a.

The lens mount would turn only partially through the range roughly from 20 meters down to 6 meters. Zeisss finest rangefinder 35mm film camera, the contax ii, was manufactured in germany between 1936 and 1941. The zeiss ikon contax i introduced a new lens mount in 1932, today known as contax rangefinder mount. Discussing contax t counter film repair in contax t. Can those lenses be mounted on an mft body without interfering with internal body functions and damaging the camera. Rangefinder lenses use a proven focusing technology. That was the time when the rangefinder camera was right at the end of its time as the king of photography. The zeiss ikon contax camera repair website services for. Save up to 40% off retail price and get a 180day warranty. With careful adjustment, strobe could be used at speeds of up to 1100, if the shutter was. For instance, the removable back was for faster loading and reloading, the bayonet lens mount was designed for rapid lens interchangeability, the longbase rangefinder. Contax ii cameras today range from rusting, unusable pieces of junk to very clean examples.