neal Posted January 22, 2011 Share #1 Posted January 22, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Contax I, unfortunately not working, but this was the competition for the Leica in the 1930's. The optics are fine, rangefinder is good, shutter not. [ATTACH]240794[/ATTACH] 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Hi neal, Take a look here The Competition. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Pecole Posted January 23, 2011 Share #2 Posted January 23, 2011 Here is a photo of a better looking and working one. All comments by users in these past times agreed that the Contax delivered excellent results, but was quite fragile. Without mentionind the aesthetics.. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted January 24, 2011 Share #3 Posted January 24, 2011 Without mentionind the aesthetics.. Or the ergonomics. That front-mounted knob must be one of the two or three slowest wind mechanisms on any 35mm camera. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted January 25, 2011 Share #4 Posted January 25, 2011 Or the ergonomics. That front-mounted knob must be one of the two or three slowest wind mechanisms on any 35mm camera. Or the noise level, my lasting memory (its at least 40 years since I handled a Contax, although a Kiev is more recent) is of the fearful clatter when the shutter fired, and it almost leaped out my hand with the 'venetian blind' at 1/1250 running vertically. You can tell this is the Leica forum not the Zeiss one cant you Gerry Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted January 25, 2011 Share #5 Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) Contax I, "Jurassic" ? Edited January 25, 2011 by jc_braconi Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neal Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) [ATTACH]241299[/ATTACH] Contax IIa Gerry, if you had a Contax with a noisy shutter you had a broken Contax. I have a Contax IIa which is almost as quiet as a Leica M, The main problem with the Contax shutter is its reliability. Edited January 25, 2011 by neal Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted January 25, 2011 Share #7 Posted January 25, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) [ATTACH]241299[/ATTACH]Contax IIa Gerry, if you had a Contax with a noisy shutter you had a broken Contax. I have a Contax IIa which is almost as quiet as a Leica M, The main problem with the Contax shutter is its reliability. Neal, presumably it was in need of some attention, I only looked at it with some interest, never everr tempted to own one! Gerry Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted January 25, 2011 Share #8 Posted January 25, 2011 In a nearby thread there's a pic of an advertisement that says "Only the Leica" can take 3 shots in 4 seconds. It can, too. No motor or Leicavit needed, you simply turn the wind knob by dragging the whole length of your index finger along it, then move the fingertip back to the shutter release. Your eye stays at the finder the whole time. (It's easier if the film is in a Leica cassette rather than one with a velvet light-trap.) Neal: can a Contax match that? I've only ever owned one, a II many years ago, and that needed a lot more torque and my finger wasn't long enough for the circumference of the bigger-than-Leica wind knob. But maybe with a properly lubricated camera and a longer finger it would be possible. (The only other knob-wind 35mm cameras I've owned are Alpa reflexes; their knob only rotates about 180 degrees and because of this and the need to cock the mirror as well as the shutter it's much harder to turn than either Leica or Contax.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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