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Contax
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The Contax rangefinder
series are without any doubt among the best and most acclaimed
rangefinders ever built. Period. Not only were they technically very
advanced, versatile and of extremely high quality, but they were
also the tool that many great photographers chose, and still do !.
Forget about any comparisons with the russian Kiev's. They do not
even come close to the original Zeiss-Ikon quality of the Contax II
& III. The original "Contax" were of course the Contax I, but it
suffered from a liitle too many design flaws, and other weaknesses (especially
regarding the vertical focal plane shutter), but were in spite of
that a beautiful high-end camera.
The remarkable engineer
Hubert Nerwin solved the design problems on the Contax I, and
designed the Contax II, which in all aspects are a genuine piece of art. Not
only is it beautiful, but it also has got the wonderful vertical
focal plane shutter that just goes "plop" up to 1/1000 sec.
The interchangeable Zeiss lense are of very high quality, and the
"standard" 5 cm Sonnar are renovned for its sharpness and contrast.
The only drawback these days are, that all the lenses, maybe except
for the 135mm Sonnar tele lens, are very expensive and hard to find
these days. If You choose one of the Contax rangefinders You
must be prepared to pay the price for auxilliary lenses. A mint
condition Biogon or Planar wideangle lens are worth its weight in
gold. Well almost ;-). In the meantime You can get a russian Jupiter
12 until You find the "real thing", and they are not that
bad. If You're lucky... ;-)
One of the
significant differences between a Contax and any other similar
rangefinder camera are the way the Contax are handled and operated.
A Contax is operated only by Your right hand; the index finger on the
release button, the middle finger operates the focusing wheel while
You try to get your ring finger and little finger out of the way of
the rangefinder window. Thats the "famous" Contax grip" !.
One thing is for
certain. When You buy one of the classic Contax rangefinders You get
to own one of the finest 35mm cameras ever made both in
respect to performance and quality. You might not have hundreds of
easy-to-find
lens options, but do you really need that ?. If you're into
available light photography, a Contax fitted with the f1,5 50mm
Sonnar is an awesome shooter. You can choose from the wonderful and
superb original Zeiss lenses like the Sonnars, Biogon and Planar,
the japanese Nikon/Nippon lenses and of course the russian Kiev
lenses. Stephen
Gandy on Cameraquest has got a really nice page on the Contaxes, and
allthough he sent me (a very short) message stating that he doesn't "trade links",
Well I, on the other hand, have no problems
with linking to his wonderful page about the Contaxes, but I guess I
have always been a bit naive, and believing in the fine art of
"sharing" ;-).
Stephen Gandy on Zeiss Contax II and III |
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Contax II (1938
- 1939)
RF
Serial no.: J72080
Format: 24 x 36 on 135 film
Optics: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 1:2,0 50mm (collapsible)
Shutter:
Vertical metal focal plane B + 1/2 => 1/1250 sec.
Click on thumbnails to
enlarge
Top/front view
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Lens/mount close-up
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Bottom view
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Bottom view w/o lens
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View from back |
Backcover removed |
With 135mm Sonnar |
With Jupiter 12, 35mm |
Contax IIIa (post
war) RF
Serial no.: A 55585
Format: 24 x 36 on 135 film
Optics: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 1:2,0 50mm
Shutter:
Vertical metal focal plane T +B + 1 sec. => 1/250 sec.
Lightmeter: Uncoupled selenium lightmeter
Click on thumbnails to
enlarge
A strange "menage a trois": From
left Sonnar 1:2,0 50mm, Jupiter 8M 1:2,0 50mm & Helios 103
1:1,8 53mm
Post Scriptum: Contax vs. Leica
We all know that this not
very fertile dispute
has been going on forever. I think we all also know that there are no simple
answer to this question, and just maybe the question are so totally
non-relevant and stupid, especially in present times?. First of all its a question of taste, and just
like it is the case with a carpenter or an artist it's all about which kind
of tool you prefer and feel comfortable using and of course if its the right
tool for the specific job. It's really that simple. It's
true that Leitz offer a gigantic range of superb lenses and accessories and
gadgets, but do you really need them ?. What's your thing ?. What's the
assignment ?. Do you really need more than 3 lenses and a reliable camera
body ?. Do you require fast action, precise forcusing or something else ?.
You have to choose your tool, your "weapon", the extension of your eyes and
arm. I can't help but thinking about the famous and mythic Magnum
photographer Robert Capa. Not much are known about which cameras he actually
used or preferred. We know that he didn't have a deeply sentimental and
personal relationship with his cameras, because he several times pawned them
when in need of cash (which he were quite often !). We do know that he used Leica and taught the love of
his life, Gerda Taro, to use the Leica and that he also used Contax II and
Rolleiflex, and that his last camera before he was killed was a Nikon S which were a Contax II clone. My theory are, that he was very comfortable
with Leica and used them extensively in the early years, but that he maybe
got to prefer the Contax when working in warzones and under chaotic
conditions because a Contax are faster to use, focus and reload.
Doesn't that make sense really?. I would probably (hmm or maybe..) come to the same decision if I had
to choose "my weapon". On the other hand, a Leica offers rocksolid
rugged
performance, superb lenses and the most proven 35mm camera design ever made.
It is however an indisputable fact that it's easier to find and buy Leica
lenses and accessories today, and it's also a fact that Leitz still exists
and can provide support and service.
I will not attempt to come to
any conclusions as to which optics are "the best" or "the sharpest" or
"delivers the most constrasty image". Again it's a matter of taste, and I
get equally satisfied with both Zeiss and Leitz images alike. It's all about
those subtle details, and you personally are the only person in the
world that can be the judge of this. It's YOUR photograph and YOUR art !.
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