Zeiss Ikon Contax II
Zeiss ikon Contax II with collapsible Sonnar.
I bought it because I wanted the lens for something else. The camera body was sold as defective. However, it seems to me that it is working. I'll just have to find out whether the exposure times are all over the place. I loaded a roll of XP2 and I'll see what comes out.
The Contax I, designed by Heinz Küppenbender, came out in 1932, Zeiss Ikon's attempt to compete with the Leica. However, the Contax I, though beautifully made, was not a very reliable camera and its handling was somewhat unwieldy.
In 1936, a different (better) engineer, Hubert Nerwin, performed a complete redesign of the Contax, which became the Contax II. It was a very advanced camera, far ahead of its age. Unlike all Leicas until the M3 and unlike the Contax I, the Contax II was already a true rangefinder; the ranging mechanism was combined with the viewfinder and the photographer needed to look through one peephole only.
Personally, though I'll readily acknowledge the superiority of the Contax II, I have a soft spot for the Contax I, the smoothness of all mechanism is just so sweet to feel. I don't care about practicalities, few things beat working with a Contax I.
Shot with:
Canon EOS600D
Leica Bellows R (16860)
Leica 100mm f/4 Macro Elmar-R, bellows version (11230)
Zeiss Ikon Contax II
Zeiss ikon Contax II with collapsible Sonnar.
I bought it because I wanted the lens for something else. The camera body was sold as defective. However, it seems to me that it is working. I'll just have to find out whether the exposure times are all over the place. I loaded a roll of XP2 and I'll see what comes out.
The Contax I, designed by Heinz Küppenbender, came out in 1932, Zeiss Ikon's attempt to compete with the Leica. However, the Contax I, though beautifully made, was not a very reliable camera and its handling was somewhat unwieldy.
In 1936, a different (better) engineer, Hubert Nerwin, performed a complete redesign of the Contax, which became the Contax II. It was a very advanced camera, far ahead of its age. Unlike all Leicas until the M3 and unlike the Contax I, the Contax II was already a true rangefinder; the ranging mechanism was combined with the viewfinder and the photographer needed to look through one peephole only.
Personally, though I'll readily acknowledge the superiority of the Contax II, I have a soft spot for the Contax I, the smoothness of all mechanism is just so sweet to feel. I don't care about practicalities, few things beat working with a Contax I.
Shot with:
Canon EOS600D
Leica Bellows R (16860)
Leica 100mm f/4 Macro Elmar-R, bellows version (11230)