Mix and Match Mischief

dee · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 55 Location: london south

How many cameras can be combined to create something individual ? How many can borrow from younger siblings from another culture to live again ?

Is the Contax / Kiev situation unique ? Of a camera recreated in another country as a perfect copy of the original , so that most parts are interchangeable ? Well , a complete shutter assembly anyway !

It takes at least 1 1/2 Contax cameras to revive one - that is one lost for every two reuseable . I bought four parts cameras at vast expense [ not ] and had no intention of losing any of 'em !

From Kiev , I now have my 1st mischief camera - a 1937 Contax II with later back , Kiev II shutter and various parts . I love it because I rescued a box of parts destined as a donor , and , with new paint , polished chrome revived / replaced leather , it enjoys a new beginning . It just happens to be georgoeus and a dee'light to use !

A Contax III restored by the original Kiev techs , demanded another scrap donor for meter parts , which , with a lot of help from a 1958 Kiev 4 , is the mythical [ well pretend ] Contax IV .
With compact meter , modified controls and profile of a post war Contax IIIa . Nicely polished ,self timer removed and charcoal leather , it should be superb when it comes from Ukraine .

The final camera was a real RAT Contax II - chrome is fair , but it is being refinished in silver body paint and tan leather . It will have minimal Kiev parts , but I would not be bothered if it was a real hybrid . I am told that it is the sweetest camera to wind .

This will give me a ' set ' of profiles - II , III , IV , all Contax logo and sharing the same classic body with ' foot ' to fit an original Contax or KNeB case .

Just to be fair , my lovely original 1951 KNeB II will be joined by my tired 1954 KNeB III with new paint and tan leather [ and top plate from the Conatax III ] .
A KNeB IV with Kiev III body and another 1958 Kiev 4 top , again , no self timer of flash sync so it will be smoothed like a classic car ! This one in brown snake [ fish skin ? ] from an old hand bag !

This is an indulgence , but should you like a Contax of your own - why not rescue a wreck from ebay - and let the Kiev guys wreak havoc on it's integrity ! LOL .

Do you have a miscreant camera ?

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

I think maybe the Kiev/Contax - or Contax/Kiev - relationship is probably unique now. But I'm sure the Soviets took away other Zeiss Ikon tooling so that had other expropriated cameras remained popular for so long, the same situation might have occured. I'm thinking of the 8-on Super Ikonta as an example.

Is restoring a pre-war Contax with Kiev parts really any different to rebuilding old cars or bikes or aircraft with modern facsimile components? Surely a different finish and leather covering is the same as re-painting on old vehicle or aircraft with modern materials. I think that's a great idea when it's done with unserviceable or worn cameras.

Better to finish up with one working camera than three or four battered useless ones, so long as it's a relatively common model. And it's not the cameras that are miscreants - it's us guys who commission the work Very Happy

dee · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 55 Location: london south

Ah , those poor innocent Contaxes , cross contaminated by the dreaded Reds under the bed ! I now need a Kiev with some Contax parts - I wonder at which stage it becomes one or the other 75% ? LOL

The Lambretta Lc 125 , 1951 begat the Lc 125 , which by 1954 was obsolete . France and Spain made variants of the original Ld and Germany , NSU , the very outdated Lc- soon updated to 150cc as the Prima luxury scooter - in competion with Lambretta as late as 1957 , the year of my KNeB III / IV .

I would sketch variants using compatible parts from several models , but never got around to making one .
Most Lambrettas today have as many pattern parts as original , so it's an established mode today - rather a working machine than a parts donor !
I guess Kontax is a more of the same dee-liberate dee-meaning dee-viation . !

nemesis101 · Expire: 2015-01-22

Not su8re about 'bastard' children in camera world, but surely the re-tooled Royal Enfields from India are in a similar position vis a vis the 1960's UK originals in the motorcycle world and the Ambassadors in Iran are really old UK Hillmans or somesuch??

Doug

dee · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 55 Location: london south

And the Indian Vespas of course , it's odd finding a camera equivalent though - especially as originally , Kiev did try to match Contax quality .

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

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