My Contax ll is alive I tell ya!

[barnaby]

First off I am sorry for the long post but I had to share this with someone, who better than the people who share the same passion as me.

Two and a half years ago I bought a Contax ll body, it was shabby, but it appeared to work and the price was OK-ish. All I needed was a Carl Zeiss Sonnar T 50mm 1.5/f and I was ready to rock! I waited patiently, (about 6 months) and then there she was in my hand, and pockets feeling lighter.

I was so excited about the thought of using this camera and lens that I rushed home and loaded the old girl up with film. I was deeply saddened when one of the curtain ribbons snapped after loading my first roll of film.

At the time I was living in the Netherlands, so I jumped on the train to Delft to visit a very reputable shop who deals in Lecia's and the occasional Contax. They were very helpful and put me in contact with a repair man who had years of experience who could repair my camera.

I telephoned the repair man that night, I asked him in my rough speaking Dutch if he spoke English, his reply was he did but he continued to speak in Dutch. I persevered in Dutch explaining that the camera was kapot, (broken). He told me he could repair it and that he only works 3 days a week and the only time I can see him was Thursdays between the hours of 12 and 2pm. I asked if it was possible to see him out of this time as I worked during these times, his reply was no. The whole conversation was very strange, so I decided that if I'm having difficulties getting to see him at this stage what would it be like once he had the camera.

My next port of call was another repair shop again in Holland, (Den Haag) the repair man seemed encouraging telling me I would have it back working in two weeks and so he took the camera. Two weeks rolled into 4 then 6 and many calls were made then on the 9 week it was ready. On collection the man told me that the ribbon had broken and that he could not repair it. I was so angry because I told him what the problem was when I took it to him. He also had the cheek to try and charge me 20 Euros for looking at it. I took the camera off him and said that if he had swapped parts from this camera I would know because I checked it myself before bring it to him, so tell me now before I leave or he will have big trouble. The guy seemed shocked at my threat, personally I could not understand why he took the camera and for such a long time before telling me that he could not fix it, especially after I told him that it was the ribbon that had snapped in the first place.

So the camera was checked over by myself and all parts seemed to be correct, it was wrapped in a bag and cloth and placed in the cupboard to collect dust.

2 years later I moved back to England and my poor old girl came with me, she sat just in front of my PC screen looking at me. The fire inside me started to flicker then after one call to a repair shop, (who honestly said they could not fix it) I was burning again and on fire to get her fixed. I made four calls that day with no joy, by the end of the following day I had found someone who wanted to look at her to give me a quote. Unfortunately I was informed by him that she was uneconomical to repair and that I should think about selling her as spares.

At this point I would like to thank Rick Oleson for sharing his knowledge and creating sketches of how to replace ribbons on his website, without him my old girl would still be looking at me and myself feeling sorry for her.

Instead I ordered the parts from Japan and went to work on the old girl myself. i stripped her completely down, bagging screws and bits in stages and labeling them up for when I come to put her back together.

Today I finished cleaning, lubricating, fitting the ribbons and putting her back together. Wow them ribbons were a fiddly job to do, the bottom ones kept spinning back on me.



She is naked at the moment because she was heavily corroded and the leatherette had been badly glued on with at least two different types of glue. The leatherette has been cleaned and treated to make it supple again and the body has been cleaned back to metal, treated and the back case has been primed with a galvanised primer. I am waiting on some black enamel to redo all the black before re-clothing her.

I know there are some folk that say you should leave the bumps etc. But quite frankly this is my camera and we have been through a mission together and she deserves to look her best and not carry on corroding away! Did I say I can't wait to make some pictures with her!

Thanks again to Rick Oleson for his invaluable sketches and Rikuo Nakamura, (the very helpful Japanese man at an internationally known camera company) for the ribbon. Together you have helped me to breath life back into my old girl, (sorry for the pun) but I just knew it was not curtains for her just yet!

[wilson.c]

Great to know that you managed to fix up the 'old girl'. Look forward to your photos with her.

[poilu]

great story, with happy end

[ludoo]

Halfway through your post I was thinking "he should try and repai it himself". And you did!

I too have a Contax II with broken ribbons, and am waiting for some spare time before tackling it. I have bought new ribbon material from Oleg at OK Photocameras, he has the original Arsenal ribbons used in the Kievs.

I will probably ask you advice once I get to it. Congrats on a great job, and for resurrecting a great camera!

[kansalliskala]

Here is a nice guy, answers repair questions too.
http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/index.html

[ludoo]

There's also this great and inexpensive book

[barnaby]

Thank you all for your positive words and good links.

ludoo, Rick Oleson sketches I used can be found here, I can't stress enough how useful they were.
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-29.html

I also sent Rick an email to thank him and he was very pleased to know that his sketches had helped me. Its nice to know that there are good and helpful people associated with collecting cameras. If I can help in any way ludoo, then please ask when your nearer the time, I will do my best to help you.

Thanks again all.

[nemesis101]

Glad to hear your tale has a happy ending!

At the risk of sounding as if I am stereotyping the Dutch, I lived there for many many years (in Amsterdam and then in a small town some few kilometres away) and there is definitely a streak of dour weirdness in a SMALL section of that fine people, who seem to have the blank stare, the yes I can but I won't and the tomorrow means next year disease.

I bought a car from a large, franchised dealer (albeit not for the marque purchased) which whilst used, was very recent. The transmission light came on after two days. It went back and the first response was, "Ah sir but you have used it I think?"

Stunned I managed to get them to look at it - they said it would be an hour - took two days but the light was off when returned. During the next three weeks, it rained (it often does there, though less than here in the Pacific Northwest!) and the car filled with water, as the doors did not seal against the soft-top.. Back to the garage who said they were not responsible for the weather!!! Hmmm

They reluctantly ordered the parts, which when fitted did nothing to help. They then claimed that the manufacturer had sent the wrong ones. A quick call to the makers revealed there is only ONE type, which they had sent, but the realised the garage had fitted the left door plate on the right door, and so on.. Hmm again.. The sellers refused to put the matter right, but as it had stopped raining I let it go as I was very busy with work and thought it could wait as I had a 6 month warranty..

A month or so later the transmission disintegrated going around the back of Centraal Station.. In the rush hour...

Another local garage (owned by a very friendly Belgian!) took the wretched thing apart and discovered that the seller had not fixed the original transmission problem, (a failing pump) they had merely removed the warning light bulb!!!

This went to court.. it took many months of cross-filings, but eventually I was told that the case was to be decided in my favour and that I should attend or lose by default (????!!!) I was in the USA at the time but flew back to Holland...

They held the entire hearing in Dutch (which I can speak) despite a plea from my lawyer for a translator as much of the language used was of legal form, not part of a general vocabulary (even the garage owner sought help for many of the terms..) .. and although the judge found that the garage had indeed defrauded me, he made ME pay for the car, the cost of repairs and the hearing - on the grounds that I had not sent my initial letter via Dutch recorded delivery, so I could not prove that they had ever had it - despite having, in evidence, their REPLY to my letter, where they acknowledged receipt, and the judge, in his summation, even quoting from it!

At this point I realised that going through the PROCEDURE was more important than looking at the actual events.. and gave up.

I later got a bill for the parking of the bloody thing in the court parking centre, for the 8 months the case took to come to trial, even though it had only been there in the pound that long owing to constant court ordered postponements, and was there at the specific request of the same court...

I left Holland soon after.. moving to Brussels where the people and the general attitude to life could not have been more different.. I still have many Dutch friends, and my youngest son lives there to this day and will be starting his Master's in the fall, but the culture of blame and responsibility denial and surliness and shock when this attitude is challenged, is deeply rooted I suspect?

Doug.

PS Eeyore etc. this isn't about you!

[barnaby]

Dat is heel slecht Doug, and I thought it was just me, sounds like you had a much rougher deal than me.

I do agree with all you have said, and I too have some great friends there still. I have found the same attitude as you explained above here in the UK too, I think it could be the world over. I use to keep reminding myself that it is part of the Dutch culture, maybe it is and maybe it is something else.

I did have one funny indecent when I left the country. I sent the water company a letter and my last meter reading from the UK and they sent me in return the standard meter reading card to fill in and return. Why they didn't just copy the meter reading from the letter I sent them I do not know? I also found it strange that my apartment was empty for 6 months but they still charged for water on top of the normal rate, and unless there was a leak I can't see how this was/is possible. Again similar things have happen to me in the UK too.

[nemesis101]

heel slecht indeed!

Tot ziens,

Doug

[dee]

Well done fixing the Contax II , mine III has been rebuilt by the ex Arsenal guys in Ukraine .

They even managed to get the meter working but using another scrap donor .
The Contax II is a real bitsa 1937 body 1838 back , Kiev shutter - Sonnar mount with J3 glass , and I love it !