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Carl Zeiss Jena Contax with Sonnar 1:1,5 f=5cm
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:14 pm    Post subject: Carl Zeiss Jena Contax with Sonnar 1:1,5 f=5cm Reply with quote
My newest aquisition. Couldn't resist! Cool
Postwar Contax II, made by Carl Zeiss Jena. Came with matching f:1,5 Sonnar and original leather case.
And it is running pretty good, will see a bw film, soon.



Klaus


PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Such a beauty! Congrats! I have Contax III with same lens. I like this Contax II better without light meter.


PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
A classic! Congratulations!


PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congratulations!
Should you anytime ever decide to sell the lens, please contact me first. I want to be first in line Smile


PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
Congratulations!
Should you anytime ever decide to sell the lens, please contact me first. I want to be first in line Smile


Yeah, I was gonna say that's some lovely glass stuck on the front of it! Laughing


PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
lovely piece Klaus!


PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
Congratulations!
Should you anytime ever decide to sell the lens, please contact me first. I want to be first in line Smile

Hi Orio, never will tear them apart. It is the matching lens for this camera.
Btw: It is the camera itself, that is a rarity.

Klaus


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Timeless beauty, rarity apart!


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 11:52 am    Post subject: Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Contax with Sonnar 1:1,5 f=5cm Reply with quote
exaklaus wrote:
Postwar Contax II, made by Carl Zeiss Jena. Came with matching f:1,5 Sonnar and original leather case.

Klaus

Congratulations Klaus. Smile I am completely green about Contax cameras. The front dial of the lens appears to set the aperture and the part with the red triangle looks as though it's fixed. So how do you focus? Is that what the little knurled dial above the rangefinder is for?


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi Peter, it is easy. Lens is locked at infinity, you can unlock by pressing the tab behind the little knurled dial on top (between Contax and smaller rangefinder window), which you can use for focussing. Very practical, because your fingers will cover the rangefinder window. So after the lens is unlocked (can be done by moving that pin at 2 o'clock, just under the X of Contax, too), you can focuss by turning the lens. The focussing mechanism is part of the camera, not of the Sonnar. And the locking device, you see, is for changing the lenses.

Klaus


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Buy a Kiev Peter, inexpensive and carbon copy of Contax


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
exaklaus wrote:
Orio wrote:
Congratulations!
Should you anytime ever decide to sell the lens, please contact me first. I want to be first in line Smile

Hi Orio, never will tear them apart.


Laughing I was sure of that Wink

exaklaus wrote:
It is the matching lens for this camera.
Btw: It is the camera itself, that is a rarity.
Klaus


Actually, I think that this is one of those very rare cases where you might be wrong: according to what I have found,
the lens (this specific version of the lens) is much rarer than the camera.
In fact, it's only the second time I have seen one, in years. While I have seen many pre-war Contaxes (and own one).
But there's no problem about tearing them apart: I will buy the camera too! Laughing Wink


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
OK, tell me what is so special that it is even rarer than the Jena Contax.

Klaus

Btw: Whenever I will resell it, you are doomed to pay me the MONEY


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
exaklaus wrote:
OK, tell me what is so special that it is even rarer than the Jena Contax.
Klaus


Ok, first I have to say, that I did mistake the serial number of the lens - I first thought it was a wartime Sonnar,
but the serial number says it was built in 1951.
(In fact, I was really distracted: I should have noticed that the lens does not have the two "flaps" on the aperture ring, like it should).
IF it was a wartime Sonnar, it would have been quite rare: only few Sonnar 1.5/50 that were produced before
1946 bear the red T.
To be more precise, it's less than 4500 copies, built between 1941 and 1944.
But most of them, were for military use, and it's presumable that a large part of them ended up destroyed.
This at least would explain why they are so difficult to find today.
The previous Sonnar 1.5/50 copies, built from 1932 to 1940, are without coating, and are obviously a much larger quantity,
because they were produced in peace time and because they were sold to public instead of military. I have one of those uncoated pre-war 1.5/50.
Today, it's almost impossible to find a wartime red T 1.5/50 Sonnar.
The Contax II was released in 1936, and produced in many thousands of copies. Although today they are less frequent
than the Contax IIa on the used market, they're still possible to find - on the contrary, war time Sonnar 1.5/50 with red T*
are very very difficult to find.

exaklaus wrote:
Btw: Whenever I will resell it, you are doomed to pay me the MONEY


I can't, Mario Monti and Angela Merkel want my MONEY too, and they reserved first Sad Laughing

By the way: like you surely have realized, your camera and lens are an excellent match today, but they did not belong to each other originally.


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Anyway, don't want to sell it...
That Contax II was made after WWII. By Carl Zeiss Jena, not Zeiss Ikon. I had during the years maybe 8 or more of these Jena Contax cameras. Guess this one is the nicest, I ever had. Sold several of them in London at Classic Camera, Pittbull Yard, near Museum of London. They provided me with some nice pocket money for the Photographica, I used to visit in those years.

Klaus


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
exaklaus wrote:

That Contax II was made after WWII. By Carl Zeiss Jena, not Zeiss Ikon.


Really? Then you're right, it's surely rarer than the lens!

P.S. I was joking, about the "I will buy" thing... you shouldn't have taken it too seriously Wink


PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Really!!

Mr. Green Mr. Green Mr. Green Mr. Green

Klaus
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