Hi all. I am contemplating getting a Contax IIa, which includes the 50/3.5 Tessar, for a good price from a friend who has owned it since new.

However, I'm most interested in purchasing the 85 for portraits, and I'd like to know both how well the rangefinder/telephoto combination is (I'm sure the lens itself works great), and also how much and how often I might find one for sale. Any help's appreciated.

-- shawn gibson (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), August 11, 2000

Answers

I just went searching through pdn, and I came across the following 'review' of this body:

Mine would be my Dad's old Contax IIa. It looks beautiful, but several hundred dollars in cleanings, adjustings, and fixings later, it still does not work. Things break contantly, and I would resign myself to leaving it on the mantle to gather dust, except that I don't want it to get dusty, so it stays in my box. Every once in a while, I think about throwing another couple hundred at it to see if it'll work, but then sanity takes hold.

-- John Kuraoka, September 3, 1997

Is this justified, in general, of the IIa?

-- shawn (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), August 11, 2000.

Those cameras are not the best shooters in my experience, and should be left for collectors. The viewfinder is a tiny little thing, and is not that bright. To use the 85mm lens, you need another seperate finder to put on the shoe. So you have to compose looking through one, and focus with the other. Pretty hard to do. There are no parts for these cameras, so if the shutter goes out, that's usually it. I had one for a while, and sold it because it was difficult to use. (I have an old Leica M3 that I like way more that is still a great shooter) You'd be WAY better off with the new Voigtlander Bessa R and the 35mm lens and 75mm lens set up. Bright finder with lines for each lens, built in meter, hot shoe, etc.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), August 11, 2000.

Shawn, my Dad had a Contax IIa with a 3.5 Tessar for about 25 years until it was stolen. I used it a lot.

1. The body is worth about $600 in good condition. The lens is very rare and collectible, even more so if it is post-war, I believe. About the same price as the body!

2. I loved that camera, though I must say a Leica M series outshoots it, by a margin. It is a faster camera than a Leica IIIg, though.

In the 1950s the Leica M3 was to the Contax IIa what a Nikon F5 is to a Nikon F2.

3. Its a delicate camera, by modern standards, though the rangefinder is more accurate and robust than the Leica Ms. The high shutter speed (1/1250) is usually slow, and the shutter itself, though metal, does require servicing.

4. Notwithstanding the above post, the key is getting knowledgeable service and it can be quite useable. This very hard to do today, as opposed to even 15 years ago, for the Contaxes as they have been out of production for so long, and a lot of the knowledgeable repairmen have long since moved on.

5. Using a separate viewfinder for a short telephoto is more practical and less daunting than it sounds. I do so regularly with my 90mm on my M6.

Getting the right viewfinder could be expensive (upto $300), though if you use a longer (90mm) viewfinder, you will have a margin of error.

6. You can't go far wrong acquiring it and babying it, especially if it is already in good working order. It has the same quality feel as a Leica and you will enjoy your picture taking sessions, which will feel more measured and to the point, somehow, I'll bet. If you find its not your thing, I'm sure you can sell it for no loss, especially if you get it for a good price.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), August 12, 2000.

Mani's experience is the closest to mine, of the above answers. The rangefinder in the IIa is quite accurate and durable, though not as good as the prewar Contax II (it is a bit brighter though). The camera is a featherweight compared to either the Leica M3 or the Contax II, and it is very quiet and handles well.

The shutter tends both to fade at the top speeds and to hang up at the slowest if left too long on the shelf. This is not a hard service job, but certainly very frustrating to encounter in the field (or in the darkroom). Exercise the shutter regularly between uses and make sure it's opening at 1250 before each film load.

In addition to the 85 Sonnar, Nikon made an 85/2.0 Nikkor specifically for the Contax (distinguished from the Nikon RF Nikkor by a "C" engraved on the barrel) which I think is the sharpest lens I've ever had.

If an accessory viewfinder is a hassle, it's possible to make a viewfinder mask that slips into the accessory shoe (from the front) and cuts the field down to 85mm. Zeiss used to sell VF masks for the Contax, but they're awfully expensive now if you can find one.

rick rick_oleson.tripod.com

-- rick oleson (rick_oleson@yahoo.com), August 15, 2000.

I envy you the Tessar. For years I tried to find one, without success, now they're on eBay every week at prices I can't justify. The 85mm/f:2.0 Sonnar is an excellent lens, but has gone collectible in price. OTOH Zeiss made an 85mm Triator which is quite reasonable when they come up, and is even better suited for portraits than the Sonnar.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), August 17, 2000.

OK I'm gonna get it (especially since I'm starting to love rangefinders, and starting to hate the optics of my Olympus SP35!).

But, very sadly, my friend (who is in his 80's) has just been diagnosed with very serious cancer, and is in the hospital. Please wish him well...like to see him shooting again. shawn

-- shawn (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), August 18, 2000.