Contax IIa - Anyone have any repair experience?

[RJ-]

There's a lot going for the Kiev IVa Don.

Mine worked straight out of the shipping box - that was over 14 years ago, and it has never failed.

The shutters remain reliable within tolerances which surpass the Contax IIa/IIIa series. Reskinning required - the rangefinder is crisp and bright. Apart from the duller pig metal style, lacking the finesse of the Contax, its mechanics are exemplary. The Contax IIa perhaps takes more effort to get working. We used to have the Classic Camera Repair Forum which was a stellar resource for tackling self-repairs - notable for its generosity and spirit of an age of bonding between its participants which modern forums fall short of. Perhaps it might take a few hits to get a working Contax IIa with its easily dislodged rangefinder system. The Contax II is my favourite - however its shutter has required repairing twice as the ribbons fail. We are fortunate in the United Kingdom to have skilled repairers from the golden era of the classic camera with the experience to revive these.

Out of curiosity, how are the lenses? The 35/2.8 is probably the one I'd use the most.

The Russian lenses are very typical of their era: surprisingly sharp with good definition and contrast, way better than their monetary drop. The Jupiter 35/2.8 lens with the bulb like rear causes some problems for the later Contax IIa due to its depth, but it works well on the Kiev IVa. Like the other 35mm focal lengths for this rangefinder, it has a rather long throw to infinity from the minimum distance. The Zeiss Opton Biogon 35/2.8 (Germany) is my favourite - it is a true classic high definition lens of its era, perhaps harder to find amidst the Carl Zeiss Jena versions. The Biogon design has a very different rendition from the cult classic Zeiss Opton Biometar 35/2.8 I like its rendition a lot (behaves more like a Planar design) however in practice, the aperture turning requires turning the lens side to inspect its value, in contrast to the Biogon where the aperture scale can be read from the operator side. The cost of the Jupiter 35/2.8 makes it a great low entry foray for starters. If you ever come across an Orthometar, this is more of a curiosity (I've never used it) we'd love to hear more about. Nikkors also work for this focal length.

For the other lenses - the 5cm f1.5 Carl Zeiss Sonnar has a number of iterations (collapsible; pre-war; rigid; post-war; copies; clones; transplanted elements of Jupiter versions into German barrels) and requires more research before setting on a particular one for this focal length. The 5cm f2 is a beautiful lens but sorely lacking compared to the 5cm f1.5 (just my view - I've owned five of these and kept one, compared to the f1.5 versions). The Jupiter 85mm f2 lens which costs less than a 3 pack of Tri-X these days, is just as sharp as the Zeiss Sonnar 82 f2 at a fraction of the cost. If you're prepared to work through getting a working rangefinder body, this trio of lenses is incredibly affordable. We were fortunate too, that the head of Voigtlander/Cosina released a limited run of 21mm f4; 25mm f4 and 35mm f2.5 Voigtlander Skopar lenses in the Contax rangefinder bayonet which mates with the Contax II, IIa, III, IIIa series and all the Kiev copies. The 21mm f4 has a rather appalling performance wide open and requires stopping down significantly. It's not a lens I've kept (compare with the modern Carl Zeiss 21mm f2.8 or f4.5 Biogon T* in ZM mount). It is sharper and more modern than the classic 21mm Biogon f4.5 which is legendary. The Voigtlander 25mm f4 is utterly delightful: the best pancake wide-angle ever and is so thoughtfully designed with the two tone silver and black body and hood; the aperture scale legibility and the focussing wheel smoothness of rotation. Likewise - the Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 Skopar - if you wish for a modern cutting edge lens with flare resistance, this is it.

If you can find a Contax 21mm f4.5 post-war Biogon with its original viewfinder, go for it if the cost is less than the Contax or Kiev rangefinder and 3 lenses above!

Kind regards
RJ

 

[Craig75]

Save up and get that bad boy cla'd and the lenses cleaned. It's a very cool gift. That's a camera for life when its all up and running smooth.

Dont be intimidated by shooting without a meter. Get a lightmeter app for your phone (they are max $5 and some are free), read up on sunny 16, and when you're out and about you can play a game with yourself seeing if you can use sunny 16 to predict what the meter will say. After a few goes you will soon get really good at it and will be able to use your beautiful camera very fast and very accurately.

 

[cptrios]

Well, I ordered a Kiev-4a for $50. The Ukrainian seller claims it works, so we'll see! Hopefully I'll have some shots to post...I figure it'll arrive sometime in 2022!

 

[GRHazelton]

Well, I ordered a Kiev-4a for $50. The Ukrainian seller claims it works, so we'll see! Hopefully I'll have some shots to post...I figure it'll arrive sometime in 2022!

I ordered a Minolta Autocord case from a seller in Moscow. It was hung up in US Customs for..... well over a month!

 

[Donald Qualls]

Well, I ordered a Kiev-4a for $50. The Ukrainian seller claims it works, so we'll see! Hopefully I'll have some shots to post...I figure it'll arrive sometime in 2022!

I've got two that were in that price range, both from Russia or Ukraine. One has a good shutter but overlaps frames sometimes (haven't yet come up with a common factor for when it does it), the other has a perfect film advance but the shutter is very slow below 1/50. Then again, I've got an actual Contax III that was sold as "everything works correctly" and the shutter is one to two stops slow over its entire range... I'm seriously thinking about getting a "refurbished" Kiev II to see if the combination of earlier manufacture and "refurbishment" will get me a camera that both advances film and exposes correctly...

 

[markjwyatt]

I have a really nice looking black (not original, but good work) Kiev 4a. Most of the functions work quite well, but the winding is a problem, especially getting close to the end of a roll. I was told it needs a CLA, which would cost close to my Contax iia CLA,. Not sure I want to pay more for a CLA then I did for the camera, but it could serve as a back-up for my Contax iia.

 

[Donald Qualls]

In some (limited) ways, the Kiev 4 is better than a Contax IIa. You can use a pre-War Biogon or Jupiter-12 35mm f/2.8 without risking damage to the rear element; you can carry the camera into situations where the Contax would make you nervous, because you can replace it fairly easily...

I think that's about it. In all other ways, a Contax is better.

 

[cptrios]

Well, my Kiev 4a just arrived. Only took 2 weeks, which was a surprise. I also retrieved the 50 and 135 from my parents' house...and man, those three lenses are all just gorgeous. The Kiev is slightly less gorgeous than the Contax, but still pretty. So far, shutter speeds seem more or less OK but I have my concerns about light leaks and do feel a bit of oddness with the film transport. I'll finish off the roll tomorrow and see how it goes...I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats!

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Hi all,

Years ago, my 'uncle' gave me his grandfather's Contax IIa along with three lenses and the cool turret finder. It was really just a "here's an interesting thing for you to put on a shelf" gift, since he'll never shoot film again and I didn't start until last year. The other day, I thought I might actually shoot a roll with it as a surprise present for him, but sadly the shutter doesn't fire. So, a couple of questions:

- I do remember the shutter firing at some point in the past. Is there some quirk of the camera that I might have accidentally tripped that would make it not fire now? All I have at the moment is a click after winding.

- Is it at all feasible to repair this myself? I found a repair manual online that looks suitably complex and intimidating, but it might just be worth giving it a shot.

I figure, since even if it does get fixed its future is likely as a display piece 99% of the time (it's heavy for its size and I don't like shooting 35mm without a built-in meter), it's not even close to worth dropping $200+ on a CLA. So "you might be able to repair it, but you could end up screwing it up" is still a "yes" to me!

Repair it yourself? Would you do surgery on your own brain?

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Yours has the exact opposite problem mine with the good shutter does -- my advance clutch is too loose, allowing the shutter to cock and advance to lock before it has actually advanced eight sprocket holes; yours is so tight that it's tearing up the film when the sprocket locks and the spool keeps pulling.

Adjusting the "advance clutch" is as simple as taking off the back and turning a screw. Otherwise the gears are meshed wrong. I've had Contaxen for 40 years and Kievs for six years,
my 1959 K4 needed new ribbons after a few rolls, fixed that. 1969 Kiev is running well. 1936 Contax ditto.

and a Kiev will give a true 1/1250 shutter speed! So will a Contax!!

This whole Kiev/Contax thing would gratify Dunning & Kruger.
Edit. All of these cameras have been serviced..the '36 Contax was stripped to the last screw, cleaned thoroughly, and reassembled as new. The Kievs will be overhauled when they need it. I've used the '69K4 as a daily walkaround for almost six years. Summer, winter,... winter here can be 26 below zero. Saw 32 below once, and not that wind-chill crap either.

YMMV

 

[Donald Qualls]

Adjusting the "advance clutch" is as simple as taking off the back and turning a screw.

I would have sworn the Kiev Survival Site showed having to remove the top plate and some of the gears under the advance/shutter speed knob to adjust the clutch. If it's that easy, it would also explain why my '73 Kiev 4 has gotten worse (last roll, MUCH worse) on frame spacing in the not quite a year and less than a dozen rolls I've had it. Do you have a photo that shows the screw I need to adjust?

 

[cptrios]

Ok, just developed my test roll and waiting for it to dry. Stupidly saved the 35/2.8 for last and only got one shot with it - and that's the lens I was most interested in! Interestingly, film transport seems wonky for the first 10 or so shots, with a couple of big gaps and then 3 serious overlaps:

But then it's totally fine after that:

I wonder if that's down to tension in the beginning that resolved itself. Also, I felt nearly no resistance at the end of the roll but did feel the sprockets not catching. Wound up triple exposing at the end like an idiot!

 

[DFJorquera]

I repaired my own but did not go below this deck (shutter was basically working but did not always fire.)

It is a very difficult operation and the guys who help you will chastise you for leaving any tool marks. So good tools and technique is important. A Dremel with some polishing tools is good too, because you will need to dress inevitable tool marks.

I lost one screw while polishing it, flew in the air and into the garden. I thought I was clever using a magnet to try to find it, but it was brass.

If you lift the wind knob up as you press the shutter release will it fire? If you use the self-timer will it fire?

I know this is a very old post, but I'm having the same issue on my IIa, where sometimes I'll press the shutter release and hear a quiet "click" but the shutter won't fire, and I haven't found this issue mentioned anywhere else...
How did you end up fixing it, did you manage to make it work consistently after that?

 

[dxqcanada]

I know this is a very old post, but I'm having the same issue on my IIa, where sometimes I'll press the shutter release and hear a quiet "click" but the shutter won't fire, and I haven't found this issue mentioned anywhere else...
How did you end up fixing it, did you manage to make it work consistently after that?

You should start a new thread instead of continuing this old one.

 

[Pioneer]

My 36 Contax II works like an absolute charm and the shutter speeds have never varied much over the last 10 years. I know that the rangefinder is very accurate. Based on the quality of the 35 Biogon and 50/1.5 Sonnar lenses I am starting to wonder why I even bother with any of my other rangefinder cameras. Maybe I'll just put them away in the drawer and see how long this Contax will keep on going.

I think the biggest potential issue with the Contax II is that eventually the shutter ribbons wear out but I kind of doubt that happens really quick. I guess the only way to find that out would be to start using it exclusively. If they do break, which the way I understand it they eventually will, then I'll look around to find somebody to replace them. Maybe Oleg can do it. I know he fixes the ribbons on the Kievs and I understand the two cameras are basically identical.

 

[Bill Burk]

There’s a website called “Learn Camera Repair” with manuals and an affiliated Facebook group where you can get coaching and encouragement.

They would frown on what I did. Your camera really deserves a full overhaul.

I found I could hold the shuttle speed selector a certain way and it would fire. So I shimmed it that way and now it will fire without me having to think about it.