Contax IIa focus issue

BobD · Oct 11, 2021

I found a nice Contax IIa at low cost that is working but the focus wheel is stiff. It turns but prolonged use becomes a bit painful to my finger. It also makes a bit of metal-on-metal noise.

An exploded view of this machine shows gearing between the focus wheel and the lens mount. I had the idea that a few drops of solvent placed on the focus wheel with the camera tilted would be directed to that area and might free up the movement some thus obviating the need for disassembly. (I have worked on plenty of cameras but never this one and I am leery of working on German cameras in general).

Is this a stupid idea? Might it leak into the rangefinder area and create more problems?

Donald Qualls · Oct 11, 2021

BobD said:
Might it leak into the rangefinder area and create more problems?

Or get into the shutter and really break your heart...

monopix · Oct 11, 2021

Yes and yes.

I recommend you take a look at this.

http://www.zeisscamera.com/services_overhaul-cIIa-body.shtml

And read the section 'The Focusing Wheel is Hard to Operate'.

Pioneer · Oct 11, 2021

Henry is very good at letting you know why he is so expensive. However, that being said, he is very good at what he does. If you want the best, and can afford him, then he will provide you with quality work.

Donald Qualls · Oct 11, 2021

Pioneer said:
If you want the best, and can afford him, then he will provide you with quality work.

Eventually. If he lives that long. Nothing against him or his work -- I've had no interaction but have no reason to disbelieve, but his stated lead time is multiple years at present, and he's not a young fellow (nor, as far as I'm aware, does he have a younger apprentice).

Pioneer · Oct 11, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
Eventually. If he lives that long. Nothing against him or his work -- I've had no interaction but have no reason to disbelieve, but his stated lead time is multiple years at present, and he's not a young fellow (nor, as far as I'm aware, does he have a younger apprentice).

Yep. That could be a problem. As I remember it took a bit over a year to get my Contax II back Three months or so was the actual repair process. It takes awhile to for him to get everything torn down, cleaned and then adjusted.

One thing about his list. People have put their name on the list to hold a spot open and often when their turn comes around they skip for one reason or another. It doesn't always take as long as people imagine to get to the point where he is working on your camera.

Dismayed · Oct 11, 2021

Pioneer said:
Henry is very good at letting you know why he is so expensive. However, that being said, he is very good at what he does. If you want the best, and can afford him, then he will provide you with quality work.

And if you are willing to wait a decade for service. He has 500 cameras on his wait list. When I had a Contax serviced by Henry there were only 80 cameras ahead of me, and it still took over a year.

I'd give Mark Hansen a try, instead.

http://www.zeissikonrolleirepair.com/

Pioneer · Oct 11, 2021

Dismayed said:
And if you are willing to wait a decade for service. He has 500 cameras on his wait list. When I had a Contax serviced by Henry there were only 80 cameras ahead of me, and it still took over a year.

I'd give Mark Hansen a try, instead.

http://www.zeissikonrolleirepair.com/

I agree with using Mark. He has worked on one of my Ikoflex cameras and did a great job. He is not as busy as Henry but he is still backed up. I have a Contax IIIa that he has agreed to look at in January.

BobD · Oct 11, 2021

Thanks, all, for the comments. I doubt I'll be sending it out. It is usable and I have plenty of other cameras. If it becomes unusable I would probably just sell it to someone who wants to fix it.

btaylor · Oct 12, 2021

Alternatively, forget the focus wheel and just turn the lens with your hand.

BobD · Oct 12, 2021

^ Yes, and the camera was sitting unused for a long time. I think just using it will reduce the stiffness.

shutterfinger · Oct 12, 2021

I would put a drop of light weight oil such as https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Flow-Squ...flow+superior+lubricant&qid=1634015468&sr=8-3 about the size of a straight pin head with the focus at one end of the travel then turn it to the other end and back a few times, repeat after a week or two. Do the same for the lens helical gear if easily accessible. TriFlow is available at local bike shops and some hardware stores.

swchris · Oct 12, 2021

In five years on Henry's waiting list I went from pos. 164 to pos. 115.

Dismayed · Oct 12, 2021

swchris said:
In five years on Henry's waiting list I went from pos. 164 to pos. 115.

Yikes! So anyone adding a camera to his waiting list now would be looking at a 50 year wait. assuming that Henry lives to be 130 years old!

Mr Flibble · Oct 12, 2021

A drop of washing benzine in the focusing wheel won't cause a lot of trouble, but you don't want to get any on the RF prism or on the shutter curtain straps. It won't damage the RF prism but can reduce image quality. It can however cause the straps to wear out faster.

Not sure if the Contax IIa has this, but on the Contax II when you remove the lens, there are two small openings inside the mounting ring, that allow you to apply a bit of oil to the focusing helical.

Patrick Robert James · Oct 12, 2021

Like others have mentioned, it is probably the grease inside the helical. It has been a long time since I opened up a Contax, but it isn't rocket science. If I recall the helical is pretty easy to get out. If you do decide to open it from what I recall the most difficult part of getting it back together is getting the meshing of the gears right. They can be slightly adjusted IIRC so they might be tight or loose depending on the adjustment. That is from my memory so it might not be accurate....

Personally I'd avoid putting any oil in the camera. Either do it right or don't do it. Oil ends up in places that are the worst places for oil. Murphy's Law.

Pioneer · Oct 12, 2021

Patrick Robert James said:
...
Personally I'd avoid putting any oil in the camera. Either do it right or don't do it. Oil ends up in places that are the worst places for oil. Murphy's Law.

Ditto. Tried the oil trick once, never again. What was a minor nuisance became far worse.

shutterfinger · Oct 12, 2021

I blew Murphy away with a double barrel shotgun, both barrels, years ago. His law went the way of the Dodo.
Small drops of oil don't migrate, large ones do.

Donald Qualls · Oct 12, 2021

shutterfinger said:
Small drops of oil don't migrate, large ones do.

While probably true (I haven't tested it) people who don't have experience repairing small high precision items like watches and shutters are likely to be completely flabbergasted by what a "small" drop of oil actually is.

shutterfinger · Oct 12, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
While probably true (I haven't tested it) people who don't have experience repairing small high precision items like watches and shutters are likely to be completely flabbergasted by what a "small" drop of oil actually is.

I just measured the straight pin that I have with a digital caliper, its .07 inch diameter by .08 inch high. I'll amend my previous statement to 1/4 a straight pin head drop of oil on the pivot of the gears if accessible, the full pin head size drop of oil on the whole assembly.

Donald Qualls · Oct 12, 2021

shutterfinger said:
I blew Murphy away with a double barrel shotgun, both barrels, years ago. His law went the way of the Dodo.

Science and science fiction author G. Harry Stine worked with the Murphy the law is named after at White Sands Missile Range in the immediate post-War period (when they were launching captured V-2s), and is widely credited both with writing down the law, and naming it after Murphy. He was also on record as saying Murphy was an optimist: "He thought only things that could go wrong, would."

shutterfinger · Oct 12, 2021

For those that can't do math or use a calculator 1/32 is .03 , 1/64 is .015, 1/128 is .0078. Sheet film is .007 inch thick, 120 roll film is .0035 to .004 inch thick depending on manufacturer.
Edit: 135-36 is .005 inch thick.

Donald Qualls · Oct 12, 2021

Or, for those who think of small volumes in metric units, that ~.075 inch spherical drop is roundly .005 milliliters.

GRHazelton · Oct 12, 2021

Advance Camera in Portland Oregon worked on my Contax IIa, which had dragging low speeds, and a slight vertical misalignment in the rangefinder. They did a fine job on the shutter. The camera operates smoothly. Note that the rangefinder in these cameras is almost impossible to adjust; my Contax's rangefinder is a little better. The cost was moderate, and turn-around time was acceptable.

ntenny · Oct 12, 2021

Advance Camera did a nice job on a shutter overhaul for my IIIa as well (I mean, as far as I can tell—it didn’t work when it went in, and it worked when it came back). Reasonable price, reasonable time.

-NT

Contax IIa focus issue

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