Zeiss Ikon Contessa 35 (533/24)

I guess we've all seen this one before? I was just looking around in the cabinet one sunny weekend and said... mmhh, this one needs

some exercise! This model from the early 1950s was probably the most compact and advanced camera of it's day. The Contax IIIa from

this same era was maybe more versatile and expensive, but I think this was the cat's pajamas for the "fine und klein (small)". I don't

know the production figures, though there were two versions differing slightly in shutter version (Rapid vs Synchro) and were sold through

1955. Mine is a later model with the Synchro Compur and bears possibly the earliest T* designation which IIRC designates a "coated"

lens. I've had mine for quite a while. I bought it (2nd hand) on my second trip to Germany in Stuttgart in 1989. I think I paid 135DM. I

remember offering the fellow in the shop 100DM and he, looking rather perplexed reminded me that the price marked was 135,00DM. I

bought it anyway. I haven't used it a whole lot, but it does its job nicely. It is a fine, beautifully crafted machine. The 45mm Opton/Tessar

lens is very compact. The slightly wide lens is only noticeable in some situations otherwise it's standard. This is one of those cameras

that requires film to cock the shutter. Although it folds out with a definite "click" into place there is no bellows. The ever-ready case

engages the free turning film advance gear which, even when unloaded sounds like a wristwatch gear. The hinged back opens to reveal

the fixed take up spool (on the left) and the "double" gear sprockets that engage the film. The Voigtlaneder only has one toothed gear.

Why two for the Contessa? Maybe one has something to do with the double exposure safety. Which works!! You can't fire the shutter

without the film being advanced. The film advance clicks to a beautiful stop where it can't be further advanced without the shutter being

released. I'd say it works great as I've never had a double exposure, but pretty much every roll "something" happens that at some point

the "advance" freewheels losing a few frames before it finally clicks into place permitting the shutter to fire again. I keep telling myself

every time to check the frame counter as maybe it has been counting frames and thinks the roll is over. But I usually panic and forget

this, until the next, next time etc. While the film advance "loads" the shutter YOU still have to cock the shutter on the dial. Only it won't

release unless the film/advance gears have tensioned the shutter. The shutter release is larger than the gear to cock the shutter and

both fall easily to the right index finger. The finder is small and I can't describe it any better than that. I used to think the RF patch was

hard to see, but I recently cleaned it up and its contrast is just fine. It's orange colored as opposed to yellow like so many other RFs.

The exposure settings all move just fine with the smaller f-stops and higher shutter speeds moving to the right. The Aperture is the

furthest back and moves very lightly. The Shutter speed dial is practically flush with it's mount and hard to find with just your left thumb

and I often find "it" when I wanted to find the focus, which is furtherest away turning counter clock-wise for distant objects. The selenium

light meter in DIN seems to work OK, although in strong direct light is erratic. It certainly responds to light. I always assumed the hinged-

gate is for low-light conditions. Can anybody confirm? I never bothered with a/the handbook. Pretty much all my cameras are in "beater"

condition. Compared to some I've seen on-line mine looks pretty shabby, but if you were to see it you might say " hey it's in good

shape" and I consider it one of my better pieces. For more closer details somebody gave this model the "white-glove" treatment on You-

Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgmI38bk1UY. There was a period brochure in black I saw on-line once, but I can't find the link.

 

In winter this thing fits nicely in your coat pocket, in summer ( I don't have a strap) I have to carry it in my hand. It might fit in the cargo

pocket on my shorts but its weight would be pulling the pants down all the time .. no fun! It opens and is ready to go pretty quickly but

like any manual camera if you have doubts about the exposure and want to meter and change settings etc this takes ("lovely") time. I

haven't shot any color in the last year. Preferring to shoot and develop my own B&W; a real savings. I was inspired by the colors of

Spring so I walked to the drugstore and bought some generic C-41 200 film and then loaded up and started shooting around the

neighborhood. Some sample prints I scanned on my my Epson 1200.

<div></div>

Two of Four<div></div>

Three of Four

Oops!!<div></div>

Four of Four<div></div>

A Flower Shop close to the Rossmann's drugstore on Leug Allee

Under the Eaves<div></div>

Flower Shop<div></div>

Sonderburg Street in Oberkassel<div></div>

A Tree in Blossom .. this turned out basically like I wanted<div></div>

A Cool Car ?!?<div></div>

<p>The colours are lovely as one expects from a coated Zeiss lens.</p>

<p>Wow, that is a beautiful clean camera, Chuck. Great shots, love the flower shop. Nothing beats the Zeiss Tessar I guess</p>

<p>Superb results with your Contessa , Chuck ! Düsseldorf must look rather pretty this time of year compared to the crummy scenery here in NJ that all the blooming flowers have to compete with. Smart, clean streets, smart cars, and cool ones, too... what's not too like ?<br>

Keep the lid closed on the metering cell in strong light and read off the green zone on the scale. In low light, open it up and read off of the black zone (according to my Contessa's manual ). I don't rely on the camera's meter, however. <br>

Go out and shoot some more color with it. I'm finding out for myself that it has a splendid lens perfect for film like Kodak Gold. I'll try to capture the blossoming cherry trees in Newark this weekend if the rain doesn't wreck it all.</p>

<p>Nice camera in a beautiful condition! Enjoyed your essay and the pictures very much. My favourite is the "Tree in Blossom". Thanks Chuck!</p>

<p>Superb camera and impressive images. Great write-up and camera pics, too! "Flower Shop" sure shows off the quality of the lens. Many thanks, <strong>Chuck</strong>.</p>

<p>Very nice post <strong>Chuck</strong>! Does this sport interchangeable lenses? Why is there an additional lens in front of the view finder mounted on the main lens barrel? Does it change if you change the lens based on the focal length to suit the angle of vision? thanks for the post, sp.</p>

<p>Great photos, Chuck! </p>

<p>The Contessa is a camera that just exudes quality. Everything about it, the lens, build quality, the fit and finish - all top notch. Even the inside of the front door is finished. </p>

<p><strong>"The Shutter speed dial is practically flush with it's mount and hard to find with just your left thumb and I often find "it" when I wanted to find the focus..."</strong> </p>

<p>I've found this, too. The controls of the camera aren't the most ergonomically designed, but this seems typical with many of the 50s cameras. For some reason, many cameras of this era seem to have tiny viewfinders, too. I never could understand this. Perhaps it had to do with cost, but the Contessa (and Retina - another camera with a tiny viewfinder) were rather expensive cameras, so maybe it was just the style of the times...</p>

<p>Subbarayan - The lens on the Contessa is fixed. The little 'lens' in front of the viewfinder is a rotating prism, and is part of the rangefinder mechanism. It's unique to Zeiss and it works quite well.</p>

<p>Chuck,</p>

<p>This is an interesting camera, post, and set of pictures. Your presentation of this camera surely peaks one's interest. I am surprised at how well the never-ready-case sets off the look of this camera.</p>

<p>I did a little digging into my magazines and catalogs and didn't find much. I did find some info from one 1954 catalog that may be of interest. The camera is slightly different in that it has the Rapid shutter. This page also shows some of the other Zeiss Ikon cameras of the period.</p>

<p>You really need to take this camera out more often.</p><div></div>

<p>I have three of these and the engineering and workmanship on all things Zeiss is superb. The rangefinder is great. Subb, these are fixed lens folding rangefinders. The selenium meters on two of my cameras are still functional, but I wonder what lighting would require that the metal cover of the meter had to be closed. Ground zero at a 20 megaton Hydrogen bomb?</p>

<p>The photos are lovely.</p>

<p>Great write-up, Chuck, and some great photos too. I picked one of these up at an antique<br>

store last fall for an unbeleivably low price and fell in love with it after running the first roll<br>

of film through it. You forgot to mention the most important feature of this camera, the little<br>

pull-down tab on the camera back that makes it sit straight when you set it down.</p>

<p>SP- the little lens on top of the lens barrel is a rotating prism for the rangefinder, thus no<br>

mechanical linkage from the focusing ring into the camera body is required.</p>

<p>Thank you all so much!!  This forum is really the best and means a lot to me! What a great response and indeed it is a fine little camera probably one of my better pieces.<br>

<strong>Starvy</strong> - Really! A coated Zeiss is a standard to measure others by<br>

<strong>Mihai </strong> The Tessar has always fascinated me I must have 10 or more!!<br>

<strong>Gabor - </strong>Indeed it's like a train layout here -no character! Springtime is great though! You have one too?<br>

<strong>Dmitri</strong> - Me too the tree came out as I wanted (a little sharper in the photo than the scan)<br>

<strong>Les</strong> - I think you can find one at a reasonable cost. Go for it!!<br>

<strong>Rick</strong> - Probably not so plentiful down-under, but Id love to see you shoot this and do a write-up!<br>

<strong>SP</strong> - No this one has a fixed lens that funny thing in front is incorporated to the RF (see also Super Ikonta)<br>

<strong>Ken</strong> - You too eh?<br>

<strong>Marc</strong> - Thanks for the old pricelist/advert very cool!<br>

<strong>James</strong> -  You have 3 of these??? ..talk to Les!! I too, have this tendency when money and opportunity are there!<br>

<strong>Rod</strong> - Yes, true Mine is usually in the never-ready case<br>

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<p>Chuck,<br>

Great pics! I am lucky to be the second owner of one of these, my father being the first. He got is for ~83 dollars at a PX in Seoul in 1953. If you look under my profile on here, you will see I have posted a few pics in both B/W and Color. The colors are amazing. <br>

Here is one of my earlier posts-<br>

<a href="00Rrv8">http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00Rrv8</a></p>