The Contax 139Q, Vivitar Series 1 Qdos lens, and "The Gibraltar of the West"

[JDMvW]

<p><strong>The Contax 139 Q, the Vivitar Series 1 Qdos lens, and "The Gibraltar of the West" at Columbus, Kentucky</strong><br /><br />I have already posted a couple of posts about my now burgundy and black Contax 139 Q ( http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00Xp06 most particularly where I promised I would post some color work with the Vivitar in question, as well as a post on the recover of the camera "leatherette" at http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00XuwJ ).<br /><br />Still earlier I had briefly posted on the Qdos 3D system lens itself, as it had been used with a Contax/Yashica mount to EOS mount adapter ( http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00Nngp ).<br /><br />Anyhow, in fulfillment of the promise of the original post on the Contax 139, here are some pictures taken with the Vivitar Series 1 Qdos 3D system as used on the Contax 139 earlier today. It was forecast to be a nice, if slightly cool day today, and the following days are supposed to be back to our spring monsoon.<br /><br />I had been reading a little in my library on the Civil War. The official name of which [chosen by the victors] was the War of the Rebellion, but also known according to your geographic location as the "Civil War," "the War Between the States," and "the War of Northern Aggression." Often it is known simply as "The War." I have been visiting and photographing battlefields and other associated sites, over many years going back to my epic 20,000 mile zigzag trip through the South in the year 1965. Sometimes I even Photoshop out the monuments in the pictures, just as was done in the Turner movie <em>Gettysburg</em>.<br /><br />However I was astonished to realize that there was a major Civil War site less than two hours from me that I had never visited. This is the great fort at Columbus, Kentucky. At the beginning of The War it was called the "Gibraltar of the West" by the Confederates. When I looked at the contemporary maps and pictures (for one example see the post by a local historian http://rosswar.blogspot.com/ ) I was amazed at how extensive and impressive the site was. I had been to the associated battlefield at Belmont, just across the Mississippi River by boat, but about 100 miles distant by modern roads and bridges, and I had sort of assumed that I had seen what there was to see. <br /><br />So very early this morning at dawn, I set off for Kentucky. Some of the roads I traveled would be familiar to viewers of the <em>U.S. Marshals</em> movie if they remember Wesley Snipes, the swamps and so on. Both the Ohio and the Mississippi were very high as I crossed at the confluence, and some roads were closed by high water. I got to the Columbus-Belmont State Park as the site is now known. The museum and all are not yet open for the summer, but the signage was good. As it happens a good part of the site has been lost to the river since the 1860s. The most recent major collapse of a part of the cliff and earthworks seems to have been in 1942, so very little is actually left of the main earthworks today. However, various "redoubts" and evidence of rifle pits and the like remain, if not always very obvious to the non-archaeological eye. <br /><br />The fortifications were abandoned by the Confederates after the fall of the forts on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, which essentially cut off the Columbus works from support. After the works were occupied by Union forces, it became a major transshipment location for support of the Union operations further south where the next Confederate "Gibraltar," Vicksburg, fell in July 4, 1863 to open the entire river to Union commerce and to split the Confederacy in two<br /><br />"Fustests" here is the camera porn. My recovered Contax 139Q with the Vivitar Series I Qdos lens. The lens has a red/blue filter that can be pushed into position in the middle of the lens, creating a very short base anaglyphic 3D. One advantage of the system is that the resulting pictures, unlike regular anaglyphic 3D views, can be looked at without glasses and have a "soft focus" effect, as shown below,</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>For any one who is fortunate to find one of these fairly rare lenses, here is a very compressed, but readable, pdf of the Qdos manual.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Here is a remaining Civil War artifact. This is a marine anchor that was used to hold a heavy chain that was stretched across the Mississippi River to hold back Union naval craft so they could be destroyed by the huge guns in the Columbus fortifications. The 3D effect is visible if you have a pair of red/blue glasses (blue to the right).</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>Here is one of the cannons (roughly 25000mm f/16 or so). It had been lost in the river after 1942, and recovered under 40 feet of silt in the 1990s. These 38-pounders were among cannon captured by the Confederates when they seized the Federal naval stores at Norfolk, VA, and then transported to western Kentucky.</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>A view showing the height of the bluffs above the swollen Mississippi River.</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>And finally, a view of a restored earthwork at one of the redoubts.<br /><br />That's it.</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>I should add that I chose to post this in this forum, because although the Contax has automatic exposure, it also works well without the meter and batteries. The lens is clearly in Classic Manual territory, besides. Moderators may feel differently, so be it.</p>

[CoryAmmerman]

<p>Nice shots JDM, and thanks for the informative post. With all of the renewed interest in 3D these days, I really wish I had 2 good eyes instead of just one, so that I could actually see 3D.</p>

[craigd]

<p>Funny, two mentions of the Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm lenses the same day I pick up one (type 3, made by Komine, for Minolta MD).</p>

<p>Thanks for the explanation of what the "QDOS 3D" thing was all about. I've wondered.</p>

[frank_scheitrowsky1]

<p>the Contax 139 functions well without a battery?</p>

[bgussin]

<p>Although I've never owned or used the Qdos lens, it plays a special part in my interest in cameras.  A little over ten years ago knowing nothing about photogrpahy or cameras I had been experimenting with a Nishika Quad lens camera and various twinned disposables.  I read about the Qdos online.  And while the 3d effect of the photos wasn't profound, I thought It was neat.  After reading about how it worked, I went in search of an inexpensive camera with a big aperture.  I found a Yashica Electro 35 for $15 and disassemble the lens.  I fashioned a half red, half blue filter from a pair of anaglyph glasses, placed it between two of the elements and re-assembled the lens and IT WORKED!! ...but not great. The stereo base is too narrow.   And to maximize the stereo effect everything had to be shot wide open at f/1.7.<br>

However, as I learned about the relationship between aperture and shutter speed and film speed, I realized I understood it.  And when I saw the fantastically sharp photos from the camera, I was hooked on classic cameras.  The Electro led to a bunch of M42 screw-mounts, Minoltas, more Yashicas, half-frames medium formats, 110s and any old oddball camera.<br>

My favorites are "clockwork" SLRs that need no electricity to operate.  And who needs a light meter?  I've memorized Sunny 16 and on down to candlelight.  And while I can estimate distances fairly well these days, I prefer positive focus conformation either through a rangefinder, or through the lens.<br>

Then I learned to develop film! I learned most of what I know about photography from photo.net and its community of helpful contributors.<br>

All because of the Vivitar Qdos.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Robert, on my earlier post about the Qdos, you had a nice "basket case" photography with your Qdosoid lens. I thought it was great. Do you have other pictures taken with it to post? My red/blue glasses await.</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

I thought we were talking about QDOS the OS!!

[JDMvW]

<p>For the record, the basic lens into which the Qdos filters were built is the "Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/2.8-4.0 Macro Focusing Zoom". It is version 5 (Qdos), which according to THE SOURCE ( http://www.robertstech.com/vivitar.htm ) was made by Cosina.</p>

<p>It's a very nice lens with the Qdos feature switched off.</p>

<p>I should note, that except for the names, recent 21st c "Vivitar" and "Series 1" lenses have no connection to the Ponder & Best company that designed lenses and had them constructed in Japan by various manufacturers.<br>

As the Wikipedia article ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivitar ) puts it:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>On August 21, 2008, subsequent to its filing for bankruptcy, parent company Syntax-Brillian completed the sale of the Vivitar brand name and intellectual property to privately held consumer electronics maker Sakar International based in Edison, New Jersey. <strong>Sakar did not purchase Vivitar’s equipment, facilities or accounts receivable</strong>. [emphasis added]</p>

 

</blockquote>

[JDMvW]

<p>I misspoke when I said the Contax 139 "functions well without a meter and batteries". I should have said, "functions well without the meter in fully manual mode". It does need the batteries installed.</p>

[bgussin]

<p>Jeez-<br>

I forgot I posted practically the same response in 2007.  Well, there are a couple more photos from the yashica<div></div>

[bgussin]

One more.<div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>What an unusual lens! Thanks For the good write up! </p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Look good to me, Robert. Thanks.</p>

[yefei_he1]

<p>JDM,</p>

<p> What did you use for the focal length of the cannon?:-) 25000mm doesn't appear to be the length of the barrel. And I hope it shoots cannon balls further than 25 meters! I would use the shooting distance as the focal length, and we will have telephotos (field guns), normal (howitzers), and wide angles (mortars). None of them seem to be able to focus to infinity, luckily!</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>1) Yefei, it was a <em>joke</em> on the Cannon/Canon error so often seen on the www.</p>

<p>2) the 25000mm was supposed to be the approximate <em>length of the cannon</em> - about 2.5 to 3m in length, but with a dropped decimal point. I should have said 2,500mm as you picked up. You have to make allowances for us who still use measures based on some medieval king's body parts. Perhaps as one from more enlightened places, you have not heard of the English measure for roughly a half a foot?</p>

<p>3) The f/16 was just a guess as to the aperture of the cannon bore to the length of the cannon. I made no effort to actually measure the aperture in relation to the length. On looking it up, it was about 213mm or 8 inches. What's that? about f/11? :)</p>

<p>4) the maximum range of the Columbiad solid shot was roughly 4 km.</p>

<p>NTIM ;)</p><div></div>

[yefei_he1]

<p>Oh, now I remember. Didn't Cannon also made a f/0.95 lens? What kind of ammunition did it use? They need to be wider than the length of the barrel. Pancakes maybe? :-)</p>

[JamieK]

<p>wonderful. very cool. best, jamie</p>