Zeiss Contessa or Kodak Retina IIa?

[bill_schmidt]

I'm looking to get a 35mm folder for use, not display. The

cameraquest web site implies that the Kodak is a better design for

actual photography because of the layout of the controls. Yet the

Contessa doesn't seem much worse. Has anyone used both who can render

an opinion? The Vitessa is my preference just 'cause it looks cooler

and if it's not that much more of a burden to shoot with it...

[bill_schmidt]

I'm sorry, in the last line I meant "...the CONTESSA is my preference..."

[ron_gratz]

I do own both the Contessa and the Retina IIa (also the Vitessa and a Retina IIIc).

 

The retina IIa is close to the same size as the Contessa but is perhaps a bit smaller. If you are used to manual wind SLR's the Retina's controls are right where you expect them to be. The rapid wind lever is on top just like the SLR and the shutter release is next to it, again just where you'd expect it to be. The level both winds the film and cocks the shutter.

 

On the Contessa you wind by turning a knob on the bottom of the camera and the shutter release is on the shutter itself. Its not hard to get used to but is different from an SLR and slower than the rapid wind lever. On the Contessa the wind knob only advances the film, you need to cock the shutter separately. (Note: this is where the Vitessa really shines, you have what is close to a manual motor drive with the big plunger!).

 

A note here: on the Contessa, you cannot trip the shutter using the release button unless you have film in the camera. As the film winds, it turns a sprocket (visible when you open the camera back) that allows the shutter button to be pressed. People have rejected contessas as non-working because they dont know this. There is a small lever on the shutter (at about the 8 o'clock position when you look at the front of the camera) that will trip the shutter regardless of the presence of film. This can be used to test the shutter without film in the camera.

 

It it is still functional and accurate (mine is) the contessa's built in (but uncoupled) meter means you dont need to get a hand held light meter, which is a definite plus.

 

I have found filters for the Contessa easier to get, since they use the same filters as were made for the Contaflex cameras. Note that they go on backwards. Neither camera has interchangable lenses.

 

Being an avid Zeiss-Ikon collector and user, I prefer the Contessa, even with its quirks but have found both it and the Retina very capable picture takers.

 

I hope this helps.

[connealy]

Both great cameras.

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I really like the ergonomics on the Retina IIa; seems very fast and modern, and I think you will pay less for one than the Contessa in the same condition. The f2 Xenon lens seems as good as the Tessar to me.

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On the minus side, the IIa film counter, advance, shutter release and double exposure prevention seem a little too crowded together and can be problematic. Of the three I have shot, two needed rangefinder adjustment.

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Of course, the Contessa has great classic styling. I would guess it is hard to find one in which the Selenium meter is accurate.

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A difficult decision. Either way, I think the important thing is to get one that you have some confidence in, and it probably is a good idea to pay enough to guarantee results.

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Well, what the heck, you ought to just get both. As we all know, you can never have too many cameras.

[marbing]

I really like the look of the Contessa 35...but... I have had to promise myself NOT to get any more 35mm format. I feel I have enough but, if anything could tempt me...it would be a Contessa!

[floyd_takeuchi]

I have not used a Retina IIA, but I do own and use a Contessa 35. It is a gem. As noted in an earlier post, it takes a few rolls to get the hang of the two-step process for cocking the shutter and also advancing and rewinding the film using knobs on the bottom of the camera. But it becomes second nature once you get used to the system. I purchased a camera in extremely good condition, and did not have to put it through a CLA. It has become my camera of choice when I travel on business, and I can fit it and a small handheld meter (the onboard meter "works" but since the camera is about 50 years old, I don't trust it) in a small fanny pack. The lens produces crisp colors (NPH) -- shots in Tokyo in late spring had intense blue skies and clear colors. I even had one of the shots published in a regional magazine. I also shoot B/W (XP2 Super), and have been very pleased with those results. My biggest concern was being able to focus the camera. I wear glasses, but have found that focusing is not a problem, even using the camera's 1950s-style small viewfinder. I purchased my camera from an online dealer, and had not actually held one before I got it. I was quite surprised by how small it is; that's a plus for travel, of course. One recommendation: if you do get a Contessa, track down the owner's manual for the camera. It is useful and worth the investment. I got one at Craig Camera (www.craigcamera.com).

[mike_elek]

On the one hand, the Retina IIa has the lever wind and a shutter release on top of the camera ... where most of us expect it. However, there isn't much room for the right hand to grip the camera, as the door sucks up a lot of that space. Still, it's small and relatively light (compared with the Contessa).

 

The Contessa solves the door thing by having it drop down, instead of to the side. The Contessa uses a shutter release mounted to the front of the lens housing. There is a tendency to push the camera down when releasing the shutter, because the shutter release moves down and to the right when you are taking a photo. The camera is best used when cradled in the left hand -- using your thumb and index finger for focusing -- to counteract this.

 

The Retina's f/2.0 lens is slightly faster than the Contessa's Tessar f/2.8. But for most, it's a wash. Optically, both are really excellent lenses.

 

The Retina is quicker to use because of the lever wind. The Retina also has an edge in rewinding the film: The Contessa forces you to keep the rewind button depressed while turning the knob. The rewind button is the central part of the advance knob.

 

The Contessa has the built-in meter, although it's still working is another story.

 

In use, the Contessa's viewfinder is tinted green with a gold rangefinder patch (typical of Zeiss-Ikon cameras from that period). Zeiss-Ikon used prisms for the viewing/rangefinder system. The Retina used less-expensive mirrors and gilded mirrors.

 

The Contessa rangefinder rarely falls out of calibration, unless someone has been tinkering with it. The Retina might need recalibrated.

 

In terms of quality of construction, I think the Contessa is much better. But you pay for it in weight. And the Contessa is nearly always going to be more expensive than the Retina IIa.

 

Most assuredly, unless you buy a camera that's already been cleaned, both will need some type of service. Personally, I don't like buying cameras that have been cleaned.

 

I have real quick writeups on both cameras:

http://host.fptoday.com/melek/pages/cameras.html

 

You can't go wrong with either. As always, make sure that there is no fungus or mold on the lens and that the rangefinder appears to work.

 

Which do I like better? I like the Contessa.

[dan_fromm1]

Why not an Afga Karat? I mean one of the post-WWII ones that takes 35 mm film as is still sold, has a coupled RF, and one of the nicer lenses (Solinar, Tessar-type; Solagon, Opic/Planar/Xenon type). They're solid enough and usually less expensive than the equivalent Retina or Zeiss.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

[mike_elek]

Speaking of Agfa, another nice little folding camera is the Super Solinette. Coupled rangefinder with a Solinar lens. and very pocketable. Not as durable as a Contessa or Retina, in my opinion, but still very nice.

 

The folding Vito, Vito II and Vito IIa are nice, but they rely on guestimation zone focus. The Welti also has a good reputation -- haven't used one. As well, there was the Super Baldina, the Contina II (one of my personal favorites) and the Ikonta.

 

Certainly a lot of folding 35mm cameras, all more or less treading down the same path created by the Retinas.