kevin_travis

<p>Solely because you wondered if "my settings are not right and the meter isn't turning on," I'll add that the meter on your Contaflex Super BC only functions when the middle setting ring on the lens (the one between the shutter-speed ring at the outer end of the lens and the focusing ring at the inner end of the lens) is set to the red "A" mark. That middle ring has a small latch at the red "A" mark that must be depressed and held in before it can be turned. There is a finger-pad on the opposite side of that ring to make holding in the latch (with your thumb) and simultaneously turning the ring easier. When the red "A" mark is set at the black dot between the middle and aperture rings, and the thumb-latch is released, the camera is set for "A"utomatic operation, and the meter will then show what aperture is being automatically set by the camera as you adjust the shutter-speed ring while aiming the camera at your subject (assuming your battery is supplying the necessary current and the meter is working properly). Because this is a shutter-speed-priority system, you must select the f-stop you desire by changing the shutter speed and watching the meter needle in the viewfinder, or the meter display on the top left of the camera, which both display the automatically selected aperture.<br>

The numbers to the left of the "A" mark on the middle ring interlock the camera's focus and aperture to provide automatically adjusted exposure when using manual flash, and must be used with caution, because, when engaged, they prevent focusing outside the distance ranges of proper flash exposure (and therefore make the camera appear to be malfunctioning). There are two sets of numbers to the left of the "A" mark, which represent the guide number of your flash bulbs: black for use with the 50mm standard Tessar lens, and red for the 35mm Pro-Tessar lens. The numbers to the right of the "A" are for fully manual exposure, allowing you to set both the shutter speed (with the shutter-speed ring) and the aperture (with the middle ring) to the values you wish. Because the only time the meter is needed is when the middle ring is set to the "A" mark, that is the only time the meter functions. Is is therefore wise to store the camera with the middle ring set to something other than the "A" mark, because that "turns off" the meter circuit, and will prevent the battery from running down needlessly.</p>

<p>As Michael indicated, Contaflex cameras do NOT have instant-return mirrors. When the shutter is released, the mirror swings up before the exposure is made, and then it REMAINS up until the camera is wound for the next exposure. You should be able to see through your camera again as soon as you wind the shutter.</p>

First, you do not have a Contaflex Super B. It is more likely you have a Super (Old Style). If your camera has an

exposure wheel on the front of the camera, under the rewind knob, then it is a Super (Old Style). If your camera

does NOT have the exposure wheel on the front, your first task must be to identify exactly which one of the many

different Contaflex models you have.

 

Second, you must understand how to use your exact camera model. The Super (Old Style) has an automatic

exposure control under which the exposure wheel and the shutter-speed knob are coupled. The shutter must be

wound before the exposure controls are used. I would suggest you do an internet search to find a place to download

the manual for your camera, then study it and learn how your exact camera model is supposed to operate. I did a

search on "Contaflex Super Instruction Manual" and got several hits where one could be downloaded for free.

 

While it is not relevant to your question, there are several settings on my Super B where the range of possible

aperture settings or the range of focusing is intentionally limited (such as the guide-number feature, where focusing

the lens also adjusts the aperture for automatic exposure control of manual flashes or flash-bulbs). While it might

seem like the camera is "locked" under such circumstances, it is actually operating properly, and as designed. You

will not be able to tell until you learn how your specific camera model is supposed to operate. Good luck!<div></div>

I do not believe it matters whether you leave the flash lever set on "X" or "M" while taking regular daylight non-flash photographs. When you employ the self-timer (by setting the flash lever to "V") the flash lever automatically returns to the "X" setting, and that's where I have always left mine. I do not find any specific warnings about shutter damage in the three Contaflex owner's manuals I have (IV, Super B, and Super BC), but all three of them emphasize that the shutter must first be cocked BEFORE the flash lever is moved to "V" for self-timer operation. In the later models of the Super B and BC (and presumably the S as well), which are marked "Synchro-Compur-X" on the front of the lens barrel rather than just "Synchro-Compur," the option for "M" flash sync has been deleted, the PC connection is always at "X" sync, and the former flash lever carries only a "V" mark and is used only to activate the self-timer.

Graham, can you tell us if you have the Contaflex Super "Old Style," with a large circular setting ring on the FRONT of the camera, near the upper right-hand corner (as you're looking into the front element of the lens, as if to have your own picture taken), or one of the Contaflex Super "New Style" variants, which do NOT have any setting ring on the front? If yours is the "New Style," does it have a square battery door on the front of the camera or a glass window on the front of the pentaprism housing for a light meter? Knowing which model you have will make it easier to answer your questions.

 

Going solely on the information you've already provided, I'm afraid it sounds like your shutter needs repair. All of the Contaflex Supers have some sort of coupled metering. The Super "Old Style" is a match-needle camera, and the setting ring on the front of the camera was used to set the aperture, while the shutter speeds were set with a conventional shutter-speed ring on the lens. The selenium meter (on the front of the pentaprism housing, with no words printed on it) simply moved the meter needle, and the camera should always "fire" at the selected shutter speed and aperture when the shutter release is pressed. The later "New Style" variants were all shutter-priority automatic-exposure cameras, differing in their metering arrangements. The "New Style" Super B still had an external selenium meter on the front of the pentaprism (with the words "Zeiss Ikon" printed in white on the glass front of the meter), while the Super BC and the Contaflex S had a CdS through-the-lens meter that required a battery (and had a flat stick-on label with the words "Zeiss Ikon" or "Contaflex S" on the front of the pentaprism). For all three cameras, the user selected the desired shutter speed, and the meter would then automatically set the proper aperture for that shutter speed and the prevailing light conditions, and indicate its choice in the viewfinder and in a window on the top of the camera.

 

Thus, no matter which model you have, and regardless of whether the meter is working or the battery (if any) is dead, the shutter should always fire at the speed you've selected if it is working properly. If yours only fires at one speed, even when set to the "B" setting, then I'm afraid it most likely requires repair.

The principal difference between a Contaflex Super B and Super BC is that the meter was changed from a selenium meter mounted on the front of the pentaprism housing (in the Super B) to a Cadmium Disulfide (CdS) through-the-lens meter (in the Super BC). It is easy to tell the two models apart because the Super BC has a battery door on one of the front side panels, while the Super B does not (because selenium meters do not require batteries). The Super B also has a window on the front of the pentaprism housing with the words "Zeiss Ikon" printed in white, and the window lets light into the selenium meter. There is no window on a Super BC in that location, but instead a flat sticker with the words "Zeiss Ikon" printed in black.

 

Because the mercury batteries for which these cameras (and many others) were designed are no longer available because of environmental concerns, you have to use some alternative. Wein cells are one, but they are hard to find fresh, and do not last long once activated. An adapter (MR-9) is available from www.criscam.com that will convert a readily available silver-oxide 386 battery to fit the original PX-13 or PX-625 mercury cell holder, and also includes a circuit to reduce the silver-oxide voltage to the lower mercury voltage, but they are a little pricey. The "voltage adjustment screw" you mention is NOT intended to adjust for different battery voltages, and should not be used for that purpose. It is merely a variable resistor to finely adjust the exact automatic exposure information provided by the meter.

 

The "Automatic" mode on this camera is just a straight shutter-priority through-the-lens metering system. You set your film's ASA speed on the ring near the top edge of the rewind knob on the left top plate of the camera, then set the second ring (from the front) around the lens of the camera to the "A" setting, and then set your preferred shutter speed with the first ring (from the front) around the lens. The selected shutter speed is shown at the bottom of the scale you can see along the right side of the image in your viewfinder, and the scale above the shutter speed should show (if everything is working properly) the aperature the metering system has selected for the shutter speed you set. The aperature is also shown in a separate window on the camera's top plate, between the rewind knob and the pentaprism housing.

 

The numbers to the left and right of the "A" on the second ring are for two different modes. Those to the RIGHT are for manual f-stops, so you can manually set BOTH the shutter speed (with the first ring) and the f-stop (with the second ring, using those numbers to the right of the "A" setting). Those to the LEFT are guide numbers, and provide an interlock between the focusing and the aperature setting for flash photography. In other words, as you focus on objects farther away, the aperature is automatically opened, to maintain a proper exposure with the flash equipment whose guide number you've set. The black numbers are for the normal 50mm lens, while the red numbers are for the 35mm Pro-Tessar. You need to be VERY careful in setting the camera to these guide numbers, because when the focusing and aperature are interlocked, the focus will no longer move through its full range, but only in that range where proper exposure is possible with the guide number of the flash gun or bulb you are using. If you force the focus beyond these stops, the camera will be seriously damaged.

 

The battery will only fit in one way, but unlike in most equipment, where the battery fits flat into a holder, the battery in the Super BC fits in at a weird 45-degree angle, and is held in place by a little knob on the inside surface of the battery door. The camera only takes one battery. The battery door will not close if the battery is not properly installed, and the battery contacts are VERY difficult to reach for a proper cleaning, especially the contact that is towards the front of the camera. If a dead battery has leaked on them and caused corrosion, they turn green, and if you can see ANY green in the battery compartment, the contacts are corroded and need to be cleaned, because that corrosion interferes with the electrical connection between the camera and the battery. The battery door is also very weakly designed, and if you open and close it often, or put too much pressure on it, it is very easy to break. Many Super BC cameras have tape on the front to hold a broken battery door shut. If you try to clean the battery contacts yourself, please be very careful, or just send the camera to a professional. Obviously, unless the battery makes perfect electrical contact with the camera, the meter is not going to work, or is not going to work properly.

 

The "Flash-Matic" logo on top of the camera refers to the camera's ability to interlock the focus and aperature on a guide number, as discussed above. Below the lightning-bolt symbol is the PC flash terminal, and next to that is a socket into which one of the folding Zeiss-Ikon bulb-type flash guns can be plugged. Behind those is a "cold" flash bracket. The small window on the upper front of the camera, to the left of the pentaprism housing, that you're referring to as the "light meter" is actually just a window to let light into the camera to illuminate the f-stop and shutter-speed scale to the right of the image you see in the viewfinder. You can prove this to yourself by looking through the viewfinder and then putting your finger over this window, which will cause the scales in the viewfinder to go dark. That window is not part of the through-the-lens metering system.

 

I would suggest trying to locate an original owner's manual for this camera if you intend to use it. It is a fairly capable vintage camera, with many available accessories, but like with anything else, it does help to know how to use it!

 

With apologies for the delay in my response to your question, yes, my system case does have a catalogue number on it. I originally thought the only marking was the Zeiss-Ikon logo on the fixed (lower) portion of the front, but once I completely unloaded it so I could turn it over and look at the bottom, it has (in addition to four half-moon chrome-plated feet) a small rectangular box with "Germany 23.0206" inside it. I realize I should have posted a photo with my original inquiry, so I'm doing that now. Thanks for your reply.<div></div>

It is simply a matter of optics. Users of modern interchangeable lenses are accustomed to getting a dedicated focusing scale with each lens they attach to their cameras, because those interchangeable lenses have the focusing mechanism built into them, and the focusing scales (on the lenses themselves) are individually calibrated to that lens' focal length. On the Contaflex, however, the focusing ring (with its markings) and the depth-of-field indicator are permanently attached to the camera body, and the "interchangeable lenses" are really only interchangeable front elements that substitute for the single lens that comprises the standard 50mm (or, depending on model, 45mm) lens. When you change the focal length (by replacing the 50mm front element with the 35mm, 85mm, or 115mm accessory Pro-Tessars), the scales that are a permanent part of the camera are no longer accurate. That's why each Pro-Tessar has a built-in depth-of-field scale that is properly calibrated to its focal length.

 

Your comment that the 35mm and 50mm "both focus as they should" is mostly correct. The scales on the camera are completely correct for the 50mm standard front element, and the 35mm Pro-Tessar is close enough in focal length (only 15mm wider) that the scales are still pretty much right-on. When you substitute the 85mm or 115mm, as you've noticed, the scales get noticeably off, because those focal lengths are considerably different (35mm and 65mm longer) than the standard lens. The depth-of-field scales on the Pro-Tessars allow you to accurately determine that variable, but there was no way to provide an accurate focusing scale with an accessory front lens and a focusing ring permanently mounted to the camera and calibrated for the standard 50mm front element.

 

Of course, the same problem exists, and is very much worse, with the 8x30 monocular (which has an effective focal length on the camera of about 400mm) and the M1:1 Macro lens that were also available.

That's not a focusing ring, but a depth-of-field indicator. Contaflexes are leaf-shutter cameras, and the interchangeable lenses that are available for them substitute only for the front element of the standard 50mm (or, depending on model, 45mm) lens. The rest of the lens elements, plus the shutter, diaghpram, and focusing mechanism, are permanently affixed to the camaera and are not changed when the front element of the lens is changed.

 

However, different focal-length lenses provide different depths of field, and because the regular depth-of-field indicator for the standard lens is on that part of the lens assembly that is permanently affixed to the camera, it becomes inaccurate when one of the interchangeable front elements is installed. Thus, each of the available interchangeable elements (35mm, 85mm, and 115mm) has the dial you're asking about, which shows the depth of field for the entire lens assembly once that particular front element is attached to the camera. You simply line up your focus distance (in meters on the red scale of the moveable ring, or in feet on the white scale of the moveable ring) with the fixed white arrowhead on the lens barrel, and then read down from the red f/stop numbers on either side of the white arrowhead to see what the correct depth-of-field is for that particular front element.

 

The numbers on my 35mm front element are not that much different from the ones on the focusing mount of my Contaflex BC for the standard 50mm front element, but the numbers are significantly different for the 85mm and 115mm front elements. Hope this helps clarify the use of this ring.

I have been using late-model Contaflex SLR cameras (such as the Super B

and Super BC) as my "classic" shooters since the mid-seventies. While I

consider myself not utterly ignorant about the many lenses and accessories

available in the Contaflex system, I recently acquired a Zeiss accessory with

which I was previously unacquainted...a fitted leather system case for one

body, two lenses, and other accessories. The body, with the standard f2.8/50mm

lens attached, fits in a cradle at the very top of the case, with the lens

pointing downward. The two lenses fit into split plastic cups at the bottom of

the case, and are held in place by friction created by circular C-shaped

springs on the outsides of the cups. The remainder of the interior, including

the inside of the lid (which latches at the top and, when unlatched, folds down

to open the front of the case), the bottom area not occupied by the two lens

cups, and the back of the case, is liberally equipped with strangely shaped

leather straps, some with buckles to detach one end, and others permanently

affixed. There are also six slots, three on each side, above the camera

cradle, and the bottom includes a curved metal bracket that looks like it might

hold something about the size of a 35mm film cannister. Four of the straps

hold individual Zeiss plastic cases for 28.5mm slip-on filters for the standard

lens, but I can't determine, even with all the Zeiss accessories I already own,

what the majority of the straps were originally intended to hold.

 

My question is: have any of you ever seen, or do any of you currently

have, any Zeiss promotional materials that show any pictures of this type of

fitted Contaflex system case with all the "goodies" in it, that would allow me

to figure out what each set of straps is supposed to hold down, and how those

items should be inserted in them? I've spent many hours hunting on the

internet for such pictures, and while it is easy to find lots of pictures of

Contaflex cameras, lenses, and fitted camera eveready cases, I haven't been

able to find a single thing about these fitted system cases. Because it is

embossed with the Zeiss-Ikon name in the leather on the front, I'm pretty sure

it is a legitimate factory accessory, but equally sure it is a mysterious one.

Thanks for whatever help you can provide!