[rollei_list] Re: Contax IIa report
- From: Marc James Small <msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 13:15:39 -0400
At 10:40 AM 5/5/06 +0200, Thor Legvold wrote:
>It was my understanding that the IIa/IIIa were complete redesigns,
>Zeiss having lost the molds and technical plans to the Russians/East
>Germany, and the need for a modernized design compared to the prewar
>model.
>
> From what I've read, the II/III have a completely different shutter
>design thatn the IIa/IIIa (although on casual inspection it appears
>similar) and a more robust, clearer & brighter (and more accurate)
>range/viewfinder system. The shutter speed setting seems to be more
>difficult in use than that of the IIa, and there are numerous reports
>that the finish and quality of materials (especially the chrome) was
>not up to the same standard that the IIa was.
>
>Henry Scherer goes into detail also as to the advances/changes made in
>the shutter escapement between the BD and CD versions, apparently there
>was quite a bit of development done there, as well as the added nicety
>of a standard PC sync connection as opposed to the proprietary plug
>used on the BD version.
>
>But then, I've never actually seen or used a II/III, only done some
>research on the 'net.
Henry Schering is a highly respected repair man. However, many of the
positions he sets out with regard to the history of optical and camera
design are ones at variance with the conclusions reached by other scholars
and I would suggest that you hold his positions with some suspicion unless
confirmed from other sources.
Zeiss Ikon was formed by a government-sponsored merger of four smaller
camera companies under the leadership of the Zeiss Foundation in 1926 (a
very similar deal brokered by the government led to the creation of
Auto-Union, now Audi). At that time, the Zeiss Foundation was by far the
largest optical firm in the world and was immensely wealthy. The
Foundation decided to make Zeiss Ikon its prestige line and decided to make
a premier 35mm camera to lead their wares. Immense engineering work went
into the Contax and only the best of materials were used. The leadership
of Zeiss Ikon during the 1930's was Heinz Küppenbender, who went on to head
the German optical industry during the War and to head the Zeiss Foundation
after the War; the Contax was designed by Emmanual Goldberg, a daring and
innovative creator, and its development was headed up by Hubert Nerwin, who
went on after the War to design the 70mm Combat Graphic in the US. These
guys knew their business and were extremely competent.
The Contax I was a work in evolution, but the Contax II and III were mature
designs of great quality and ability, and the immense number of accessories
made them versatile system cameras.
Then came the War. Afterwards, the Zeiss Foundation was effectively
bankrupt, and Zeiss Ikon was in even worse shape. Decent materials were
not available in Germany at any price. The Contax designs were available
but the Stuttgart plant had previously produced only large and medium
format cameras under the Contessa-Nettel and Zeiss Ikon names, and there
was no tooling or industrial expertise for the production of
miniature-format (35mm) cameras. And, as you note, the Contax tooling had
been seized by the Soviets for the most part and sent off to the Arsenal
Works in Kiev. A comparison in the production capacity of Zeiss Ikon
before and after the War can be seen by examining the order number index
produced by the Zeiss Historica Society: The compilation of Prewar numbers
runs to some 67 pages in fine type; the Postwar index runs to only 7 pages
in larger type. The Zeiss Foundation was anxious to resume produciton of
the Cointax but, in the end, Zeiss Ikon had to reinvent the wheel and had
almost no resources with which to do so.
The Prewar VF/RF is vastly better than that of the Postwar model, in
measure because Zeiss Ikon had enjoyed much better access to fine optical
glass than did the Postwar concern.. The Prewar Contax uses brass slats in
its shutter; brass was just not economically available in 1950, so the
Postwar Contax uses aluminium shutter slats which require a redesigned
shutter and which only have about 1/10 the service life of the brass
shutters. Fit and finish on both Prewar and Postwar Contax cameras are
generally good but the materials used on the Prewar cameras are
incomparably better.
There are no differences between the BD and CD versions of the IIa/IIIa and
Schering is simply wrong to suggest this. The factory makes no mention of
this in its repair manuals and, in fact, a BD camera could be converted to
a CD, as was my IIa.
The most authoritative works on the Contax range is ON THE TRAIL OF THE
CONTAX by Hans-Jürgen Kuc, available in both German and English editions.
He discusses the Prewar and Postwar cameras and the constraints which
caused the Postwar cameras to be less satisfactory than the Prewar cameras
from a users perspective.
Had the War not occurred, the Contax IV and the Leica IV would have been
competing in the marketplace by 1942. As it was, Leitz made the jump
Postwar to the M series but avoided the SLR until 1964, while Zeiss Ikon,
after producing two prototype Contax IV cameras in the mid-1950's, decided
by 1957 to end Contax production and to go over to the dark side with the
Contarex, the camera system which eventually bankrupted the company.
Marc
msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!
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