Contarex

The Contarex of 1958-1966

Type	35mm SLR camera
Lens mount	Contarex bayonet
Focus	lens helical
Exposure	24 × 36mm on 35mm film

Zeiss Ikon (ZI) was the result of several German lens and camera manufacturers joining forces in 1926 to survive the depression in Germany during the 1920s. ZI made extremely fine and expensive cameras during the 1930s, some also with an interchangeable lens, culminating in 1935 with the 35mm Twin-Lens Reflex (TLR) Contaflex camera that has an oversized reflex finder in order to make it suitable for the small 35mm cine film format.^[1] In 1932, ZI had launched the well made and complex 35mm rangefinder (RF) Contax, both useful only for a limited range of focal length lenses, neither solving the design problems using the small 35mm film format. Nor was the new Ihagee Kine Exakta, launched in 1936, that employed the single lens reflex (SLR) concept perfect; its waist-level finder image was reversed. The solution that the opticians at ZI eventually devised for this inconvenience was a complex finder prism (pentaprism) placed just above the focusing screen that provided a right way round magnified eyelevel finder image.^[2]

However, it was first in 1949 that the East German ZI 35mm SLR Contax S from Dresden was shown with a pentaprism finder. This was a novel design, but quite poorly executed due to lack of quality in work and materials. In the mean time, ZI had relocated itself to Stuttgart, West Germany, starting from scratch. From here appeared in 1953 the 35mm Contaflex SLR employing a fixed lens set in a Synchro-Compur reflex leaf shutter. At the time very few amateur photographers even considered buying a second lens and ZI felt assured that the reliable and easily manufactured, yet complex, leaf shuttered reflex camera would become a popular concept that could be realised quickly. But in order to provide a professional 35mm SLR camera work on a much more ambitious project had begun, the Contarex.^[3]

The Contarex

The first Contarex, among collectors known as the Contarex Bullseye or the Cyclops, is a 35mm SLR camera first shown in 1958. It was Zeiss Ikon's contribution to the professional photographer, designed to handle any photographic task what so ever. It is extremely heavy and beautifully made, but it weighs almost net 1.2 kg, and the build is so complicated that it requires a skilled person even for the simplest repair. Even the simplest function is designed seemingly with a maximum of component parts. The mechanism involved rewinding the film into its cassette has two gear trains and three axles in order to avoid the internal meter movement. Still, the gear is subject to wear due to insufficient axle support.

The ZI, closely associated with the renowned Carl Zeiss lenses, was once the world's largest camera maker. Despite the fact that the Contarex cameras never sold in any appreciable quantity, a huge selection of lenses and accessories were made available, including the Contarex Special and the fixed wide-angle lens Contarex Hologon cameras. However, just a little more than ten years after the its introduction, both the camera and the manufacturer were history.

The first Contarex was generally available in 1959, the same year as the Nikon F and Canon Canonflex 35mm SLR cameras appeared. However, the Contarex came with a built-in external exposure meter, and it was coupled both to the aperture wheel by means of an aperture simulator, as well as to the shutter and film speed settings. In just a few years 35mm SLR Through-The-Lens (TTL) full aperture metering was introduced on the Topcon RE-Super and the race was on.^[4]

Camera description

The 'camera body is clutter free and quite easy to use, once it is realised that the lens aperture is set using the aperture wheel to the right on the front and read off a scale on top of the camera in front of the accessory shoe. There is no aperture ring on the Contarex lenses. The shutter speed dial is at the hub of the wind-on lever. The wind lever is short, and the load increases noticeably for the last third of the 180° travel, from the point the mirror and lens iris joins the cocking operation. The shutter release at the top of it, is rough and difficult to press smoothly. It is surrounded by a rotating frame-counter dial. A serrated black index ring must be turned to the red mark on the dial when film is loaded, or to the frame number shown on the film magazine frame-counter if that is loaded. The rewind knob is at the left-hand camera top. The rewind release is engaged by turning the right-hand camera-back lock-key at the base a bit. It is marked "R". The dial surrounding the rewind knob is a film reminder with three film-type indexes, one of these are set against tiny numbers on the edge of the rewind knob, assisted by a tiny stud at the dial. The large serrated outer knob is for easier camera grip. It does not rotate. On the front of the camera is on the left-hand side the sync. contact and the lens release button. On the right-hand side is a small self-timer lever. It is released by the shutter release.

The shutter speed dial has speeds engraved in thin numbers from 1 through 1000 and a green B on the rim of the serrated chrome dial. The speed is set against a protruding black triangle on the edge of the wind lever. Flash synchronisation is automatic, provided the correct speed is set. The speeds on the shutter speed dial is colour coded for correct synchronisation:

Black 1 - 1/30 sec. and B for fast M-bulbs.

Yellow 1/60 sec. for electronic flash.

Red 1/125 - 1/1000 sec. for slow FP bulbs.

The dial is difficult to read if no bright surface is reflected in it to contrast the numbers, and the colour coding is hardly visible for anyone not having acute vision.

The removable back door is replaceable with an accessory film magazine back with dark slide, enabling mid-film change. The camera back is released by turning the two keys at each side at the bottom and pulled off downwards. Each magazine has its own frame counter. Using the magazine requires the proper procedure and it is best explained reading the user manual.

The exposure meter

The selenium meter cell is in the Bullseye, at the front of the finder housing. It has a wide acceptance angle corresponding approximately to the standard lens. The meter movement is visible in an aperture to the right in the viewfinder, and also in a small window on top of the camera. All exposure parameters are couplet to the meter, even the lens aperture. This is accomplished using an aperture simulator. It is an [[Diaphragm (optics)]|iris]] replicating the lens aperture setting, placed in front of the selenium meter cell, and operated by the aperture wheel. To set correct exposure, an appropriate shutter speed is selected, and the aperture wheel turned until the meter needle is centred at the meter index mark. If no needle is visible, a different shutter speed might help, or possibly too little light is available.

The film speed dial is coaxial with the shutter speed dial. The shutter speed dial is lifted to set the film speed. The thin serrated ring under it is rotated until the correct number appears opposite a black triangle at the edge next to the number "2" on the shutter speed dial. Note that setting the film-speed to anything else than the green mark at the beginning of the ASA scale will limit the range of speeds available. In consequence, shutter speeds from 1/1000 to 1/15 sec. are available for the 100ASA setting. In low light, a second meter range is available by removing the light-baffle in front of the meter and using the Yellow index mark instead of the black triangle, in which case 1/1000 to 1 sec. is available for a 100ASA film.

The viewfinder

The finder is extremely bright and clear with a split image rangefinder in the centre, surrounded by a very fine micro prism collar. The rest of the area has fine Fresnel rings. To the right is the meter index window, but the pointer is only visible when settings are quite close to correct exposure. There is no way to tell which side the pointer is without trying other settings. When the camera is wound, the lens is wide open, while after exposure it is closed to the preset aperture. The finder is very bright so even when the lens is closed down to F22, the screen is just as bright as many contemporary low cost SLR camera finders at full aperture. There is actually no way to make believe this, but to experience it.

The lens

The standard lens is the Carl Zeiss Planar 1:2 f=50mm in bright aluminium finish with a chrome 49mm thread filter ring and an outer bayonet for ZI filters. The lens focuses to 30 cm, which is closer than usual 50 cm. The focusing helical is remarkably smooth and precise. There is no aperture ring on the Contarex lens itself. It is set on the camera aperture wheel. The Contarex lensmount takes only Contarex lenses and accessories.^[5]

References

1. ^ John Wade (1990). The Camera, From the 11th Century to the present day. Jessop Specialist Publishing, Leicester. ISBN 0951439235. 
2. ^ Ivor Matanle (1996). Collecting and using Classic SLRs. Thames & Hudson, London. ISBN 0500279012. 
3. ^ D.B. Tubbs (1977). Zeiss Ikon Cameras 1926-39. Hove Collectors Books, Hove. ISBN 1874707014. 
4. ^ Rudolph Lea (1993). The Register of 35mm Single Lens Reflex Cameras Second Ed.. Wittig Books Hückelhoven. ISBN 3889841309. 
5. ^ Charles M. Barringer (1995, 1999). ZEISS Compendium - East and West - 1940-1972. Hove Collectors Books, Hove. ISBN 1874707243. 

External links

The Contarex lenses:http://www.photomoritz.com/contarex/crex_lenses.html

The Contarex camera -1959:http://basepath.com/Photography/Contarex.php