Review of a 1950s Icon

Regular readers of this blog will remember reading Australian photographer Dom Ruikeh’s review of his CONTAX RX. So, last year when I discovered that he also had a Contax iiia I was quick to ask for a second write up of this iconic camera of the 1950s.

This is a review of the Zeiss Ikon Contax iiia which is one of the most beautiful classic cameras to look at, to hold, and to use. It is the same camera as the Contax iia, but with a lightmeter.

HISTORY

The Contax iia & iiia were produced between 1950-1961 in Stuttgart, West Germany by the Zeiss Ikon AG company. By the time of their introduction, the Contax name was already well regarded due to its predecessor - the Contax ii which was the 35mm camera of choice for professionals such as Robert Capa and only really rivaled by the Leica III series.

Appearance

It is a great feeling to look at and admire a shiny Contax iiia. Of all my cameras, no other has as much surface area metal, which adds to its jewel-like status. Even compared to my Leica barnacks, the type of chrome used in the Contax appear much brighter and shinier.

At 635g without a lens it has a fair bit of weight to it, reminding me that this is a serious luxury instrument that was built to last. There are no rubber or plastics that will degrade or get sticky over time. It is predominantly metal, including the shutter curtains that are aluminum and capable of achieving speeds up to 1/1250s which was the fastest of any camera of the time and not surpassed for decades to come. The only non-metal parts are the leather covering, the glass finders, and the nylon strings to tension the metal shutter curtains.

The Contax iiia has an exposure meter built into its top plate, which noticeably increases the height and weight of the camera compared with the Contax iia which has no exposure meter and weighs only 510g. The lid will spring open upon pressing a knob which allows light to activate the selenium photocells. Amazingly the exposure meter on my camera still works and is accurate!

In Use

Whilst the Contax iiia looks good enough to just sit in a display cabinet and admire while sipping whisky, it is a sophisticated working instrument even for today’s standards. The camera has three unique features which is why I use the camera today:

Focus adjustments can be made by turning the focus wheel with the right hand index finger

Additional focus wheel. Whilst you can focus the lens the traditional method by turning the lens barrel with your left hand, the Contax also has a unique focus wheel beside the shutter release button. This allows you to focus, compose, and release the shutter all with the one hand. The other benefit of the additional focus wheel is when changing the aperture. I often use my right index finger to lock the focus wheel in place so that the lens does not turn when changing aperture.

Contax iiia alongside the Sonnar 5cm f1.5 lens

Internal helicoid for 50mm Zeiss Sonnar Lens. Let’s be frank here - as good as a camera is, it is the quality of the lens that is of more importance in the output and look of the photo. The original German made Zeiss Sonnar 5cm f1.5 lens in my opinion is the greatest lens for portraits ever made, and the native camera to mount this lens are the Contax rangefinders. (As this is not a lens review, you can read about the many extols of this lens by other online reviewers). This lens mount is known as the Contax Rangefinder (RF) mount and there are not many camera options to mount this (see below on ‘Alternatives’ section) which is a key reason for using the Contax iiia today.

You will note as well the Sonnar lens has no focusing mechanism. Instead the focusing helicoid is built inside the Contax body. This allows almost half the length of the Sonnar lens to sit discreetly inside the camera body, making this combination a very compact and slim camera. The photo below compares the width profile of the Contax iiia and Sonnar lens vs the Leica III and Elmar lens. The Elmar 50mm f3.5 is the smallest of Leica 50mm lenses yet is comparable in size to the Sonnar when mounted and extended. Considering that the Sonnar is a f1.5 and the Elmar is a f3.5, this is an impressive feat of the Zeiss design.

Contax iiia on the left, Leica III on the right

Reloadable film cassettes. Another thoughtful design feature of the Contax iia & iiia are the reloadable cassettes which can be used on both the film-feeding side, as well as the take-up spool side. Other cameras allow for reloadable cassettes to only insert on the film-feeding side of the camera (eg. Leica’s FILCA) which means they are only used for bulk film loading. The Contax however can also be used on the take-up spool, meaning there is no need to rewind the film once you’ve finished the roll, minimising the risk of dust or scratches on the film. You simply remove the back, and take out the Contax reloadable cassette which is scratch proof and light-tight. There is no need to trim the film leader to a specific shape or fumble around trying to take the leader out of a 35mm film canister.

Things to watch out for:

I have owned three Contax iia’s and three Contax iiia’s but have since consolidated my collection to just the 1 mint condition Contax iiia as pictured in this review. Things to look out for include:

Leather covering - the infamous Zeiss bumps were present on all my cameras. This occurs over time when the copper rivets on the camera body react with adhesives in the leather covering. Zeiss bumps are very easy to remove and fix permanently. There are several online forums which detail how to do this which you can look up, or feel free to leave a comment below and I can detail how I did mine.
Glass viewfinder and rangefinder – dusty and hazy viewfinders/rangefinders are common, and the downside of the additional focus wheel detailed above means that there is a small gap in the body for dust and moisture to get into the rangefinder. Again there are several online forums and videos that detail how to clean this on your own. Patience and the right tools are needed, and be careful when reassembling the front plate to ensure the rangefinder is not misaligned. It is a pain to re-calibrate this accurately. If this has happened to you leave me a comment and I can detail how I calibrate the rangefinder.

Alternatives

There are very few options when it comes to mounting Contax RF mount lenses, which makes the Contax rangefinders still appealing today. The only alternatives I am aware of are:

1. Voigtlander Bessa R2C- this was a limited special production run by the Cosina Co. in Japan to equip the Contax RF mounts in their Bessa rangefinders. They are very rare and command ridiculous prices on the second hand market, even if you can find one. It practically does everything the Contax iiia does, but better and faster. I love using the modern Bessa R2C as it takes me half the time to take the same photos as the Contax iiia. The longevity of the Bessa however is questionable, with many parts made of plastic and the rubber grip on mine starting to degrade and feel sticky. If I can liken the Bessa R2C to a sleek and efficient modern Honda, the Contax iiia would be a classic luxury Mercedes (also made in Stuttgart) which can be passed down to future generations.

The Contax iiia on the left, compared with the Bessa R2C on the right

2. Kiev– the Soviet made Kiev cameras are direct replicas of the Contax cameras. I have not used any of these but understand the earlier models after the second world war were not simply copies, but actual descendants of the Contax cameras, with many technicians and manufacturing equipment moved from Germany to the Soviet plant in Kiev, Ukraine. These are plentiful on the secondhand market but the postage to Australia is often more than the camera itself.

3. Contax RF to Leica adapters – the final option is to purchase an adapter to fit onto Leica LTM or M cameras. As these adapters require built-in helicoids they are not cheap, with good ones made by Amedeo, Kipon, or Yeenon going for US$300 and upwards.

Here are some sample photos taken on the Contax IIIa

Thank you Dom for this excellent review, for me it’s fantastic to see passionate photographers still treasuring, maintaining and using vintage cameras like the Contax iiia.

Dom Ruikeh is an award winning Adelaide and Sydney based creative that goes by the name Refracting Light. He uses a variety of media particularly 35mm film which he bulk rolls, self-develops and scans. His main focus is raw, natural-style portrait photography. He is also a camera collector and restorer with a particular fondness for all things Zeiss. You can see more of his work on his website or on his Instagram gallery @refracting_light