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Gear Reviews: Zeiss Contax IIIa

 
 

The Zeiss Contax IIIa (together with the IIa) was produced between 1950  & 1961, launched right after WWII as the last incarnation of the Contax line which dates back from the Contax I in 1932. It was the best-made and most capable 35mm rangefinder camera with the best lenses before WWII, going up against luminaries such as the Leica III, Nikon S and Canon IV, until the Leica M3 outclassed it when it came out in 1954. The difference between the IIa & IIIa was merely the uncoupled selenium light meter, which came with the latter. The light meter was usually inaccurate or no longer working, making the IIa the more popular choice, with its more streamlined looks.

 

The Zeiss Contax IIIa was my first foray into the wonderful world of rangefinder cameras, and like all first relationships it was a time of discovery, joy, & compromise, setting the benchmark for all subsequent relationships that follow.

 

Yes, I’ve since succumbed to the alluring call of the Leica M cameras, but before you dismiss this camera as a mere stepping stone to an eventual Leica, I’ll like to take this opportunity to give my honest opinion on this camera, and why I proudly say that it is one of the cameras closest to my heart.

 

I shall skip the rest of the history lesson and go straight into what I feel are the pros & cons of this camera, as well as discuss a little on how the camera operates. I will mostly be using my Leica Ms as a benchmark, having the privilege to own both Leica M2 & M3s in recent times.

 

Pros:

 

The post-war Zeiss-Opton Sonnar 50mm f1.5 lens. This has got to be the number one reason for getting this camera. The lens is a stunner, and has got to rate as one of my all time favorite 50mm lenses, especially for black & white work. I use it primarily as a portrait lens, as it has a way of flattering subjects by melting away skin flaws and blemishes, as when shot wide open the lens is soft and low contrast in it’s rendering. I also love the creamy and sometimes-wild bokeh, giving images loads of character, and images typically exudes a timeless old-world charm. Stopped down, the lens is acceptably sharp. I now use the lens on my Leica Ms as well, thanks to a Contax-Leica adapter I’ve purchased from Amedeo Muscelli. The adapter doesn’t come cheap (cost me $270 USD), but since I primarily shoot Leica Ms these days it does make sense.
Value for money system, especially for people who are cost conscious and are new to rangefinder photography, yet demand high quality German engineering. It has a decent array of lens options available, with cheap Russian Jupiter lenses (Zeiss Sonnar clones) a cheap alternative to German glass. A number of Japanese makers also made lenses for the Contax system, but are generally expensive due to their rarity. A Contax IIa or IIIa kit with the fantastic Zeiss Sonnar would only set you back between $500-800, way cheaper than most Leica lenses on their own.
Although purely academic and offers no real world advantages, the Contax cameras do have a top speed of 1/1250, a fraction quicker than Leica, which max out at 1/1000.
Potential one-handed operation of the camera, since it has a focusing wheel right below the shuter release, similar to that found in Nikon S mount cameras.
Have I mentioned they are terrifically well made cameras? The chrome finish is even better than the Leica M3 IMHO, and everything about it feels well made. A truly beautiful camera.

 

Cons:

 

The viewfinder sucks. It’s tiny, squinty, and has no frame lines. You only get the 50mm view from the finder, anything else requires an external finder. Without framelines, let alone parallax correction, close-up framing is tricky & inaccurate. If you wear spectacles, it’s a nightmare to use. The rangefinder patch is very contrasty though, and works very well even in low-light situations.
The shutter is noisy & not as discrete as the cloth shutters found in Leica M cameras. It makes a metallic click sound, compared to the soft dampened click of the Leica cloth shutters.
I’ve not had issues with the metal shutters in the Contax IIIa, but it’s widely circulated in the Internet that this is prone to failure due to design, often requiring complex and expensive repairs if broken.
Knob for film advance, compared to the crank found in most modern film rangefinders. It does somewhat slow down the operation of the camera, but not a big issue as it’s easy of live with after awhile.
Manual film counter. Not a problem for me as well, as I also use a Leica M2, which also doesn’t have an automatic counter. Just something you need to make a point to remember.
Slow film rewind knob. Same issue as the early Leica M cameras, so not a concern for me.
Slow film loading, requiring the base plate/camera back to be removed. Also the same issue faced by all Leica film M cameras in fact, so not a disadvantage when compared

 

I shall end off by leaving you with some images taken with this kit. Hope you’ve enjoyed my simple write-up, and do visit Camera Quest for more information, from which some references were made in this article.

 

 
 

Review contributed by Ernest Liew

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