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TonyMiller
15th November 2010, 07:28 PM
I bought this camera the other day in North Yorkshire - boxed, instructions, case and in mint condition. It looks like it hasn't been used!
The one thing I've found before with cameras this age is the light seals have usually gone. On this camera I can't find any light seals and no trace of any. By light seals I mean the material,some kind of felt I think, that can end up going gooey (for want of a better word).

Should I be concerned before I use it?

- Tony

Dave miller
15th November 2010, 07:31 PM
Maybe it never had any, I have a Balda of similar vintage and there's no felt in that either. Any way you will soon find out when you use it.

TonyMiller
15th November 2010, 07:35 PM
Cheers Dave - I'm out early tomorrow running some tests before I take it with me on holiday.

- Tony

Richard Gould
15th November 2010, 08:07 PM
Tony,I have the Contina 2, the one with the built in rangefinder, among my collection of folders, they are great cameras capable of very good images.To answer your question, they do not have light seals, they have light trapping which works very well indeed, so enjoy and let us know how you get on with the camera,Richard

TonyMiller
15th November 2010, 08:18 PM
Tony,I have the Contina 2, the one with the built in rangefinder, among my collection of folders, they are great cameras capable of very good images.To answer your question, they do not have light seals, they have light trapping which works very well indeed, so enjoy and let us know how you get on with the camera,Richard

Thanks Richard. I'm pretty impressesd with it actually. It has EV numbers on the side - something I'm not used to using to be honest. But I like the simplicity of it.
I'm heading to Paris for a week to see my wife's family and I want to use it there. I'll hopefully have something to put up in the albums when I'm back.
Now I've just to get the film through security at the airport.......:rolleyes:

- Tony

Richard Gould
15th November 2010, 08:29 PM
Tony a lot of cameras of that era used EV numbers,I tend ti ignore them and just set the time/fstop as normal, Does your contina have an interlock so that once set the shutter speed/f stop lock and so you change the shutter sped/aperture at the same time? that can be usefull,I f yours is like mine then when you load the film then make very sure that the sprockets are engaged on the gizmo half way along the film track at the top otherwise the film will not advance properly and the shutter will stay locked, same as on some of the early Voigtlanders,without a film in then it seems as if the shutter is not working, Got a voigtlander cheap due to that reason once,Richard

TonyMiller
15th November 2010, 09:07 PM
Richard - yes it has an interlock which,as you say, could be useful. I'll probably also leave the EV's and just use the aperture/shutter. The shutter does fire without a film and it appears to wind on ok also. It also came with a filter - an Actina 28-5 - whatever that is. I'll probably just leave it on to protect the lens (a Novar 45mm f3.5) and remove it when I use it.
From searching on the web it seems like a 1950's model - no rangefinder or meter. Can't wait to use it now......

- Tony

Richard Gould
15th November 2010, 09:48 PM
The novar lens is vey good, I have a Zeiss Ikonta B from1948 with a novar lens,it is a triplet, and is best stopped down a bit, say 8 or better, where it is very good, sounds like your contina is the second generation,my 2 is a folder,the rarer one with a tessar lens and a compur shutter, from the early fifties,I am guessing your is the solid body,they were very well made, as all german cameras were,and are great fun to use, they are great for street photography, people do not tend to take you to seriously with one of these old cameras,I love them, and use old classic cameras all the time, and have done for over 2 years now, they are such fun, and produce the goods,Richard

JulioF
17th November 2010, 12:23 AM
I have one of those, it is a very decent little folder! As said above the Novar is a great lens especially below f5.6.

Graeme
17th November 2010, 01:15 PM
Thanks Richard. I'm pretty impressesd with it actually. It has EV numbers on the side - something I'm not used to using to be honest. But I like the simplicity of it.
I'm heading to Paris for a week to see my wife's family and I want to use it there. I'll hopefully have something to put up in the albums when I'm back.
Now I've just to get the film through security at the airport.......:rolleyes:

- Tony

Jelaous of your find, hope it's brilliant for you; don't worry about film, nothing noticeable should occur unless you exceed half a dozen or more xrays - then it becomes a risk. Fingers crossed for you.

ujjwaldey
19th November 2010, 05:15 PM
On this camera I can't find any light seals and no trace of any. By light seals I mean the material,some kind of felt I think, that can end up going gooey (for want of a better word).

Should I be concerned before I use it?

- Tony


It doesn't have a light seal with a felt substance. Most Zeiss design achieved light seal by the melat to metal groove fit.

I remember reading somehwre that the felt type sealing was commonly used by the Japanese manufacturers because that saved costs of accurate machining

TonyMiller
24th November 2010, 09:52 PM
Thanks all for your comments. I spent six days, in between photographic exhibitions, walking Paris and using the camera. I've started printing the 6 rolls I took and they're looking pretty good. I had a problem with the film snagging and ended up breaking a film whilst winding it on. I managed to save most of it though it has a bit of fogging from when I opened the camera back in a not-completely dark toilet. Anyway I'll post some photographs in the albums soon.
Thanks again

Tony

TonyMiller
29th November 2010, 08:20 PM
Just posted the first prints in the albums from this trip with the Contina. I used HP5+ rated at 1600 as the light was lousy. At first I did use a Voigtlander rangefinder mounted on the hotshoe as my judgement on distance isn't up to much but after a while I just guessed and it seems to have worked out ok.

Richard Gould
29th November 2010, 09:27 PM
Tony, on any of my non rangefinder cameras use hyperfocal distance setting, as long as you get the lens stopped down to 11 or better then focusing is not a major problem, guesstimate system works well, use the rangefinder for close work,Richard

TonyMiller
29th November 2010, 09:41 PM
Coming from digital and AF it took me a little time to trust in the optics but it worked out well. Thanks for your comment.

Richard Gould
29th November 2010, 09:51 PM
I also used autofocus for 35 mm untill I got hooked on these classics two or 3 years ago, It took me a film or two to trust these old lenses, nowadays I always use the classics for 35mm and MF work, and don't give the lenses a thought, my AF gear was gathering dust untill I traded them for yet more old gear a little while ago, Like your album, by the way, shows what 60 year old camera and lenses can do,Richard