Contax S User manual

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                       azErs.
                            IKON
INSTRUCTIONS
               {or using the
coNTAX-S


MECHANIK. ZEISS IKON VEB - DRESDEN

I M PO RTANT.  . , Register your Comero   !
                    (Use Applicotion Form Sr-rpplied With Comero)
           One of the feotures of the CONTAX 5 comerq is the inter,
                chongeobility of lenses. However the porticulor lens on your
            comerq hos been corefully motched ond colibroted to it to
                         ensure the utmost degree of perfection.
            Under no circumstonces qccep'i onother lens insteod of the
                one thot wos so corelully synchronized to the comero.
               Supplementory lenses (wide ongle ond tele objectives) will be
              motched to your comero ot no expense to you. You hove the
                   world's finest comero - be sure thot the lenses motch-
                            c-     <zt       </>                         (-rcono Lomero Lorp.
                          527 FIFTH AVENIJE NEW VORK 17, N.Y.





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                           INTRODUCTION
The Contax-S is an one-lens reflex camera, taking the 35 mm perforated cinemafilm,
and giving. pictures                   2+\ 36 m.m (r3/a x ,!lru") size.                     2t                                          Wjth the aid of the novel prism- telescope-tinder, eye-lev_elJocussing is made-possible.'Whenviewed  through the bcdar
 lens and the pentagonal slanting prism, the image produced by the c&me-ra lens, over
the mirror, on &  f ine,-grain ground glass a,ppears to the observer in v_ertical, right-side-up
 p-osition and, _wit}_ the standard lens in tlie eamera, in the natural size of t-he picture'.
The compact build of the prism-telescope-finder  facilitates selecting and focussling the
rmage.
Moreover, the Contax-S _possesses all the advantages of a moclern precision miniaturec&mer&, such as coupled                               and film advaneement, lbck against double                          -shutter-winderexposures, interchangeability of the lens, and synchronized flastrlight coritact.
Successful photograpliic _results with the Contax-S depend by all me&ns on carefuloperating a1d thgugltful handling.- It is recommendeil in p#ticular that the pages
relating to the tgchlic of exposure should be specially studie-d. and the handling 6f ifr"
camera practis1l_witlgut loading it with film. Wben an understanding of the eontax
has been gained by this practice, the ca,mera may be loaded with film"and experience
in practical work can then begin.
The Contax-S is designed to take the orthodo_x daylight fibn-cartridge  for 3G exposures,
all other standard miniature film-fillings, and any35-mm perforatedfilm  in
up to 1.60 metres. (5 feet.)                                                           ""tit""gtfrJ

/. SHUTTER
  AT{D FILM-TR'4ATSPORT
1. Wind,in g tlt,e slt'wtter
The shutter is rvound. up by mea,ns of a full turn
of the knob (4) (I11. No. 1) as far as itwill go in the
direction of the &rrow. This manipulation simul-
taneously moves the film and the picture counter
on to the next picture, and srvings the mirror into
position for the observation of the image in tbe       Ill. No. 1
finder.
z. Settitr,g the slcwtter $Poeds
The speeds are set by using the knob (6)and the
knob 1?) next to the speed disc (5) (ill. No.2)'
On the speed clisc (5) are blaek figures indicating
the short speeds of t/rooo th to t/uo th second,                                     "t+red figures indicating the long speeds of 'lroth
to 1 second and "B" exposures running for any
length of time (I11. No. 1).
                                                                                             Ill. No.2
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 First set' the shutter to the short (black) or long (red) speed group by movilg the knob (?),
 and, accordingly, the. black or red pointer must appear in the window of the speecl
 indicating disc (5). Now adjust the exposure time in the colour of the indicator (black
 or red) by pressing down, and at the same time rotating, the knob (6). This knob is
 operated by the thumb and the forefinger of the righihand, or by the thumb only, by rolling it over the milled edge of the knob.
 Turning the knob is possible in both directions and ean be n:ade either before or aftcr the shutter has been wound up.

 .7. Releasing the shutter
To make the exposure, the shutter has to be re_
leased by pressure on the knob (l). Avoid
shaking the pictures by jerkly pressing the knob.
Release smoothly. This ca,n be aehieved by
putting the fore limb of the finger on the border
of the ring ancl pressing the knob with this limb
Iike a lever (Ill. I{o. B).
                                                                                                 Ill. No.3

o,B"                                      setting of the shutter:, the release knob has to remain pressed           When using the                                                                                    in this           down :as long as the exposure is to ]ast. The release knob can be locked
                position b;z turning it to the left, if longer time exposures are desired by means of a
                                                                                                     it to the right.  4                iripod. To close the shutter. disengage the knob by rotating
             4. The uire velease
            The release knob (1) incorporates a thread to
               take a tlexible wire release (IIt. No. 4). X'or longer
              time exposures a wire release differing from t'he
               usual type can be supplied. This is fitted r'vith a
                 locking device in the shape of a moveable plate (b)
              between the neck (c) and the head (a). When set
                            reLeased by pressure on the knob (a),                        at, "8" and
               the shutter remains open until the plate (b) is               www.butkus.us
                pressed dorvn. In case of short time exposures  Ill' No' 4
             and instantaneous snaps, the plate (b) is pressed against the neck (c) and fixed by
                turning it to the right. This puts the locking device out of action'





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S. The contact  f or flash-light connection
The electric flash-light attachment is connected
b5r means of the contact in the tripod sockeb
(Ill. No. 5). It is arranged for tensions up to 24
volts and up to 2 amp. intensity of current.
n'or flash-light exposures, set the shutter at t/roth
second or longer, and release the knob (l).

                                                                                     Ir1. No. bII. CAMERA LEI{S ALID FI ME R
1. Cltanging the lens
The lens in the ca,mera bociy is interchangeable
rvithin its threade<i flange (tZ) (Ill. No. 6). By
being turned to the left (anti-clockwise), the
lens can be removed from the 'damera body.
Should the lens be screwed out of the loaded
camera, take c&re to shield the aperture from
glaring light. Bervare of touching the unprotected
surface mirror with the fingers.                                      Ill. No. 6

Lenses and supplementary rings are inserted by screwing to the right (clockwise) in
 the threaded opening. The index points for the diaphragm and distance must be
 visible from above u'hen the mount is screrved tightly.
 2. The lens scales
The lens mount bears the following engravings:
   On the front ring the diaphragm scale with
     the index point,
    on the middle ring the distance scale, on the
    back ring a diaphragm scale, showing the
     depth-of-focus for each distance setting.
According to this scale, for instance, the Biotar
lens f/2, rvith 5.8 cm {2tln") focal length. at a
distance setting of L2 It. (a m) feet and f/11        Ill. No. 7
aperture, gives a sharpness reaehing from 7 ft.
6 ins. to 30 ft. (Ill. No.7).
j. Focwssin.g the int,age uith regard to sharpness and outline
Sharpness and" outline of the picture are viewed through the prism-telescope-finder.
The camera must be held n'ith the ocular lens close to the eye (8), and the image will be
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 visible, but only as lorg as the shutter is wound. up (see note I, 1). If the finder a,ppea,r$
 dark, the shutter knob (4) has to be rotated in the direction of the anow. Now turn
 the milled ring which is next to the c&mera body on the lens mount, until the image
 s sharp on the ground glass. rn order to obtain greater brilliance, it will occasionally
bo found more convenient to focus the picf,ure with the widest lens aperture and then
 to stop down for-the exposure by turning the diaphragm ring. The outline of the picture
 is indicated b"v the tight-rim in the finder. The field of lririon in the finder is somewhat
 smaller than the size of the picture itself and can be used in its full extension. persons
 'ivearing spectacles for the correction of wrong-sightedness should perform the focussing
with their distance-glasses on. An additional
corrective lens, corresponding to the spectacles.
which can be fixed to the ocular glass, is also
available (see note TI,4).
4. Liehthood and, correctiae glas_,es
fn order to avoid the penetration of sidelights
into the finder, a lighthood (IIl. No. g) can be
supplied. This renders it easier for the eye to,
become adapted to the brilliance of the finder, thus
giving greater accura,cy and rapidity in focussing.       Ill. No. x

n'or. persons who are obliged to wear spectaoles when focussing, & corrective glass in
a special mount to fit the finder lens is obtainable, by means of which it is possible
for the eye to approach the finder more closely. The awkward changing of spectacles
between focussing and setting the shutter is hereby eliminated.
These small parts c&n conveniently be fixed to the holcling device in the ocular-leus
mount (8).
5. Carnera sta'nd,
Under the screw-in opening for the camera lens is a iittle foot, which, rvhen drawn out,
serves as a camera stan<i- (14).
III. L,OADII{C THtr FILM
l. HoId the camera, facing the back, push the
bolt (2) on the right-hand side upwards and pull
open the camera back by slight pressure on the
edge (I11. I{o. 9).


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            2. Take the empty spool (receiving spool)from the
             right-hand spool chamber  (Ill. No. 10) and remove
             anypossible remains of film chips or coating from
             thepressure plate (21), from the film gate and the
             spool chambers. Wind up the shutter by turningtt         the knob (4).
 1
                                                                             Ill.,No. 10

            3. X'or daylight loading(beware of glaringlight!)
            a film-cartridge  is necessa,ry. Place the cartridge
              into the left-hand spcol chamber, with the beginn-
                  in g of the  f ihn pointir: g in the direction of the  f ocal
             plane. Insert the projectirg tongue of film in the
                   slit of the takin g-up spool. Bend in a feu' millimetres
              of the film-tor:gue -- coating outu'ards -- and roll           as much of the film on to the spcol as to allow the
                                              No. 11).       Ill. No. 11 r         sprocket to catch both perforations  (Ill.
U

4. With the film in the right position on the
film track and the sprocket (Ill. No. 12), the
c&mer& hack can be closed down and locked.





                                                                                              IIl. No. 12

5. Set the counting disc (3) trvo strokes before 0
to the index point (Ill. No. 13)andmaketwoblank
exposures by actuating the shutter release (l)
and the transportin g knob  ( 4). The rewindi n g knob
 ( 10) must turn in the opposite direction of the arrorv
if the film is beirg properly transported.
With the counter at stroke No. l, the camera is
ready for the first exposure.
                                                                                             Ill. No. 13
 l2

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            6. The film-marking disc (9), and the sensibilit5z
              scale at the base of the re.rvindingknob  (Ill. No. f a)
            serve for recording the species and sensibility of
          the film in the camera. The dise is divicled into
            three sections as follows.
             Black-and-rvhite film section:
                                                           special                for blaek-and-white films .without
               marking.
             Daylight colour-f ilm section  :                                    IIl. No. 14
              white stripe markecl o'Colour".
               Artificial tight colour-film section:
               black stripe marked {'Colour".

           7. When working rvith loose cine film which is rolled on to an ernpty spool in the dark-
          room, the end of the film should be inserted on the film spool in such a, way that it
        can easily slip out. This saves rewinding the film if  it is rolled into a second
            cartridge. The beginning of the film must be fixed into the slit of the empty spool
         __ coating outv'ards   and this spool, like the spool in the feeding cartridge, is then                                -           placed into the receiving cartridge.
                                                                                             I3

'Ihe cartridge must, now be so placed into the
right-hand spool chamber:, that the film will
smoothly run over the sprocket into the opening
of the cartridge, u'hich me&ns that this opening,
below the sprocket, must point uprvards.
(Ill. No. l5).
IV. C HAI{G I AI G TH E FI LM
When using the standard film cartridge for 36 ex-      Ill. No. 15
posures, a certain resistance, due to the film being
fixed to the core of the spool, will be noticed
after the 36 th picture. If exchanged in daSrlight,
the film must first be spooled back into the
cartridge.
This is d-one by pressing the knob (17) in the
bottom of the c&mera body and at the same time
rotating the rervind-knob (10) in the direction
of the arrow (Ill. No. 16), until the beginning of the
film is loosened and slips off the taking-up spool"       Ill. Nc. 16
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At this point, slight resistance will set in, after which the camera back can be opened
and the film-cartridge removed.
It is not necessary to rewind the  f ibn on to the feeding spool  if it is taken out in the dark-room
or if the reeeiving spool is protected by a cartridge (see note III,  7).
Do not, change the film in bright sunlight, but, if possible, in the shade. After having
been taken out of the camera, the film-cartridge should be kept in lightproof paper or
in a metal box.
V. HOW TO HOLD THE C,4MERA DURING
  THE EXPOSURE
The manner in w-hich to hold the camera d.epends on the kind of lens being used. The
Contax-S is very convenient both for horizontal as rvell as for upright pictures. We
recommend the following:
t. The camer& is held in both hands, lying firmly in the balls. The shutter is wound up
and set with the thumb and the forefir:ger of the right hand, whereas focussing and
diaphragm-setting are performed with the middle fingers of the left and right hands.


                                                                                                                             li5

When in proper focus, the shrrtter is released with
the forefinger of the right hand (Ill. No. f7).





                                                                                            IIl. No. 17

2. The ca,mer& is held firmlyinthelefthand, while
the manipulations  are executed withthe right hand.
Thumb and  f oref in ger wind the shutter, the middle
finger sets the diaphragm and the focussing,
and theforefinger releases the shutter  (Ill. No. 18).



                                                                                             Ill. No. 18
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          3. The right hand holds the camera, the thumb,
          forefinger and middle finger of the right hand
          actuate the shutter and film-transport mechanism,
           rvhile the thumb and forefinger of the left hand
        set the focussing and the diaphragm. The
        camer& is supported by the ball of the left hand
            (Ill. No. le).

                                                                                                              Ill. No. 19

        This method  r:f holding the camera is especially
          suitable for upright pictures  (Ill. No" 20).





                                                                                                             IIl. No. 20

4. The c&mera can al so be helct with its back pressed
against the forehead. In this position the shutter
is manipulated'with the left' hand. and. the lens
with the right hand (I11. No. 2f ).
5. For work with a tripod, the camera is screwed
to the tripocl socket (f5).
6. An ever-ready case is available  f or the protection
of the c&mera. The camera is fastened in the case
by means of the tripod screw (15), For carrying       Tll. No. 21
the camera without the case, a strap can be linked
into the eYelets (11).





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         VI. CLOSE.UP EXPOS URES


          /         I           Close-up pictures can be taken with supplementary
            distance rings which a,re rnounted between the
             lens and the camera body (see note II,  l ). In this
             case, sharpness and outlines of the pictures as
             well as depth of focus are obtained by means of
           the prism telescopic view-finder in the s&me
           manner as for long-dist&nce objects. The following
           sheet shows the distances of objects given by
            using one, two or three distance rings.





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