Zeiss Ikon CONTAFLEX User manual

of the zErss rKoN AG. srurrcART com-
    bines all the advantages of a miniature
   and a reflex camera. This camera is the
    ffnal result of decades of experience in
    the construction and design of precision
    cameras. It is made for the discriminate
             amateur but will also be the
            welcome, steady companion
          of the professional photo-
               grapher, the scientist and the
                technologist.
         By means of the clear br-
           rangement of all operating
              elements and scales, as well
           as the coupling of shutter-
               tensioning and ftlm wind,you
            work with your small, handy
             coNTAFLEx  saf ely and quick-
ly even under the most difftcult conditions.
The large, bright and parallax-free view-
{inder coupled in one eyepiece with the
rangefinders and the efficiency of the
world-famous zErss rEssan lens f/2 .8145 mm,
ensures your pictures being pin-point sharp
always, so that you will take great pleasure
in your photographs. It is recommended
that you study this booklet with the utmost

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care in order to be able to utilize to the
full the advantages of your coNTAFLEX.
Before reading further, turn out the inner
leaves of the cover for further references
and practice the various mechanical move-
ments, operating knobs and levers before
loading the camera. If there is any doubt,
do not hesitate to ask your photo-dealer
for advice.
A comprehensive description of the ex-
tremely versatile accessories of the coNTA-
FLEX system can be found on the last pages
of this booklet.
\We are convinced that in buying a camera
you could not make a better selection than
the coNrenrtx, and we know you will be
delighted with this wonderful achievement
in photographic camera design. Let us
share this pleasure and send us the beauti-
ful pictures you have taken with your
CONTAFLEX.





Tbt piclure on tbe second coLrff page was taker witb tbe
coNTAFLEX utitb sunsbine, at slop 4 and llzso second


5

Parts of the C O NTAF LE X
        I Distance setting ring
     2 Distance scale
     3 Distance setting mark
     4 Depth-of-fteld scale



                                                                 Digitally signed by mike butkus
                                                 DN: cn=mike butkus,       mike               o=orphancameras, ou=29,
                                                     email=mike@butkus.org, c=US
                                                         Date: 2018.06.24 17:33:22       butkus            -04'00'





    5 Exposure time setting ring
    6 Exposure time setting mark
    7 Diaphragm setting ring
    B Knob for diaphragm setting
       I Diaphragm setting mark
     l0 Synchro lever
Description of parts continued on last cover page 42

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Parts of the CONTAFLEX   continued                             -
        1t  Flash contact nipple
      12 Film wind knob
      t3 Frame counter disc
      14 Body shutter release knob
      t5 Rewind knob





     l5 Film type indicator
     l7 Release button for fflm rewind
    1B Detachable camera back
     l9 Locking devices for camera back
    20 Eyepiece of viewftnder
    21 Tripod bush
    22 Eyelets for neck strap
Numbers refer partly to front-view on cover page 3

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             The most striking feature is the large,
                     clear oiewfinder that shows the picture in
                  almost its natural size prior to the ex-
                     posure. The parallax-free viewftnder image
                        is evenly illuminated up to the corners be-
                    cause the eye sees it in a lens that is divid-
                ed into steps (Fresnel lens). It is viewed
               by way of a roof-shaped pentaprism, the
                    irnage being upright and the correct way
                  round. The image size markings are cor-
                     rect also when lens attachments and sup-
                  plementary trenses for close-ups are used.

                The lens is automatically   f ocused by means
                of the split-ffeld range-linder or of the
                   ground-glass screen ring within the view-
                            ffncler.
            The rvorld-farnous ZEISS TEssAR f 12.81
                  45 mm yields needle-sharp negatives on
                    blad< and white as well as colour ftlms. It
                            is, of course, colour corrected and factory-fln D                     coated.
              The Syn&ro-Compur-Sbutter MXV can
              be set to shutter speeds between 1 and

1r'roo seconC as well as to time exposures.
The built-in synchro-flash contact enables
coupling to all flashguns at even the short-
est exposure tirnes. The shutter also
features a delayed action release.
All scales are clearly visible t'rom abooe.
On accourrt of the parallax-free, bright,
one eye-piece viewfinder tbe pre-set sprinq-
loaded diapbragm and the coupling of
shut{er-tensioning and fflm advance, the
calnera is ready for use in a fraction of a
second.
'fhe 35 mm miniature fflm 24x36 rrm can
be used in form of a daylight cartridge, a
daylight cassette, a dark-room cassette or
bulk film. \7her, cassettes are used the film
can be removed from the camera in day-
light after any number of exposures taken.
There is no need for rewinding.

The deta{hable camera ba& makes load-
ing and unloading as well as cleaning the
camera especially easy.

The die-cast body of light alloy guarantees
the extreme mechanical precision that  is
characteristic of zsrss lrox proclucts.

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$o           Setting of the Diaphragm:

                                                             de-=tO         Turn the black milled ring (7) by
                pressing knob (8) until the stop required
                is opposite the diaphragm setting markf,.o                 (9). The diaphragm-ring has click-stops
oO             perceptibly snapping in at any value of the
               diaphragm. This enables the photographer
                 to set the stops even in the dark. It is ne-
=O           cessary only to count the number of
                       (departing                                one                                    end position)                           fromso             clicks                                                      can                                       diaphragm                            The                      stop required.                to the
So
                           6s ,vt

be set regardless whether the shutter has
 been tensioned or not (see next chapter).


  Settirtg the erposure time:
 Turn the chromium-plated milled ring (5)             oo-
 until its setting mark (black dot) (6) is                              l$
 opposite the shutter speed required (ffg.2).             o
 The milled ring has click-stops snapping
 in at any shutter speed. The ffgures in-
 dicate fractions of a second, e.g. "60,, is                        oo-
 1/oo second. aVhen set to "B" the shutter
 remains open as long as the release knob                                3-
 (14) is pressed down (see page 20). The
 setting of the self-timer is described on
 page 24.
                                                          oo-
 The Synchro-Compur shutter is tensionecl
by ttrrning the fflm wind knob (12) in the
 direction of the arrow until it stops. This
movement also advances the fflm by one
frame. This double exposure preventive
excludes accidental double exposures on
onenegativeand blanks. It does notmatter
rvhether the shutter speed setting is done
prior to or after the film advance. The
shutter may remain tensioned for some
time, without being damaged.

g

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7{ote: Do not use your thurnb and index
ftnger of the right hand for tensioning the
shutter in the lnanner of turning a screw.
It is advisable to turn the camera in such a
way as to divide the movement between
the right and left hand for greater con-
venience (ffg. 3).

Setting of the distanee

The correct distance is found by means of
the built-in split-fteld range-ffnder. \7hen
looking through the eyepiece of the view-
finder (20) a circular area is visible in the
centre of the irnage ffeld that is enclosed
by a ground-glass ring. This area is halvecl
by a horizontal line (fig. a and 5). Thus
the scene appears to be sliced horizontally.
There are two ways of measuring the di-
stance between cartera and object,

1. f,ook tbrougb tbe eyepiece (zo) and
   sight at any oertical iine (edge of a
  bouse, tree etc.). When tbe distance
   settinj ring (t) is turned the imaQe in
  tbe upper balf of tbe circle rnoues to-
  wards tbat of tbe lower balf. Whenbotb
  tbe partial images are exactly opposite
  eadt otber tbe correct distance is found.
   lf there is a subiect witbout any oertical
   lines focus it on tbe matted rinQ. Iurn
  tbe distance settinQ ring (t) until tbe
  image in tttis ground-glass ring is pin-
  point sbarp.

                                   $v*k'o'Y"

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It does not matter at all v,'hich way of mea-
suring the distance is chcsen. In both cases
the lens is automatically focused to the
correct distance required. The distance as-
certained can be read off from the distance
setting mark (3) and the scale (2) of the
lens ring.



                                                                                                           ;i4,,lg,&l)!i





                                          *ffi   -M

Depth of-field.scale
The lens focused at some definite distance
yields a sharp picture not only of the ob-
ject at thisdistance but alsoof objects that
are nearer to the camera or further away
from it. This zone of sharp deftnition de-
pends on the distance actually focused at
ancl the stop employed. It is rather small
when the diaphragm is fully open (f :2.8),
it increases gradually the more the lens is
stoppcd down. Thus: the smaller the stop,                    dothe grcater the depth of field.
                                   lens                                       aper-                         given                   any                     forThe    depth           of fteld                                         the                              h5o                             from                  be                       read                can                                   offture    and distance
clepth-of-{ield scale (4). Diaphragm figures
will be found on the right and left side of
the distance-setting mark (3). The {igures
on the distance scale (2) opposite these

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stop values indicate the extension of the
depth of fteld.
For instance: Using distance setting 6' and
diaphragm setting 16 you can read off the
ffgure 4' on the left side and on the right
side the ffgure 20'. Consequently, every-
thing between 4' and 20'will be sharp with
stop f/16. The exact depth of fteld can be
found in the table on page 16.
A different way of utilizing the depth of
ffeld is this: the zone that is required to be
sharp is measured with the range-finder,
{irst the foreground then the background,
the necessary stop to cover this particular
depth of ffeld is then found in the depth-
of-ffeld table.
On the lower side of the focusing scale (2) there
has been engraved, for tedrnical reasons, another
scale, whidr is not required for the use of the
CONTAFLEX.

The eorreet erposure time
can be ascertained from exposure tables
or, most exactly, with the photo-electric
exposure meter rropnor. The exposure
time depends on the film speed, the pre-
vailling lighting condition, the stop used and
the ftlter factor, if a fflter is used. It is a
good idea to work with'as large an aper-

                                          l4

ture as the required depth of field permits
because a small stop often necessitates an
unnecessary long exposure time. The smal-
ler the stop the longer the exposure time.
When the zuss IKoN exposure meter IKo-
pnor is used the correct exposure time for
any stop can be read off irnmediatelywith-
out any recalculation, also when colour
filters are being used. The meter can be
supplied also with the shutter speed values
of the coNTAFLEX.

As a rough-and-ready ntle trt':
Outdoor photographs in bright sunshine
     fflm sensitivity 32 A. S. A.
    diaphragm setting 8
      1/rzr sec.

Outdoor photographs sky overcast
     film sensitivity 32 A. S. A.
    diaphragm setting 5.6
      1/eo sec.

How to hold the cutneru
The coNraFLEX must be held as steady as
possible during exposure. The body of the
carlera rests in the pahn of both hands
and isffrmlygripped by thefingers (fig.7).
The thumbs press against the back of the
camera. The middle finger of the left hand
operates the distance setting ring (1), the
index ffnger of the right hand is on the
release knob (1a). The elbows are slightly
pressed against the body. It does not
matter whether the left or the right eye is


17

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fzrErr
                                             IuKoN                  used for focusing (ftgs. 8 and 9). This is
                    the position in which to expose horizontal
                      pictures with the coNTAFLEX.
                  For upright pictures the camera has to be
                   rotated through 90 degrees so that the
                      left hand presses the coNTAFLEx from





                 above slightly against the forehead. The
                   middle finger operates the distance setting
                   ring (1) for focusing. The right hand  is
                  used as a support from below. The thumb
                  has tooperate the body shutterrelease(14)
                      (ftgs. 10 and 11). The right hand may,


                                                             18

however, be used also in the same way as
the left hand. The right hand is then above
(figs. 12 and 13). The index ftnger lies on
the body shutter release (14), while the
middle ftnger of the right hand operates
the distance setting ring (1). In this case





the left hand is used as a support from
below.
The various ways of sighting and holding
the coNraFLEX are shown in the illustra-
tions. Every owner of a coNrarux should
select the method that suits him best.


19

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Releasing lhe shutter
The shutter is operated by depressing the
release knob (14). Pressing the button
seems simple but it has to be learned. It
can be done either with the top-joint or
the tip (ffg.1a) of theindex finger(lig.15).
Experience has taught that the best way
to keep a steady hand on the camera is to
use the top joint of the index {inger only.
Squeeze the button down gently, taking
trp the slack in the releasing mechanism
slowly. \With practice you will soon learn
to judge how much slack must be taken up
before it clicks. This is the safest method
of releasing the shutter to prevent camera
shake.  lf , by mistake, the lilm winding
knob has not been turned until a definite
stop is felt, the shutter is not completely

wound and the fflm is not advanced for a
full frame. In this position it will be im-
possible to release the shutter. Thus dou-
ble exposures and blanks are prevented.

SPECIAT, FEAl URES OF THE
CONTAFLEX
The viewfnder
The finder image is visible only rvhen the
ftlm is advanced and the shutter tensioned
by means of the winding knob (12). Only
then is the mirror inside the camera hinged
down into taking position. Thus with one
glance you knorv rvhether the camera is
ready for use or not.
As long as the large and bright ftnder
image is visible the diaphragm of the lens
 is fully open. Focusing by measuring or
 inspection to the most critical deffnition  is,
 therefore, easy, quick and reliable.
The reflex mirror flips up without vibra-
 tion at the instant the body shutter release
knob (14) is depressed and at the same
 time the full aperture of the lens snaps
 back to the pre-selected stop. The coNre-
 rlnx is the ftrst camera incorporating  this
 interesting and useful feature.
The viervftnder is completely free from

 2l

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parallax and shows the correct image field
even when lens attachments or supple-
mentary lenses for close-ups are used.
Vith the coNTAFLEX  it is easy to "sr,ying"
the camera because the invariably sharp
picture is upright, the correct way rormd
and can therefore be "swung" in the same
direction as the subject moves.
The black ring round the viewfinder eye-
piece (20) can be screwed out. CoNTAFLEX
owners with defective eyesight can have
their corrective glasses (order number 902)
fitted to it in order to use the camera
without spectacles.
The Red-Dot Setting
In order to lose no time with distance set-
ting when rapid snapshots have to be taken
the red-dot setting should be used. Set the
diaphragm on 8 (marked with a red dot)
and the distance at 20 (also marked with
             a red dot) (ffg.16).
                      All objects from 9' to
                      in{inity will then be
                  sharp. According to
                 the prevailing light-
                 ing conditions expo-
                     sure times of Llso, llao
                   or tlpr may be used.


                                     22