Zeiss Ikon CONTAX II User manual

IN STRUCTIONS FOR USING THE
  COI\TAXII CAMERA




c 2561dE.      ZEISS IKOI\ AG. DRESDEl\
                                                        '$'

T h e  P a r t s  o f   t h e C o n t a x    I I :         t - Wheel  adjusting  the  film  picture
                                              countero                                                                      -                                        Claw holding  take up  spoolp   - Tripod  bush           [the  camera    u
q - Base support  for  the camera       a
 r   - ooFree - wheeling  "   claw   holding   w -  Film  transporting   sprocket
      full  spool  of  film                      x -  Picture  aperture
   -s    Eyepiece  of  the- distance  meter   v _ Button   releasitg  the  film  during
    and  view-finder                           rewinding
3

Important  Note!


            The  contax    rI   is  a precision  miniature  camera,   tt    ti"rrdtirrn
                of  which   differs  considerably   from  that  required  in"  ordinar|
              types  of cameras. with   careful handling  and intelrigent  useo the
             contax  will give excellent service and perfect photographic  results,
              but   it  is essential that  the  instructions   should be studiedo and                                +
              the various  mechanical movements  practised  as described  in the
            pages hereaftero before any  attempt   is made  to use the camera
               with   film  in   it.  The  instructions   are consequently  arranged  to
              give  all the information  necessary for  perfect  service in practice.
                     rt  is recommended  in  particular   that  the pages relating  to the
             technique   of  exposure  should  be  specially  studied,  and  the
             handling   of the camera  practised  without   roading   it  with  film.                                                                                                                                               lIt-II           when  an understanding   of the contax  has been gained by  this
               practice,  the camera may be loaded with  film and experience  in
               practical  work  can then  begin. The  contax  spool  of  daylight-

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loading  film  is  particularly  recommended  for  use with   all Zeiss
              Ikon  miniature  cameras? and when  using  it a film jam  is abso-
                 lutely  impossible  provided  that   it has been correctly  inserte*  in
               the  camera.  Contax  spools may  be had loaded  with  either  ihe
              Zeiss Ikon  orthochromatie    film,   or  with  the  special  ultra-fast
                fine-grain  Zeiss Ikon  panchromatic    film   of  speed 17/100 DIN'



I. Loading the Camera with  the Contax Spool

Preliminary  remarks
The  camera  may  now   bti  .supplied   ryitL  a  spool   of  b-lack  composition
(Trolitul)   in  place  of  the   -"iul    spool.  Th-"y -are.very   light  andellow   a
particulJrly    qrri"t  and  secure fastening   of the  leading  end  of the  film.
For  a certain  transitional   period  both  types  of spoo,l will-be  f-ound Pa-rti-
cu.larly  as there  is  still  a laige number  of Contax  D.aylight.Spools   available.
Therefore,  in any  case, both  are described  in  the  instructions.
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In  order that  the Contax spool should be made suitable  for daylight  loadingo
a paper  leader  is attached  to  the beginning  of the  film  and u poper  trailJr
to  the  end.  The  film  is.-thus  protected  ftorn  light,  but  *hei   to"Aing- o"
changing  the  film   it  is  still  tt"""i.rry^to                                                             !*"   preJautions.  These ofei".?ott,
must be p-erformed in subdued  or diffused  lighi,  and on no account should
direct  sunlight be allowed  to reach the  rpoof  of  film.





1.  _Op"n the camera by  raising the two
   locking keys  (o)  on the camera base
  and  giving  them  half  a turn.  In  the
  open  position  the  keys  cannot  be
   folded dorvn against the camera body.





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With  metal  spools the paper  leader  or
the  corresponding  cut  leading  end  of
the  film must be threaded  through  the
wide  slit  of  the  spool and a  length  of
about  It l n" must be folded back sharply
to the  outside.





With  composition  spools the' perforated
paper leader or  the ready  cut  leading
end of the  film must be slid under the
tongue  until  the  first perforation  hooks
on to  the  tooth  which  is to be  found
there. When the  film  is to be taken  off
the spool agai n, the end  is torn  out of
the tooth  by  a moderate  pull.




1

2. Draw  the camera back  slightly  down-
   wards,  and  then    lift     it  away  from
   the body  of the instrument.





3. Wind  up  the  shutter  winding  knob
    (")  as far  as it  will go in a clockwise
   direction,   until   a  hard  stop  is  felt.
   (A  slight  resistance ,may mean  that
   the  shutter   is  not   fully  wound,  so
   that   it  is necessary to turn  fully  until                                                                                                                                             ++
   the stop  is reached.)

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4. Place the Contax spool with  its hollow
  end on the  claw  (r)   of the left-hand
   spool chamber, and break the gumstrip
   that  holds down the end of the Paper
   leader.

6. Tear  off  the  sticky  paper  fastening                                                                it
   the Contax-Sp_ooland tread the paper
   leader  through  the wide  sUt of  tfr"
   take-up  meral  spool and  fold back





   For composition spools hook the end
   of the_paper leader on the tooth. (See
  page 7.)

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7. Turn  on the  empty  spool  until  the
   line to which  the arrow on the Paper
   leader points  lies over  the  teeth  of
   the sprocket  (ro).


B. Now replace the camera back, holding
   the  paper  strip  in  contact  with  the
   teeth  of the sprocket with  the thumb
    of the  left hand. The camera back  is
   placed on the body  (n o t  slid on) as
   close as possible to the upper edge
    of  the  guiifing  grooves.  When  the
   back  is  flat  oil,  slide  it upwards  to
   close the camera completely.


9. Give a half-turn   to the locking keys
   on  the under  side of the camera  to
   lock the back in place, and fold them
    flat once more.
1 l

11. Press the  shutter  release butron   (f)
    (this  will  work  the  shurter),  and  -
   holding    it  down       turn    it   in  an
    anti-clockwise  direction   until  a stop
    is  felt.   In  this  position  the  shutter
   button   will  stay permanently   in  the
   lower  level.



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12. Wind  up  the  shutter  winding  knob
   nine times,  until  the picture  counter
   shows the number  0036".    If  the  re-
   winding  knob    (l)  does  not  rotate
   during  this operation,  there  is some-
    thing  wrong  inside  the camera, and
   the back  must be removed   to  find
   out  the cause of the  trouble.
13. By pressing the button   (f),  and turn-
    ittg   it   in  a clockwise  direction  (see
   lower  ill.),  it once more returns  to the
   upper  level.  The  red  dot  on  the
    shutter button should now be opposite
   the red dot on the winding  knob  (").
14. Wind op the shutter by the knob  ("),
   and press the shutter release (f),, three
    or four times  until  the picture counter
   disc shows 66L))when  the  shutter  is
   wound up. ('oL" comes after "00'.)
   The camera is then ready for the first
   exposure.     fnstructions  for loading
   when using Cassettes and Cartridges
   are given on pages 31-35.
1 3

II.  Unloading  the Camera                    I
    (after the 36 exposures have been made)

 1 . Press down  the  shutter  release button  and  lock   it  as directed  in   I,    ll.
   Then  wind  on  the  shutter  winding  knob   until  the  end  of  the paper
     trailer   is  reached.   This  point   is found  by  noticing  when  the  rewinding
   knob   (l)  no  longer  revolves  when  the  shutter  winding  knob  is turned.
 2. Again  release the  shutter  release button  as in   I,  13.
 3. Take  off the camera  back,  as in   I,   l,  2.
 4. Remove  the  full  spool and  stick  down  the end  of  the paper  trailer  with
    the  gumstrip  provided.
 5. Transfer  the now  empty  spool from  the left'hand  chamber  to  the  iight-
   hand  chamber.  Always  hold  the  leaf  spring  away  from  the  spool when
   removins    it  from  the  camera.

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ilI.  The Distance Meter -
    View - Finder Combination
Focussing in  the Contax  II   is done ex-
clusively  *itn   the distance  meter-view-
finder   combination,   which   guarantees
sharp focus under  all circumstances, since
the distance meter  is coupled to the lens'
The  view-finder   field shows the camera
field when using the normal  Contax  lens
of 2"  (5'specialcm) focal length.  For  all other
lenses          finders  a""  used,  tha-t   fit
into   th;  finder shoe (h)  oni toP  of the
camera.
By  looking  through  the- eyepiece  (-t)  of
the  distanle  meter  and view  - findero a
lighter   rectanggllt    portion   of the  field
in" the  centre  of the picture  will be seen
 to  have  a  lighter  shade,  in  Yhic!   a
 double image  of the  object  included  in
 that   portioi    of  the   field  iq  easily  de-
 tected.  By  turning  the  small  wheel  (h)
 1 5

released, and   it  will  drop  into  position,  since a catch @-ot seen) holjls  the
knob  against  the            time  that has been selec_ted. The  catches  for  the
                      "*porrrie        "and, Lft/roof,h                                                                              other.  The                                                                 eac!                                                       close  to-                                           are                                                very                         of                       a second,spe_eds                ,ruoth                                                                          l/rloth.second                                                                frg-m                                                     forward                                                turning                               lifting                               the knob and                      i.'-rit                  bytT""rrtr speed                                                      'When
,ittlit   th"  catch  albws   the knob  to  drop  into  position.            setting  the
shutter  to  l/rruoth second the knob  is  raiied  and  turned  as far  towards  the
marking   r1r.ruo""asit  will  go, and  in  the  correct  position    it  drop-s into  place
as the iuidh    ir  reached.  By  this means  the  correct  exposure  times  are set
with  certainty.
When   setting   shutter  speeds-down. it  is essential  that  the  shutter   is  either  fully
rvound  up  o-r fully  run           In  bot!  these_ positions  the  black  dot may
be  set  t6  the  desired  figure.    It  should  also be noted  that  when  changing
from a slower speed to  a" higher  one, a certain  amount   of resistance  iS felt
when  turning   ihe  knob.  This   is due  to  the  spring  loading  9f  .-h" shutter
slit,  which  niust be altered  for  the  different  speeds, and  the knob  rnust be
wound  asainst  the  extra  tension.    If   it  is desired  to havc  the  shutter  open
fully,  set"the  knob  to ooB" and  then  lock  the  shutter  release button  down
by  pressing    it   to  release  the  shutter  and  turning    it  in an  anti-clocklvise
di."ctiott.   ihe    shutter  may  be  closed  later  by  turning  the knob  back  in
the  clockwise  direction   until    it  rises to  its  normal  working   level.

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2. Shutter  winding  and  film  transport                 +
Wind  up the shutter by u complete  turn
of the winding  knob.  In  doing  so take
care that  the knob  is turned    till  a de-
finite  hard  srop  is  felt.  The  film  will                                                                                  Ir
then  at the same time  be wound  on a
c,omplete picture.  The exposure  is made
by a light  pressure on the knop   (f)    till
it comes to a stop.
3. Flexible  wire  release
For  long  'oTime'o exposures  a  special
flexible  wire  release  is, delivered  with
the Contax  II  which  is screwed into  the
thread  of the shutter release button   (f),
This  release  is  different  from   ordinary
types   in  having  a moveable  plate  B
between  the  pressure  stud A  and  the
socket C. By  setting the shutter  to ooB"
and  pressing  the  stud A  of  the  wire
release, the  shutter  opens, and remains
open  until  the  plate B of the  release is
pressed with  the thumb.                                                               la
1 B
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V. The Lens and interchangeable
   Bayonet Mountiog
When  the  camera  is  not   in  use,  the
collapsible  2"   ( 5 cm.)  lenses    Tessar
f 13.5, Tessar f 12.8, and Sonnar f l2
are pushed backwards  into  the camera
body,  and before  making  an exposure
they  must  be  pulled  forward   into  the
correct position.  This  is simply done by
holding  the  lens by  the  larger   milled
ring, pulling   it out from the camera body
as far  as  it  will  go, and then locking    it
into  position  by  turning    it  to  the  right
until  a stop  is  felt.  After  exposure  the
lens may  be  turned   to  the   left  once
more and pushed back  into  the body  of
the camera for  convenience  in  carrying.
The adjustment   of the  lens aperture  is
made by turning  the  milled  ring on the
lens, rvhich  is made in different  patterns
in the various lenses.  It  is important  to
2 l

set  the -lens  aperture  before focussing,
since the  lattef  adjustment  may  be  al-
tered  by  turning  the  lens aperture  ring
to  adjust   it  correctlY.
The  camera  has  a  scale  of  focussing
distances for the 2"  (5 cm.) focus lenses.
On  either  side of the  focussing mark  (a
black  dot  or  line)  are also a number  of
aperture numbers that indicate-the  depth
of  focus.  With   this  device  the  appro-
priate  depth  of focus  for- any particular
aperture  and focussing distance can be                          "with
read off. For example:                              the Tessarf  l2.B (2"-_5_cp.) focussing on,a distance
                                                                         Tb-" depth                                                                               feet.                                                            6                                                    and                                              12 feet                                     between                                    at                         of focus                dept'h      feer, the  Bof                                                              f"circlelB lies                                                                a millimeter.                                                                            of                                                                 of  1/ro                                                                        th                                            confusion                                                of                              a                             ir  based           scale    focusof                                             ,, on
(See also the spe"iul trbles  of depth  of focus used in miniature  camera work.)

Changing  the  lenses:
L"rrE    o'f Z"  (5 cm.)'allfocal  length  are placed  in the inner bayonet mounting
 of the camera, and     other  lenses in  the  outer  mounting.
 l.  Removing  the  2"  (5 cm.)  lenses^                                .    m,       - r      . r      r
The  camera' focussin|  mount   is  first  set  at  infinity.   Then  the thumb   ls
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pressed on  the  spring  (")  so that  jh*
irojection   on  the  lens  barrel,  marked
*itit  a red  dot,  slides out  of the spring
catch  holding    it.  A  slight  turn  of the
lens in  a clockwise  direction  releases it,
and  it may  then be carefully  drawn  out
of the  helical  focussing mount.


2. Replacing  the  2"  (5 cm.)  lens
The  lens  is  inserted  into   its  mounting
by  reversing  the  operations  mentioned
ubo.r".  It  is lmportant   to remember that
the  lens  will  only    fit  easily  into   the
mount  when  the two red dots are oppo-
site  each  other,  and  when  the  lens  is
held  in  the same plane  as the  front   of
the  camera.  By-slipsslightly  turning   to  the
left,  the  lens       past  the  catch   (
and  the  latter  snaps back,  holding  the")
lens  firmly   in  the  infinity   position.
23

3. Inserting  other lenres46 an 2"  (5 cm.)
    focal  length
 All  lenses other  than  those  of  2"  focal
 length  are placed on the  outer bayonet
mount.  The  lens is held so that  the two
red dotso one on the camera  front  and
the  other on the lens itself, are opposite
each other, and the  lens  is then turned
to the  left  until  a stop  is felt.  The catch
on the side of the leni  will then be heard
to snap into  position.

The  removal   of  the  lenses  fitting  the
outer  bayonet  follows  the procedure  of
inserting  them.  The  side  catch  must
first be  lifted  with  the thumb,  and rhen
the  lens  is  turned  through  90 0 to  the
right, in which position  it may be removed
from the camera. The long-focus lenses are
also coupled to the dista"nce meter for fo-
cussing, and  in  order to make sure that
the mechanism is working correctlyo the fo-
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