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Examining a 1950 Jena Contax II

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[quote]Just on 24.12. a packet arrived here :-) It contains a Jena Contax II made in 1950 concerning to the "conkie" documents. I was very exited and after having a nice XMas with the family I inspected it yesterday and today.

Let's start with this picture, the camera just out of the packet. Ugly and full of dirt and green rust.

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc01.jpg[/img]

Look at the feather of the rewinding knob. It looks different as on all my other Contaxes and Kievs:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc03.jpg[/img]

Under the top plate. Looks like new, as if it was made on a new production line:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc04.jpg[/img]

Inside is an engraved "55":

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc07.jpg[/img]

Inside of the front mask there is blue/white ribbon arount the viewfinder window hole:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc08.jpg[/img]

The shutter. No scratched number like on early Kievs. Looks the same as on my other Jena Contax. On the first two pictures you can see something like a C combined with an A scratched in:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc05.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc06.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc10.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc14.jpg[/img]

Inside the shutter back there is a number engraved:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc09.jpg[/img]

The feather on the selftimer release knob:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc15.jpg[/img]

Removing the green rust from the back and the leather. The back is much heavier than a back of a Kiev, it's made of brass:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc11.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc12.jpg[/img]

After reassembling all:

[img]http://www.ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/jenc16.jpg[/img]

Bill, you said in the TSVVS thread that you would not clean such old and rare cameras because of devaluating them. I don't think that I devaluate the camera when I remove the green rust, sand and old dirt from the cameras. I reuse all parts of the particular camera and do not mix any parts from later cameras. I only replace missing or wrong parts.

What do the others think? Is a careful CLA devaluating an old camera?

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de[/quote]

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