Topic
Topic author: dee
Posted on: 20091228150525
My Kontax II has returned from Ukraine s/he says a touch apprehensively ! It's not quite ex-USSR , but has been there and back LOL . I hope that this counts !
It's a bitsa from Contax parts spread across my table and sent to Ukraine for the Arsenal techs to use as a donor body for a Kiev IIa . [ Cyrillic script dee'slexia ! ]
This did not happen - it now has a Kiev II shutter , restored rear leather and new front panels which do not quite match .
I can't belive that these guys had the dedication to rebuild this camera in it's entirety for £60 .
It is perfect for ME because it is identity compromised , stretches across the decades from 1937 to late 50s , embodies the continuation of the Kontax line in two ' lives ' and looks and works exquisitely - the Kiev / Arsenal connection is also mind blowing . There is no doubt that the techs take immense pride in restoring these cameras - and probably appreciate the irony of making a Contax useable again [ I doubt they have ever worked on a Contax due to the inexplicable fear of ' contamination ' .
It's likely to be a whole lot better for it's decades younger ' heart ' too !
This Kontax II has no past - in it's present form - it's a true hybrid - even the back and body are from different cameras . It would , inevitably become a donor for more ' worthy ' cameras , but against all the odds , it's shining and working once more . It's my rescue camera . Maybe this sound silly , but were it not for Kiev , and the care of those engineers , this camera would be lost forever .
As of Christmas 2009 with J3 Sonnar- it's a new camera .
The chrome is unusual - it is more coarse even than the somewhat tired Contax III which they also lovingly restored - so that it sparkles in the light .
I am afraid that a Contax IV is next to arrive with a rigid Sonnar ! This really is a collaborative effort !
It's a bitsa from Contax parts spread across my table and sent to Ukraine for the Arsenal techs to use as a donor body for a Kiev IIa . [ Cyrillic script dee'slexia ! ]
This did not happen - it now has a Kiev II shutter , restored rear leather and new front panels which do not quite match .
I can't belive that these guys had the dedication to rebuild this camera in it's entirety for £60 .
It is perfect for ME because it is identity compromised , stretches across the decades from 1937 to late 50s , embodies the continuation of the Kontax line in two ' lives ' and looks and works exquisitely - the Kiev / Arsenal connection is also mind blowing . There is no doubt that the techs take immense pride in restoring these cameras - and probably appreciate the irony of making a Contax useable again [ I doubt they have ever worked on a Contax due to the inexplicable fear of ' contamination ' .
It's likely to be a whole lot better for it's decades younger ' heart ' too !
This Kontax II has no past - in it's present form - it's a true hybrid - even the back and body are from different cameras . It would , inevitably become a donor for more ' worthy ' cameras , but against all the odds , it's shining and working once more . It's my rescue camera . Maybe this sound silly , but were it not for Kiev , and the care of those engineers , this camera would be lost forever .
As of Christmas 2009 with J3 Sonnar- it's a new camera .
The chrome is unusual - it is more coarse even than the somewhat tired Contax III which they also lovingly restored - so that it sparkles in the light .
I am afraid that a Contax IV is next to arrive with a rigid Sonnar ! This really is a collaborative effort !
