Zeiss Ikon Contax Camera Repair

A home for your Zeiss Ikon Contax, Contarex or Super Ikonta camera!

Services For The Contax Pre-War Model II and III

Before you consider buying a Contax II or a III and sending it for restoration you need to be aware that the current camera market is polluted with highly defective Contax II's being assembled by camera repair shops I consider to be criminal. What they are doing is buying Contax cameras, disassembling them, sorting the parts and then assembling cameras. Some are assembled out of perfect parts. These are sold for very high prices at private sales and camera shows. Others are assembled out of defective parts and these are sold on Ebay or at flea markets. If you buy one of these cameras you need to understand that the cost of restoring a camera intentionally manufactured out of defective parts can be extremely high because the only source of replacement parts is part bodies. Finding good part bodies has become almost impossible due to the pollution of the market, including Ebay, with cameras intentionally manufactured using defective and/or russian parts. My advice is NEVER buy a camera out of Europe and in particular The NETHERLANDS. Every Contax II or III I have seen that came out of Europe or the Netherlands has been a total nightmare. There is a gang of russians making bad Contaxes in the Netherlands and I believe this gang, based on too much bad experience, to be a major source of these fraud cameras. If you buy one of these cameras be aware it can easily cost $1,000.00 or more in parts and labor to make it right. My advice to you is buy only from inside the USA and buy only cameras that the seller will certify was purchased out of an estate sale. These are the only safe Contax II or III cameras to buy. Effective 7/8/13 I am no longer accepting Contax II or III bodies sent to me from Europe or purchased by you from Europe.

The following services are offered for these particular models:

Costs are not specified due to competitors using these costs to price lower value services. If you'd like to know the cost of a service please use this link to inquire. I'll be happy to answer all of your questions. All costs are provided on request (POR):

Contax II/III Price Inquiry

Contax II and III Services
Service Cost
1. Complete camera body overhaul POR
2. Five Year Touch up Service POR
3. Repair Estimate POR
4. Russian Parts Identification POR

Notes:

  1. Complete camera body overhaul: This service includes complete disassembly of the entire camera body and shutter, replacement of the shutter tapes with new silk Zeiss specification tapes, ultrasonic cleaning and lubrication of all parts and a precision alignment of the shutter and rangefinder. It also includes removal of any Zeiss bumps in the leather and leather restoration along with exterior cosmetic servicing and self timer overhaul.
  2. Five Year Touch up Service: If your camera has been previously overhauled here it is eligible for this special low priced service. If you use your camera regularly it is always a good idea to have it examined, cleaned, lubricated and adjusted a maximum of every five years. This will ensure that critical parts will not wear excessively, any developing problems are corrected early, and that it continues to give you accurate and reliable service for at least another five years. This service includes replacement shutter tapes at no additional charge if they are excessively worn.
  3. Repair Estimate: If you want your camera evaluated for its value after an overhaul or to be examined to determine its suitability for a complete overhaul this service is available. If you have your camera overhauled there is no charge for this service. If you have your camera returned after an estimate with no work done this is the charge and it includes return shipping to the continental USA.
  4. Russian Parts Identification plus return shipping: This is included in a complete overhaul at no additional charge. This service will let you know if the beautiful Contax II or III you just bought is actually a kiev in disguise. Many unscrupulous criminals are making a fast buck by replacing the Kiev face plate with a Contax face plate or they are replacing the original German Contax shutter with a cheap kiev copy shutter. A genuine beautiful Contax II sells for about $500.00 and a beautiful kiev sells for about $30.00. It's not hard to see how this can happen. This identification service is not subject to the waiting list and the turnaround time will be no more than 5 days. You will be provided with a letterhead printed invoice containing a complete and accurate description of the authenticity of your camera.
  5. Shutter Tape Replacement:

    If your Contax II or III camera has been completely overhauled here and it is out of warranty and one or both of the shutter tapes have worn out the the price of a shutter tape replacement is much less than a complete overhaul.

    1. Previously overhauled camera shutter tape replacement: $125.00.
  6. Rangefinder Cleaning/Adjustment: This is included in a complete overhaul at no additional charge. This servicing consists of cleaning of all the optical components, recementing of the variable position lens, cleaning/re lubrication of all mechanical components in the range finder mechanism, and range finder calibration. It will return the action of the range finder to like new feather light silky smoothness and positive action and accuracy. Damaged components may be replaced at additional cost. To read more about it use this hot link: Why is a Range finder Overhaul Necessary?
    1. Rangefinder Prism Replacement: If your prism has deteriorated to the point where it is no longer possible to view through it, factory replacements are available for $175.00 each. Prism replacement is only possible in conjunction with a full rangefinder overhaul.
  7. External Cosmetic Servicing: This is included in a complete overhaul at no additional charge. This servicing consists of the following:
    1. All external chrome is ultrasonically cleaned to restore the original luster.
    2. All internal camera and component surfaces are hand solvent cleaned to remove all traces of migrated old lubricant.
    3. "Zeiss bumps" under the leather are removed.
    4. The film pressure plate and internal components are re polished by hand to original luster.
    5. Engraving paint is touched up as necessary.
    6. Trim paint is touched up as necessary.
    7. External screws with deterioration of the visible surfaces are re polished and replanted.
  8. Complete Shutter Overhaul: This is included in a complete overhaul at no additional charge. This is a complete disassembly of the shutter with shutter tape replacement. If you want the total performance the Contax shutter was designed to provide, this is the only way to get it all. All shutter components (including film advance components) are removed from the shutter assembly and ultrasonically cleaned. All bearing journals are polished to a one micron finish. All shafts are polished to a one micron finish. New synthetic Swiss and French watch and clock greases and oils are used to lubricate the shutter upon assembly. The shutter curtain leathers are replaced if such is required. A shutter receiving this servicing will be better than when it was new. The shutter will be precision adjusted and a shutter speed report is provided with the camera. If new shutter curtains are required the cost of shutter curtain replacement is an additional $150.00. To read more about the shutter overhaul use this hot link:

    Why is a Shutter Overhaul Necessary?

    To see a detailed and illustrated explanation of the workings of the Contax II and III shutter use this hot link: The Illustrated Contax Shutter.

  9. Critical Camera Alignment: This is included in a complete camera overhaul at no additional charge. An autocollimator is used to check that the lens mount alignment to the camera body is perfect.
  10. Leather Bump Removal: This is included in a complete overhaul at no additional charge. The formation of the well known "Zeiss Bump" is the result of a chemical reaction between the tanning chemicals used in the leather, and the exposed copper in the exposed brass rivet heads used to hold the back pieces together. Bumps can also form on the front of the camera where brass screws have been used to fasten the self timer cover. These bumps can be removed, but it is also necessary to cover the brass rivet tops and screws with an insulating material to ensure the bumps will not reappear. This service removes the bumps and treats the rivet heads so that the bump removal is permanent.
  11. Russian Parts Identification plus return shipping: This is included in a complete overhaul at no additional charge. This service will let you know if the beautiful Contax II or III you just bought is actually a kiev in disguise. Many unscrupulous criminals are making a fast buck by replacing the Kiev face plate with a Contax face plate or they are replacing the original German Contax shutter with a cheap kiev copy shutter. A genuine beautiful Contax II sells for about $500.00 and a beautiful kiev sells for about $30.00. It's not hard to see how this can happen. This identification service is not subject to the waiting list and the turnaround time will be no more than 5 days. You will be provided with a letterhead printed invoice containing a complete and accurate description of the authenticity of your camera.

Customer Supplied Parts Bodies

Occasionally a customer will include an additional camera body along with the one to be worked on so that I can use it as a source of "free" parts. There are several problems that can arise with this approach. It is also more work for me.

  1. Zeiss made many internal changes to the Contax as it was made between the years of 1951 to 1964. While Contax cameras look identical from the outside, they can be vastly different inside. Many Contax camera are being sold these days that contain russian made parts which will generally not work in a German Contax. For these reasons it is possible that the parts body may not contain parts compatible with the one to be overhauled.
  2. The needed parts in the parts body may be worn out.
  3. The Contax is hand made out of hand made parts which were hand selected by the assembler when the camera was manufactured. There are very wide "as manufactured" tolerances on parts and it is possible that a replacement part from the parts body may be oversized or undersized to the mating parts in the body being overhauled.
  4. The overhauled body may not, and they usually do not need replacement parts.
  5. I have a full assortment of parts bodies of all variations on hand already. I am always very reasonable about parts prices when they are needed in a body being overhauled.
  6. I have a full organized assortment of all parts of all body variations from previously disassembled cameras on hand and ready for use.
  7. Nothing is really free. If you insist that I use parts from your parts body first before using my parts on hand there will be a labor charge to extract the parts from your parts body and to clean and inspect them before use. This charge will vary depending upon how deeply the parts body must be disassembled to get the necessary parts out of your parts body.

This charge will be $75.00 per hour even if it is found the parts in your body are not useful, are broken, out of tolerance, or incompatible with the design of the body being overhauled.

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