Zeiss Ikon Contax Camera Repair

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

Guarantee and Terms of Service

Guarantee:

The one year guarantee includes shutter speed performance. The highest speeds are of the most concern to the modern user. You can have confidence your fully rebuilt camera will perform reliably and consistently, in most cases, within the factory tolerances of original manufacture.

If something should go wrong with a covered function of the camera included in a servicing any time within 1 year, simply return it by insured priority mail and it will be repaired and return shipped to you by insured priority mail at no charge. Shipping to and from destinations outside the USA is at your cost. The guarantee is subject to the following conditions:

  1. The camera or other equipment must be returned in the original packaging in which it was shipped to you. If the camera is shipped in anything else the warranty is permanently cancelled. I am not responsible for damage or loss to any equipment sent here that you have not insured. U.S.P.S. Delivery Confirmation is not insurance. The use of Zeisscamera.com packaging provides the highest assurance that your camera will arrive here in the condition when you last described it to me. Use of substitute or inferior materials can result in damage that happens when the camera is on its way here.
  2. You must communicate the problem you are having with the camera or concerning any requested adjustment by emil to me before sending the equipment here. This is necessary to allow me an opportunity to consider the matter to see if there is a solution to the problem that you can implement easily and to consider if the requested adjustment is possible to be made. In many cases the problem can be resolved without the need to send it here. Any camera sent without prior authorization will be returned without notice to you and the warranty will be cancelled. In the event information is requested and is necessary to perform any maintenance adjustment or courtesy adjustment this information must be provided within 19 days. In the even this information is not provided within 10 days the equipment will be returned to the owner and all existing warranties, guarantees and/or commitments of any kind are cancelled.
  3. The camera has not been opened by any person. If the camera has been opened by any person after it leaves my hands the guarantee is cancelled.
  4. The shutter curtains have not been forced: In the event of a shutter problem do not attempt to move the shutter curtains by hand or with a tool of any kind. If the shutter curtains have been damaged by force or manipulation the guarantee on shutter work is cancelled.
  5. The film advance knob has not been forced: In the event of a shutter problem or camera jam do not force the film advance knob. Forcing this knob will shear the shutter cocking/speed select pin. If this pin has been sheared the guarantee is cancelled. Forcing a frame past the end of the film roll will cause film chips to be torn from the film and injected into the camera. These chips can interfere with camera winding and shutter operations.
  6. The camera has not been dropped, wetted, abused or taken to the beach: The Contax camera contains a number of very fragile optical components. Dropping the camera, wetting it, subjecting it to conditions of excessive heat, cold or humidity or otherwise treating it in an careless and abusive manner can result in corrosion, the breakage of optical components, loss of alignment and/or calibration of mechanical components.
  7. The Problem is not due to the failure of a component due to a problem with original factory materials or workmanship: The Contax camera is over 50 years old or older. It is possible for a part or component to fail due to the cause that it has reached the end of its service life, metal fatigue, or an original defect present from the time of manufacture. The guarantee does not cover failure of original factory shutter tapes, guide cords or other parts. My guarantee covers my work and does not extend to parts, materials and factors that are not related to my work on the camera.
  8. The warranty is cancelled if there is a severe breach of good faith. I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. The public making, posting, distribution or transmission of any statement on of through the Internet, or any other media, which mentions Zeisscamera.com or my personal name, and which is considered by me to be adverse to the good reputation of Zeisscamera.com or Henry Scherer . This is a severe breach of the necessary good faith which must exist between a good customer and a service provider. The warranties, agreements or contracts applicable to any equipment that has been serviced here, and which is still under warranty or agreement or contract of any kind are permanently cancelled effective with the date and time of any such public statement, posting, distribution or transmission by any media. Also, effective with the date and time of warranty cancellation there is no future possibility of future business between us. In the event of such cancellation any equipment here or which is on its way here will be returned to the sender by U.S.P.S. Priority Mail insured for $200.00 if delivery cannot be refused. Zeisscamera.com or Henry Scherer will have no responsibility for any damage or any loss of any kind to such equipment. Any deposits or payments received from the author, person posting, person or company distributing or transmitting this material will be forfeit and non-refundable. In the event equipment is actively being worked on the normal piece rate for overhauls or any previously stated estimates are cancelled and the work on the equipment will be completed, but without a warranty, at an hourly rate of $250.00 per hour.
  9. I am the sole arbitrator and your sole recourse of any dispute concerning the Guarantee: In submitting a camera to me for repair, or in purchasing a camera I have repaired you accept that I am the sole arbitrator of any dispute and your sole recourse concerning any matter connected to the one year guarantee or any services received from Zeisscamera.com or Henry Scherer..
  10. The Guarantee on the light meter of the Contarex, Contax III and IIIa model cameras is limited: The meter will be repaired and restored to normal operation if it should fail in a manner where replacement parts are not needed. Repair parts, if necessary, will be installed at additional cost and labor. Some meters, such as the Contarex light meter may not be fully restorable.
  11. Adjustments required due to Shocks suffered during Shipping Will be covered under the guarantee : Shifts in alignment or adjustment to controls or components caused by damage during shipping are covered by the guarantee. Irreparable damage or loss caused during shipping is covered by the postal insurance that is purchased for each shipment.
  12. There may be one or more exclusions If your camera is heavily damaged, has been exposed to water or high humidity, has been damaged due to work by others, is excessively worn, has an uncorrectable original factory defect, or has been modified by others. It may not be possible to restore shutter speeds or other important functions to factory tolerances. In this case you will be informed of this circumstance and shutter speed accuracy or other functions will be excluded from the one year guarantee. The shutter speed performance at all speeds is only guaranteed as measured by my shutter speed tester here.
  13. The guarantee is not transferable without my permission: The guarantee is only to the owner of the camera at the time it is serviced. If the camera is sold or transferred prior to the expiration date of the guarantee the guarantee expires at the date and time of the sale or transfer.
  14. Customer performed repairs resulting in damage are not covered: All warranty repairs are to be performed by me. In the event you believe the camera needs warranty repairs and you attempt to repair the camera yourself or have it repaired by someone else, the warranty is canceled. Any repairs to the camera performed here will be charged for labor and parts at the normal rate. This term applies even if I provide you with repair parts at your request as a courtesy.
  15. There is no incidental or consequential guarantee: In the event of any equipment failure, malfunction or failure to perform due to a fault in workmanship performed here or due to materials provided or manufactured here there is no incidental or consequential guarantee of any kind. There is no guarantee of any kind on materials or parts that were supplied by Zeiss or which came with the equipment from the factory. If you live in a State or Territory whose laws due not permit the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages you agree to voluntarily waive your rights to such exclusion when you conduct business with me.
  16. There may be additional modifications and terms applied to special or very rare items.
  17. "Test Cameras" or lenses sent by other camera repair service providers or professionals have special conditions applied to them. These special conditions will be provided to customers having the obvious potential to manufacture a Contax camera out of spare parts. The communication of such special conditions is merely communication and is in no way an implied statement of any kind.
  18. There is no guarantee on post factory modifications installed by others after the camera left the factory. This includes flash synchronization circuits installed in the Contaflex TLR. Contax I, II, III, IIa or IIIa bodies. It also includes IIIa type light meters installed on a Contax III body to make it look like a Contax IIIa.
  19. The one year warranty is voided immediately upon the installation of a wrist strap to the camera side lug or tripod socket.
  20. I reserve the right to end any dispute regarding repairs done to any piece of equipment by sending a full refund for repair charges and shipping to the owner using the method used by the owner to submit payment. This clause is necessary because with old cameras parts may fail suddenly due to original factory defects or due to age. Replacement parts may not be available. In the event it is my decision the equipment is not restorable or repairable a full refund will settle the dispute and all possible claims.

Terms of Service:

1. Estimates: In some cases it is impossible to provide a completely accurate estimate of the cost of repair or overhaul work until after the equipment has been disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and the assembly process has begun. The functionally of any piece of equipment, such as a camera body, cannot be determined until it is clean and properly lubricated condition and assembly has proceeded to the point where it is functional enough for its performance to be tested. Because of this when you send a piece of equipment here you accept to pay the cost of whatever parts or assemblies or other parts necessary to restore your equipment to it's best operable condition.

In most cases with most equipment there is no need for replacement parts or assemblies and there are no additional charges.

When a piece of equipment, such as a camera body, requires repair parts or assemblies at additional cost this is most usually due to one of the following reasons:

A. The camera body was originally manufactured out of defective parts such as the "FrankenContax IIa".

B. The camera has a non-original shutter assembly in it. This is most often a genuine Contax that has had a Russian made shutter put into it or a Russian made Contax copy with a real or forged Contax front plate installed on it.

C. The camera has been modified in an attempt to make it appear unusual so as to increase its market value. This includes black paint Contax camera bodies, Contax II or III bodies made to appear more like a postwar Contax IIa or IIIa camera body, and Russian manufactured bodies with false or counterfeit markings.

D. The camera has been damaged by bad prior work.

E. The camera is extensively damaged by long exposure to bad storage conditions. These are most often cameras that have been exposed for a very long time in very high humidity conditions and then "improved" for sale by over painting and the replacement of exterior trim parts that demonstrate corrosion..

F. The camera body has a flash synchronization circuit installed.

G. The equipment is highly abused and/or was produced in very small numbers by Zeiss or some other manufacturer.

H. The equipment contains substitute parts.

2. All estimates provided by email are best guesses based upon experience of the typical costs for completely original equipment completely manufactured by Zeiss or other manufacturer that have not been modified in any way and which do not contain substitute or non-original parts and which have not been damaged by prior bad work.

3: Completion of Work: Once work on a piece of equipment has started it must be completed. There is no possibility for a customer to cancel any work on any equipment once work has begun. In the event, for any reason, a customer demands work on a piece of equipment be stopped prior to completion it shall be understood by both the customer and Zeisscamera that this is a non-binding request that may or may not be honored and that will be subject to terms, determined at the time of the request, imposed on the request by Zeisscamera.com and that the customer agrees will be binding. In the event of any such request to stop work the following outcomes are possible:

A. The work may be completed and the necessary parts and additional labor donated by Zeisscamera. In such cases additional work will not be welcome from the same customer until the costs of the additional parts and labor are paid. Also there will be no guarantee on any work performed on the applicable equipment. If the equipment is one piece of a number of pieces that have not yet been worked on those pieces of equipment will be returned to the customer, at his cost for shipping, with no work accomplished.

B. The equipment may be purchased by Zeisscamera.com.

C. The equipment may be donated or traded.

 

 

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