It’s always my custom to give a camera a thorough detailing, and the Contax was no exception. Besides, I knew I’d be able to fix the strap by cutting it and putting-in a new rivet, and I also knew I could touch-up the case with some leather dye and polish (been there, done that). The strap had broken at the connection point with the case, and it was slightly worse for wear, but I’d rather have the case take the abuse than the camera. In addition to the clean camera, it came with a decent condition leather “ever ready” case. And according to the dealer, the camera had been tested, and was in fully working order.

But this one, which available information suggests was made in February 1956, appeared to be a truly beautiful example of this renowned and revered rangefinder camera. The price was steeper than I would have liked, but the condition? Well, you just don’t often find pristine, working examples of cameras that are nearly 65 years old. This particular one appeared unexpectedly from Recycled Camera in Louisville, Colorado (you can find them in our Vendor Directory). It wasn’t long after I’d decided to place a Contax IIa or IIIa on my “wanted” list that one presented itself in this case, a IIIa.

Browsing the ads in old issues of Popular Photography from the 1950s (via Google Books) didn’t really help much either. But once I picked-up my Kodak Retina IIc, it all sort of cascaded from there. The Back Storyįor quite awhile, I avoided midcentury cameras with a couple of notable exceptions (my Rolleiflex being one). And while I don’t normally review cameras after just one roll of film shot and thus little operational experience, this review will, of necessity, be an exception for reasons that will become clear. Unfortunately, the story didn’t end as well as I’d hoped. One of my recent attempts to expand my collection was a particularly beautiful Zeiss Ikon “color dial” Contax IIIa, a truly iconic camera that many consider to be one of the finest cameras made in its era, if not one of the finest of any era. My film camera buying spree appears to be continuing unabated, especially with my growing interest in midcentury rangefinders and other 135 cameras.

Contax serial number list