[Leica] Musings on Camera Wars 1930's

[don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)]

For the past year or so I have been trying to get a couple of Contax cameras
up and running so that I can use two of the lenses that made the Zeiss
system desireable; the 50 1.5 Sonnar and the 35 f2.8 Biogon.  I guess I just
did not apprediate the difference of design philosophy between Leica and
Zeiss-Ikon.  The Leica cameras of the day, predominately the III were pretty
simple cameras with optional slow speeds.  Rangefinder base lengths were
adequate for the lenses of the day and the shutters were very durable
especialy if used.

Problems would be loading which is a learned task, and the ability to burn
holes in the shutter if you focused unwisely toward the sun.  Rangefinders
could be knocked out of whack but the adjustments were pretty easy to do if
you knew which screws did what.

The Zeiss offerings were much larger, heavier, with a very long rangefinder
base almost suitable to focus a 180.  Advantages would be removeable back to
ease loading, slow speeds on the base model, a faster (theoretically faster
top speed) top shutter speed, and a rangefinder that was very robust.

Problems were that the shutter was difficult to tune, tapes broke, high
shutter speeds were very dependant on how well the camera was assembled, the
shutter was somewhat fragile to poking fingers trying to help things along.
Other problems that I have found are that the back is somewhat flimsy and
when you use a heavy lens you can dent the back; this causes the camera to
fail to feed as the wind mechanism is designed to slip somewhat.

For someone who is fascinated by mechanical devices, the Contax is a
wonderful machine full of gears and secret abilities such as the hidden T
setting and the versatile lens mount.  Yet, it is a little unwieldy in use,
recall the claw handgrip to use the beast.  Loading is not as easy as the
back would lead you to believe as you have to keep the spool centered to
slip the back on.  The shutter release can be somewhat fiddly as you have to
push it all the way down to wind.  Rewind is not pleasant as the knob on the
II is a little small and you have to keep pressure on the release (much like
the button rewind M2) the whole time.

Ah, but the lenses.  The Sonnar is so superior for everyday photography to
the Sumars, Sumitars available from the competition.  Then there is the 35
Biogon, no comparison whatsoever to anything anybody else had to offer in
1936.

Where would I be in the thirties?  I think that I would have chosen the
Leica still.  The size and lack of complication are still a winner.  But I
would try to find a machinist that would make a helical to mount a Sonnar.

Comments, especially from Marc would be much appreciated.

Don
don.dory@gmail.com