Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/07/17

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Subject: [Leica] Contax and Leica
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 20:54:12 -0400
References: <9DC5E2ABE65BD54CA9088DA3194461D604A99FF1@BBY1EXM01>

At 02:42 PM 7/17/01 -0700, Frank Filippone wrote:
>Excuse me sir... Zeiss had the Contax series of cameras with a top speed of
>1/1250.  Leica was at 1/500.  I think that is called a kill stroke.  The
>Contax really was for the rich man, the Leica for the relative pauper.

Well, the Contax I was offered with 1/1000" from the get-go, in early '32;
the first Leica with this speed was the IIIa, in 1935.  Similarly, Contax
beat Leica to the marketplace with slow speeds by some months, the Contax
I, Model 4, predating the Leica III by some months.

I am not certain of the price charged for the IIIa and IIIb in the late
1930's, but the Contax II body only was $US 157 in 1937.

I believe the two cameras were very close in terms of price, but I haven't
the data at my finger-tips to confirm this.

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bąs fir gun ghrąs fir!

In reply to: Message from Paul Chefurka <Paul_Chefurka@pmc-sierra.com> (RE: [Leica] F-Stops)