seekwhence
New Member
Hello
I am a new member to this forum so I hope the "oldtimers" will have a little more patience with my fumbling!
I collect old German 35mm cameras from the period 1935-45. Recently, at an estate auction I acquired a Contax II of a type I have never seen before. The serial number is B19553 which I think dates it to 1936. The lens is a Sonnar f2/5cm from 1937. The odd thing about this camera is that instead of the normal chrome body parts seen on other Contax II's this one has those sections in black. All the knobs, accessory shoe, timer and logo are not black colored. In essence, this camera looks like it was made to appear similar to a Contax I. I have looked over this camera carefully and it is not a Russian copy or fake. It is comparable in every way to the other "regular" Contax II's I have in my collection right down to the Zeiss bumps in the covering. Also, there is no chrome seen under the black where there is weathering so it appears that it was not overpainted.
I have tried to find information about a black model Contax II but to no avail. It seems as though no official models existed. I was wondering if anyone in the forum has knowledge of Zeiss produced black model Contax II's. I wish I could post some images but as a new member I believe I am restricted in this regard. If anyone wants to see pictures, please contact me and I will send some.
Thanks in advance for your interest and help!
Until next time...
Dave (seekwhence)
I am a new member to this forum so I hope the "oldtimers" will have a little more patience with my fumbling!
I collect old German 35mm cameras from the period 1935-45. Recently, at an estate auction I acquired a Contax II of a type I have never seen before. The serial number is B19553 which I think dates it to 1936. The lens is a Sonnar f2/5cm from 1937. The odd thing about this camera is that instead of the normal chrome body parts seen on other Contax II's this one has those sections in black. All the knobs, accessory shoe, timer and logo are not black colored. In essence, this camera looks like it was made to appear similar to a Contax I. I have looked over this camera carefully and it is not a Russian copy or fake. It is comparable in every way to the other "regular" Contax II's I have in my collection right down to the Zeiss bumps in the covering. Also, there is no chrome seen under the black where there is weathering so it appears that it was not overpainted.
I have tried to find information about a black model Contax II but to no avail. It seems as though no official models existed. I was wondering if anyone in the forum has knowledge of Zeiss produced black model Contax II's. I wish I could post some images but as a new member I believe I am restricted in this regard. If anyone wants to see pictures, please contact me and I will send some.
Thanks in advance for your interest and help!
Until next time...
Dave (seekwhence)