Zeiss Ikon Contina II - Quick and Dirty Review

[@driline]

I own this same camera. I purchased it off eBay for $45 in excellent condition in 2022. Yes the meter works. Out of the 20 or so similar cameras I own from that era I will say this is the sharpest and one of my all time favorites. The mechanical winder and shutter release are second to none. Buy one if you can.

[@bryanhunt1148]

My father purchased one Duty Free in Sydney in 1960 and he used it extensively around the world, taking mainly Ektachrome 64 colour slides. Sadly it vanished after he died and I happened to see one on a charity shop for £15. The light meter works well and I use it mainly for black and white photography, and use an accessory rangefinder. In sum, a good quality and simple camera to use which takes sharp photos, 60 years on.

[@TomChamberlain]

I have a version without the light meter. I got mine for $40 and is in excellent condition and my local shop had a leather case for it in their storage room. It's a great camera.

[@chickpeagirl8148]

What film do you use for it?

[@Analogbrain]

I have the same camera, great fun to use and gives nice results, a no nonsense goodlooking built to last camera. I think it's perfect for someone who want's to get into all manual film photography as well.

[@lornespry]

There were a number of variations in the Contina IIA. Mine looks much like yours, but there are differences. It has a Novacar f2:8 lens. The light meter reads directly in shutter speeds against apertures. I don’t use it and so go by the “sunny 16” rule, or use a light meter. Unlike your camera, the speed and shutter rings are both knurled/ notched and move free and independently. There is no toggle lock like on yours. I’ve owned my example for decades. It’s taken many clear photographs with good contrast and remarkable sharpness for an entry level camera. Even though I have some richer cameras, the Contina remains my pet.

[@johnparr5879]

😅My camera has the shutter stuck with no ability to advance the film...

[@jonlouis2582]

Very interesting. I have one on the way, so this was helpful. I went to see your pictures, they have a very vintage vibe. I wonder if it’s the lens? Thanks for sharing.

[@chickpeagirl8148]

What film can you use for this camera? I have the same one.

[@BriansPhotoShow]

You may use any 35mm film. See my video on how to load film into this camera: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJewdnxun86Vntk

[@chickpeagirl8148]

@@BriansPhotoShow Thank you so much

[@JasonBrownafewmomentsl8er]

How would you recommend shooing an iso 400 film with this camera considering the fastest shutter speed is only 1/300 , im new to film is and i just got this camera

[@BriansPhotoShow]

In sunlight set the shutter speed to 1/300 and the aperture to f/16. If you're shooting color negative film a slight overexposure is no big deal.

[@johnmckenna8989]

Get a neutral density filter for the lens...( 1 stop would suffice)

[@johnjon1823]

Nice information thanks! Also, perhaps there may be some "plastic" camera worth keeping since they will not last as long oddly in the future they may prove to be more rare than the more durable metal ones, odd I know. If you think about old things, sometimes the fragile things end up more valuable. Who would have thought some of the old junk that got tossed would end up being oddly valuable one day? I mean even shit decorative colors like that burnt orange and puke green seems to have made a comeback and people tossed all kinds of 50's modern furniture and now it's back again. Best wishes!