Gorgeous camera. I realized you can trip the shutter without playing with the film advance wheels inside, there's a little lever on the bottom of the lens on the front and you can press it and the shutter will trip as long as it's clocked.
One warning. After cocking the shutter lever, never try to rotate the shutter speed dial to 500, or it can break. I always set everything before cocking the lever just to be safe. I need to get mine that I inherited from my dad, cleaned up. The ISO dial reminder on top is jammed and won't turn. The light meter usually can be fixed with a replacement selenium cell, if you can find them.
hello , I stumbled upon this video quite by accident and indeed is very informative and well done ; one thing you misunderstood is that the central eye is a lens which focuses bang on the mirror inside ' it is rather late but if you happen to read this I hope it will be of some help ; cheers !
Regarding your meter; I got a meter to come back (accuracy?) by removing the top plate and spraying the sensor contacts with electronic cleaning spray. Thanks for the video.
I probably psid too much for mme years ago, but it has the instruction book and even the little screw that goes in the tripod socket. I leve rahgefind er folders and have over a dozen. Thanks for an eccellent review.
My sensor still works but I’m having trouble understanding when I should be using the green half or the black half of the wheel to gauge my shooting settings. If you have any insight that would be helpful
Film Purist My doubt is because I want to learn how to use analog cameras and I was seeing the possibility of buying this model. I do not know much about cameras. I would like to learn.
maria-jose mendoza correa so you will need a light meter if you get this camera (or your phone, or the sunny 16 rule). It is a fun camera, but a little quirky. I would highly consider getting a Nikon N90s (I have two reviews of this camera it's a really good deal on the used market) and a 50mm 1.8 D lens, or if you want manual focus camera a FM2 with the 50mm e lens. The Zeiss Contessa is a challenging camera to shoot with if you are first learning photography, but if you are up for a challenge and have a light meter or a phone meter this could work. Color negative film is a safer choice due to the exposure latitude, but I would shoot ilford hp4 or hp5. Sometimes it is harder to get black and white developed, but black and white film has that feel too it.
I think that it was Kodak Plus-x 125 iso traditional grain film, but the photos were shot around 2015 and I did not keep good records of the film I was shooting at the time. I bought the Plus X film expired for a camera store that had a few rolls left. It is not made any more, but one of my favorite films. Similar in concept to FP4, but the contrast and rendering is not the same.
I assume you solved this issue! But you should slightly squeeze the struts in toward the lens body, and it will disengage, and you can comfortably shut the lens assembly behind the cover.
I'm sorry, thats not good. There might be a way to use it still, however I have sold mine and moved on to different cameras so I am not sure I can help much.
One of the best underrated cameras. The Lens is exceptionally sharp! So cool!
Gorgeous camera. I realized you can trip the shutter without playing with the film advance wheels inside, there's a little lever on the bottom of the lens on the front and you can press it and the shutter will trip as long as it's clocked.
One warning. After cocking the shutter lever, never try to rotate the shutter speed dial to 500, or it can break. I always set everything before cocking the lever just to be safe. I need to get mine that I inherited from my dad, cleaned up. The ISO dial reminder on top is jammed and won't turn. The light meter usually can be fixed with a replacement selenium cell, if you can find them.
hello , I stumbled upon this video quite by accident and indeed is very informative and well done ; one thing you misunderstood is that the central eye is a lens which focuses bang on the mirror inside ' it is rather late but if you happen to read this I hope it will be of some help ; cheers !
Regarding your meter; I got a meter to come back (accuracy?) by removing the top plate and spraying the sensor contacts with electronic cleaning spray. Thanks for the video.
I probably psid too much for mme years ago, but it has the instruction book and even the little screw that goes in the tripod socket. I leve rahgefind er folders and have over a dozen. Thanks for an eccellent review.
thanks for the review I just got one -still need to shoot some film with it
one of the best 35mm !amazing camera !!
excellent video thanks, I inherited this from my grandfather
My sensor still works but I’m having trouble understanding when I should be using the green half or the black half of the wheel to gauge my shooting settings. If you have any insight that would be helpful
Mine never worked, and the camera has been sold. However one scale is likely when the shade over the meter is up and one when it is down.
@@eagle112800 thank you for your reply!
Just found one of these in my aunts house. Wondering when it was made
+Ralph Debay likely it was made during the early 1950s www.cameraquest.com/contessa.htm
What kind of film does this cámara need?
+maria-jose mendoza correa 35mm film. What were you thinking about shooting?
Film Purist My doubt is because I want to learn how to use analog cameras and I was seeing the possibility of buying this model. I do not know much about cameras. I would like to learn.
maria-jose mendoza correa so you will need a light meter if you get this camera (or your phone, or the sunny 16 rule). It is a fun camera, but a little quirky. I would highly consider getting a Nikon N90s (I have two reviews of this camera it's a really good deal on the used market) and a 50mm 1.8 D lens, or if you want manual focus camera a FM2 with the 50mm e lens. The Zeiss Contessa is a challenging camera to shoot with if you are first learning photography, but if you are up for a challenge and have a light meter or a phone meter this could work. Color negative film is a safer choice due to the exposure latitude, but I would shoot ilford hp4 or hp5. Sometimes it is harder to get black and white developed, but black and white film has that feel too it.
Does anyone know what film he used for his photos?
I think that it was Kodak Plus-x 125 iso traditional grain film, but the photos were shot around 2015 and I did not keep good records of the film I was shooting at the time. I bought the Plus X film expired for a camera store that had a few rolls left. It is not made any more, but one of my favorite films. Similar in concept to FP4, but the contrast and rendering is not the same.
I have one but I can't get it to retracted .
I assume you solved this issue! But you should slightly squeeze the struts in toward the lens body, and it will disengage, and you can comfortably shut the lens assembly behind the cover.
If you open the front too fast, it can suck the film away from the film plane :)
+Madis McLembrus fun fact!
I lost the little button to the fold out lenses
I'm sorry, thats not good. There might be a way to use it still, however I have sold mine and moved on to different cameras so I am not sure I can help much.
Film Purist thanks though for trying
Stop dragging across the table and banging around this 30s gem or you will cause more wear than accumulated in the last 80 years of its life