International Camera Museum : Blue Moon Camera and Machine

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Contax IIIA

The Contax IIIa was a post-WWII improved version of the Contax III. It is worth noting that the IIa and IIIa are virtually identical cameras with the main difference being that the IIIa has a selenium cell meter while the IIa is meter-less. If you don't care about a meter on your rangefinder, all the selling points of the IIIa will then apply to the IIa.

The Contax IIIa is a solid, 35mm rangefinder system camera. It uses a proprietary lens mount but Zeiss made a huge array of lenses for this system. The Contax IIIa also features a combined viewfinder and rangefinder. The IIIa specifically introduced a wider angle viewfinder than the original III, which allowed for easier use for those with glasses. Additionally, the Contax rangefinder was apparently a more complicated design that would not go out of alignment, an issue sometimes encountered on Leicas.

Other notable features of the IIIa include back door loading, making changing film a breeze. Contax IIIa cameras also have very accurate rangefinders due to the wide base between rangefinder windows. The camera has a metal shutter curtain so no need to worry about holes developing as can happen with the cloth curtains of early rangefinder cameras. The IIIa was also simpler internally, making repair a bit easier.

Overall, Contax rangefinders are great cameras if you want access to a wide range of excellent lenses and want to avoid spending Leica-like prices on your optics. Repair can still be an issue, as they require specialized knowledge but overall the cameras are dependable and well-built. They are also very classy looking.

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Contax IIIa Twins

Twins, accidental and otherwise. Staff members, Paola and Sophia noticed their sartorial coordination, so we grabbed these two Contax IIIa cameras to complete the ensemble.

Light and the Contax IIIa

“There are two ways of spreading light… To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton⠀

As photographers, we are often one, the other, both, or something slightly different when it comes to our relation with light.

We learn to admire light, we memorialize it, we share it with others. We carry our cameras - these little light-catching boxes made of chrome or magnesium or plastic or even wood - and it is our hopes and dreams to see and think, to write in light, reflected or fallen. We slice light off by a fraction of a second, or we collect it en masse.

And, we realize that even in the darkest scenarios, we have light to work by. This gives us meaning, purpose, hope, and inspiration. There is no good light nor bad light, there is just light and what we choose to do with it. And of course, there are our cameras with us, our tools of the trade, our light catchers and keepers.

The camera is beautiful, in its way, but the light is more so.

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Zach Archer with his Contax IIIA

Here is a self portrait made by Zach Archer with his Contax IIIA.⠀

Zach sent us this photo in response to a call we made to our customers, asking for them to share out their favorite self portraits. We wanted to share these photos as a way to spotlight the connection between the photographer and their camera. Fostering this connection is one of the most important aspects of what we do. It's not just about the camera and it's not just about the photographer. It's a union between the two that makes our photographs what they are. Capturing an image of you and your camera, with your camera, is a great way to encompass the connection that means so much to each of us.⠀ ⠀

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Contax IIIA

A landscape like Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon coast fits best within a wide angle lens - the Contax IIIA with a Zeiss 21mm f/4.5 Biogon makes a perfect coastal companion.

Some consider these cameras the best pre-WWII rangefinders and we can definitely understand why. This 21mm lens is pretty incredible too; with a rear optic that protrudes almost all the way to the film plane! Even better, it came in with the 21mm finder, a valuable accessory for this particular camera kit.

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