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Zeiss Ikon Contessamat SBE 35mm rangefinder camera, with Zeiss Tessar 50mm f2.8 lens. Fully working and ready to shoot.
The Contessamat is the end of the line of Zeiss 35mm rangefinders, and the SBE model is the top of that line (the SE has a rather disappointing Pantar lens). A beautiful camera, made in Germany in the mid-60s, I have another one of these myself which is in my permanent collection. What sets these apart from the other Contessa models is the shutter-priority auto-exposure mode, which also features and exposure lock with a half-press of the shutter, so you can meter off the ground for backlit shots. The aperture chosen is shown on the top plate and also in the viewfinder, along with the shutter speed dial via a Judas window (see picture, it is difficult to get this all in, much easier with your eye). Prontor shutter from B to 1/500th, which is fully working and accurate. Self timer, which runs smoothly. The selenium cell is working, but in bright light will overexpose about a stop, which is not unusual for this type of meter to be honest. The rangefinder is bright and clear, and both this and the lens focus accurately. The lens is free of fungus and other nasties, and is bright and clear, save for a little marking on the front (see picture), which should make no difference to pictures. Flash sync is X for electronic flash, and being a leaf shutter, you can use this at any speed. Finally, the B in the model designation is for blitzlamp (flash). Back in the days of manual-only flash guns, you had to select the aperture based on the guide number (GN) of the flash and the distance to the subject. All that is way too pedestrian, so with this camera you set the aperture ring to the GN corresponding to your flash gun, and the aperture is automatically set when you focus. These days you can do that or use an auto flash with thyristor.
If you have any questions then please drop me a line. For instructions, the great Mike Butkus has a manual on his site, just google “butkus contessamat” and look for the SBE model. This is a great camera and is ready to go, I’ll also throw in a film to get you started. I’ve checked out every aspect I can think of, short of actually shooting with it, just as I do with my own cameras.
Note I have designated dispatch as up to 5 days; with everything going on in the world, it might take a bit of time to get to a post office, however I would send this off to you as soon as I am able, which is normally a day or two.
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Category: Cameras and Photography:Vintage Photography:Vintage Cameras:Rangefinder Cameras
Location: Doncaster