Zeiss Ikon Contarex Special Instruction Booklet

							must be opened for viewing by pressing knob (14)
The mognifier (13), which is inside the cover flop,
permits criiicolly exqci focusing. By depressing
knob (12), ihe mognifier will spring inio lhe working
position.The viewfinder units con be interchonged by depres-
sing ihe cotch (32), when ihe eniire unit con be lifted
off towords ihe bock (Fig. 1). When inseriing the
unif, the cotch (32) should snop-in oudibly.
The finder qtiochmeni (ground-gloss screen or split-
imoge rongefinder ottochmeni) will be occessible
when the finder unit hos been removed. By pressing
the lock (2,l) upwords, it will be loosened ond con ihen
be lified off (Fig. 2). For re-insertion, the clows of lhe
finder oilochment should be slipped over the spindle(27) ond should then be firmly pressed bock into ils
mounting.The prism unit yields on upright ond loterolly correctimoge when viewed in ihe ioking direction; looking
from obove into the focusing hood,the imoge oppeors
upright ond Ioterolly reversed.
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Focusing
When using the glound.glass screen, its entire imogeoreo is used for focusing. The focusing ring (7) of thelens mount should be rotoied until the subiect oppeorsshorply focused.
When using the split-image rangefinder, you will see inlhe centre of ihe imoge field o circulor oreo horizon-tolly divided into two holf-circles (definition indi-cotor). When ihe lens is not shorply focused, o ver-iicol line which posses lhrough these two holf-circleswill oppeor broken ond loterolly disploced.The focusing ring (7) of lhe lens mouni should beroloted until lhe verlicol line oppeors completelystroight ond unbroken. This operoiion focuses ihe lensio the required disionce. For focusing on horizontollines, fhe comero should be held os for toking uprighlpholos. 
						

							The split-imoge rongefinder circle is surrounded by o micro roster ring, which serves the some functionos o ground-gloss screen. The outlines of o subiect will oppeor unshorp in this ring until ihe lens is cor-recily focused (Fig. 3). This micro roster ring should be used for focusing on detoiled siruclures ond pollernsor for copying, etc., ond for subiecls which hove no distinct stroight Iines.The remoining imoge oreo outside the centrol rings is olwoys bright ond shorp but connoi be used forfocusing. Full imoge brightness, however, con only be ensured when the comero is iensioned.The CONTAREX lenses from 35 mm to 250 mm focol length con be focused with either the splil-imoge ronge-finder or ihe micro roster ring*, or with the ground-gloss screen ottochment.After focusing, the octuol distonce ond the depih of field con be reod off from the lens mou.nl. The focuseddisionce is indicoted by the setiing mork (24). To ihe left ond to ihe righl of the setting mork, f/numbersore engroved. The shorp zone (the depth of field) reoches from the disfonce-figure which is opposite theset operiure-volue on the left, io the distonce which is opposite the some f/number on the right (Fig.4.
When working with the ground-gloss screen oitochment the ronge of the zone of shorp definition conbe controlled on ihe ground-gloss screen provided lhe comero hos noi been tensioned. Correct depih-of-field figures con be found in the depth-of-field tobles. As the plone of reference from which disionces qre
meosured, ihe focol plone is morked by ihe circle (31) to ihe left of the viewfinder eyepiece of theCONTAREX speciol.x CONTAREX lenses of 35 mm - 135 mm should be used with the splil-imoge rongefinder unit, Order No.20.15d4; iheSONNAR 250 mm wifh the splil-imoge rongefinder unit, Order No.20.1565.
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The dislonce con olso be sei by using the depth-of-
field scole (25). Turn ihe lens so os io ensure ihe deptn-
of-field required ot ony given operiure setting ond ihenset ihis operture by meons of fhe operture setting
wheel (2). Further dislonce seiling is fhen unnecessory.
Ihe aperture is set by roioting the wheel (2) (Fig. 5).
The required volue should be sei lo ihe operture
setting mork (,l5). The operiure to be set depends on
the required depth-of-field. The smoller lhe operlure
figure the lorger is the lens opening ond the smoller
the depih-of-field ronge. With the BIOGON f/4.5,
2l mm ond fhe SONNAR t/4, 250 mm the operiure
should not be sei on ihe wheel (2) but on ihe lens
setiing ring.
The mosl suiioble shutter speed depends on the move-
ment of lhe sublect; the more ropid the movement
ihe foster must be the shuiler speed. The shutier-speed
setting ring (16) shows simplified figures, for instonce 
						

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60 forllrolh second eic.; ihe shutier speed ring isprovided with click-stops, ond will snop in when the
morked volues ore sel to the lriongulor mork obove
the ring (Fig. 6); the ring should not be set to inter-
medioie volues. When sei to 8 the shutter remoins
open os long os the releose knob is depressed. The
significonce of ihe coloured figures is exploined onpoge 17.
Exposures from r/rmo sec, to %o sec. moy be ioken by
hond without feor of camero shoke when the stondord
lens is used. The use of o iripod is odvisoble when
moking longer exposures. With lenses of longer focol
lengih foster shutter speeds should be used for hond-
held exposures.
Shutter speed and aperture ore interdependeni, i. e. ihe
fosler ihe shuiter speed the lorger should be fheoperture ond vice verso. Which of the shutter speed
operture couplings is required depends on the speed
of ihe film, fhe generol brightness of ihe ovoilqble
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							light ond,when using colour filters, on the filler foctor.
Correct shutler speed ond operiure setiings con be
oscerlqined from the tobles, or, more reliobly, wilh
the ZEISS IKON IKOPHOT photo-electric exposure
meter (Fig. 7). The exposure meter is indispensible for
colour phoiogrophy since colour film must be exposed
wiih o hight degree of occurocy.
Fig. 7 
						

							Exposure {rio. a)
When shuiier speed ond operiure ore correci-ly sei, the shulter con be releosed. The riqhi-hond index finger should dep.g5t ihe .eleoseknob gently. Do not ierk, but squeeze theknob, toking up the slock in the releose me-chonism slowly. This will couse the mirror toflip upwords, the diophrogm to close downfo ihe pre-set position ond ihe shuiter to runoff oi the pre-set speed. Then ihe mirror re-turns to fhe finder position whilsi the dio_phrogm remoins oi the pre-sei volue in orderto remind you thot the nexr exposure con bemode only ofier ihe ropid wind lever (19) hosbeen tensioned (Fig. 9). With +he operoiionof the lever, the film is odvonced by onefrome, the shutter is tensioned once oooinond ihe diophrogm opened to its full o-per-lure. After exposure-setting ond focusing, thenext exposure con be mqde.
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							Flash exposures
The focol-plone shuiter ofi ihe CONTAREX speciol con be coupled to oll lypes of flosh equipment. Seiiingthe shuiier speed will outomolicolly odjust the corresponding flosh contoct so thot ihe vorious floshbulbs
or electronic flosh units will be fired oi ihe oppropriote insionl, olwoys provided, however, thoi the shulteris sei to the correct speed. The shuiter speeds qre morked by coloured figures. They ore:
1 Block (1-%o sec. ond B) for firing normol floshbulbs (Closs M) or electronic flosh lubes.
2 Yellow (1/ro sec.) for firing elecfronic flosh tubes.
3 Red (r/rzs-rlrooo sec. for firing slow-burning floshbulbs (FP Closs), which ore speciolly mode for use
with focql-plone shutters.
The opertures to be employed wiih ihe vorious types of flosh ore indicqted in ihe tobles provided with the
flosh lomps. The oppropriote operture should be set by meons of the operture wheel (2).
The deloyed oction device (self-iimer) con olso be used for flosh exposures with oll shutler speeds fromI-1/rooo sec.
The flosh leod should be connecied to the flosh coniqct (10) beside lhe lens (Fig. 10). The floshholder itself
con either be slipped inlo ihe occessory shoe (4) or screwed io o brocket which is fiited to ihe tripod bush
of the comero.
17