Contax 137MA Underwater Housing
Jan 13, 2022 15:48:33 GMT
on Jan 13, 2022 15:48:33 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2022 11:09:33 GMT by biggles3
I try to introduce unusual Yashica and Contax finds whenever possible for the enjoyment of our Members and I think this counts as such an item.
Contax 137MA_TLA30 Underwater Housings
This is a Contax bespoke underwater housing for the Contax 137MA (it will also work with the MD) with a lens between 25mm and 135mm (f2.8 versions - the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 and 135mm f2 won't fit but the 28mm f2 'Hollywood' will) or a mid-range zoom as shown here. Also shown is the bespoke housing for the Contax TLA30 Flash Gun.
Thankfully, the seals are still intact and the electrical cables connecting the flash and camera are still functioning correctly as all the gaskets are in good shape. This is pretty impressive for a 40-year old piece of kit designed to be used in extreme conditions.
The barrel of the housing into which the lens seats is quite a complex mechanism as it can be split into two units, depending on the size of the lens. A series of ratchets is fixed to the lens to allow the operation of the focusing ring and, where needed, the zoom as here with the Tamron SP 28-80mm.
Unfortunately, the user manual is missing so I don't know to what depth these two housings can be taken. I suspect that the Yashica one, shown here recently, which is guaranteed to 45m outperforms this much older Contax unit.
Contax 137MA_TLA30 Underwater Housings
This is a Contax bespoke underwater housing for the Contax 137MA (it will also work with the MD) with a lens between 25mm and 135mm (f2.8 versions - the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 and 135mm f2 won't fit but the 28mm f2 'Hollywood' will) or a mid-range zoom as shown here. Also shown is the bespoke housing for the Contax TLA30 Flash Gun.
Thankfully, the seals are still intact and the electrical cables connecting the flash and camera are still functioning correctly as all the gaskets are in good shape. This is pretty impressive for a 40-year old piece of kit designed to be used in extreme conditions.
The barrel of the housing into which the lens seats is quite a complex mechanism as it can be split into two units, depending on the size of the lens. A series of ratchets is fixed to the lens to allow the operation of the focusing ring and, where needed, the zoom as here with the Tamron SP 28-80mm.
Unfortunately, the user manual is missing so I don't know to what depth these two housings can be taken. I suspect that the Yashica one, shown here recently, which is guaranteed to 45m outperforms this much older Contax unit.