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Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Sept 11, 2022 17:11:36 GMT
Posted: Sept 11, 2022 17:11:36 GMT
Hi folks, it's that time of year when I get some of the cameras that are boxed rather than on shelves out for a physical... In the course of assembling this little group of Contax 137MAs, I saw something that had hitherto passed by unnoticed: those two cameras in the second row have plain metal rewind cranks...  137MA marshallingFor some reason, the absence of Contax' satin black finish had never registered but when placed next to their siblings, they become rather obvious. Their serial numbers suggest that they both are very early models and only a few digits apart. I have no idea why they were produced this way; one was bought new and the other from a well-known auction site 4 years ago. Do any of you guys have one like these? |
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on Sept 11, 2022 18:33:17 GMT
Posted: Sept 11, 2022 18:33:17 GMT
Drool! ...... that's it, just ....... Drool!
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Oh! Sorry! There was a question there somewhere. Never seen a plain metal rewind crank before now!
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Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
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on Sept 13, 2022 15:55:39 GMT
Posted: Sept 13, 2022 15:55:39 GMT
Of the 2 standard MA's and the Swiss Air Force adaptation (with the attached pistol grip and 85mm Sonnar f/2.8) that I have, all of them have the black winders. It may be that once the initial run came out and they were in the public eye, someone started to see the non-black lever as the one bit of hardware that visually stood out far too much and needed 'balancing' into the otherwise all black paint scheme. This would seem to be one of those cases where a replacement part having a different finish to somehow distinguish itself just doesn't make much sense.
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Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Sept 13, 2022 17:47:23 GMT
Posted: Sept 13, 2022 17:47:23 GMT
Of the 2 standard MA's and the Swiss Air Force adaptation (with the attached pistol grip and 85mm Sonnar f/2.8) that I have, all of them have the black winders. It may be that once the initial run came out and they were in the public eye, someone started to see the non-black lever as the one bit of hardware that visually stood out far too much and needed 'balancing' into the otherwise all black paint scheme. This would seem to be one of those cases where a replacement part having a different finish to somehow distinguish itself just doesn't make much sense. I agree. It's an oddity from the early production run. It's not just Yashica that continues to confound.... |
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Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Feb 22, 2023 10:31:38 GMT
Last Edit: Feb 22, 2023 17:28:17 GMT by biggles3
There are more out there...
I just spotted another 137MA with the bare metal rewind lever on a Japanese auction site, although the mystery deepens as the number is later than my two; but then Contax camera numbers aren't necessarily sequential for any model so that may mean little. However, it is definitely one of the earlier numbered 137MAs.
I'm desperately trying to resist the temptation to grab it....
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Group: Administrator
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on Feb 22, 2023 11:05:28 GMT
Posted: Feb 22, 2023 11:05:28 GMT
... I'm desperately trying to resist the temptation to grab it.... For me, it's sometimes a question of what I'd miss getting with the money I'd spent on the impulse buy if there's something else in view... don't ya hate these decisions? :) |
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Group: Moderator
Post: 2,038 (562 liked)
Join date: April 2014
Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Feb 22, 2023 17:36:52 GMT
Posted: Feb 22, 2023 17:36:52 GMT
... I'm desperately trying to resist the temptation to grab it.... For me, it's sometimes a question of what I'd miss getting with the money I'd spent on the impulse buy if there's something else in view... don't ya hate these decisions?  How true... Decided to grab a Zeiss Ikon Contessa 35 fold-out camera with the Zeiss-Opton 45mm T lens from a UK auction house instead... It's a model from the 1950s that's been gnawing at me for some time; the problem has always been finding one for a sensible price as the lens is superb and the camera is beautifully (over-)engineered. But, if that 137MA doesn't sell this time around... |
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