Contaflex Super B test

[Julio1fer]

Finally got back to photography. The Contaflex came back from the technician, with an unclean lens (fungus damaged). Loaded an Ilford Pan 400 roll and went out to test the little SLR.



I was interested in the lens performance, given the fungus damage. This is a shot almost against the falling sun, not too bad.



A portrait of my parents. I am lucky that both of them are still with us at 90 and 89 years old. It came out in high key because of bad exposure guessing. Full aperture of the Tessar.



Father with a favorite portrait of Carlos Gardel, the tango singer.



The usual fishing boat (what would be a test roll without one?).



I have a Zeiss monocular that screws in the filter thread of the Contaflex. It is equivalent to a 400/14 lens. The very long focal distance gives some photo opportunities that would be impossible with a shorter lens but they are harder to bag in.  For instance, this one could be called "Love Uruguayan style" because of the mate at the girl's side. Focus is not what it should have been.



I don't know what to do with this little SLR. The lens damage does not affect results at all, as far as I can see. The mirror is in bad shape, which makes it hard to focus. I have other SLRs already and don't want to get into new systems. And Zeiss ergonomics are not my favorite.  But it is very well made, the lens is as sharp as they come...I'll have to think about it. Maybe I'll get used to it.

[LarryD]

Well by the results I see here I say you take it out about once a month to keep her happy. Beautiful pictures.

[lesged]

Julio,

Only goes to show a Zeiss lens with fungus can still cranks out very nice images.

Your parents dual portrait is lovely with emphasis in the first syllable, LOVE! Their fine, gentle, faces are captured at a peaceful moment perhaps while reflecting back over their long life. I bet they liked it, especially because it was taken by their talented son.

Claudia and I are big fans of Carlos Gardel. Is it true he was born in Italy?

[br1078lum]

Julio, that lovely portrait of your parents would look great with an oval vignette, the way it fades off into the edges.  And just a little bit of flare in the rusted fence shot.  I've got a collection of lenses with all sorts of faults, and usually, you'd never know it by looking at the photos.

I thought at one time about getting a Contaflex, but being a gearhead, I would have gone broke trying to find all the accessories and lenses for it.  I do have a couple of Contina III's that I hope to one day make one functional unit out of.  And my Contax IIa keeps me happy.  Like Larry said, just shoot it once in a while to keep it from getting arthritic.

PF

[Santiago Montenegro]

Lovely, as usual. I actually like the "missed" focus on the couple.

[Julio1fer]

Thanks for the kind comments, friends. I will think about this little camera.

About Les' question: for those who are not into tango, Gardel is a mythical Tango singer, with a beautiful voice and expressive interpretation.

Carlos Gardel was born in Tacuarembo, Uruguay, the illegitimate son of a colonel (member of a well-known local family) and her sister-in-law. This was a disgrace to the family, as you can imagine if you consider the standards of a late 19th century environment in a rural setting in Latin America, even though Uruguay was then a relatively progressive country. The poor baby had to go.

Carlos was given as a baby to a domestic help girl, Bertha Gardes. She was a French girl that had come to the gold mines in Minas de Corrales (operated by a French company at the time), and was passing through Tacuarembo on her way to Montevideo, no doubt along with some money to take care of the child and keep silent about the deal. The girl immediately went to Montevideo, where she stayed with Carlos. It is documented that Carlos went to a school in Montevideo's Barrio Sur. Then, Bertha and the child went to Buenos Aires, where she worked as a modist. Gardel later went to work in the Abasto (meat packing industry) and then he started singing.

Gardel died in a plane crash in the Medellin airport in Colombia in 1935, carrying a passport that stated her Uruguayan birth. He was coming home to Buenos Aires after several years in the U.S., making films.

For different reasons, a story was invented in Buenos Aires about his being the son of Bertha (one reason was to make sure that income from records came to Bertha). The story involved falsifying documents to show Gardel as having been born in Toulouse, France, where a previous child of Bertha, Charles, had died. The controversy still goes on because of nationalistic reasons, even though the actual facts are quite well documented.

A DNA test would solve the controversy of Gardel's birth very easily, since the colonel's family and Gardel mother's are still around. The Argentinian government has not allowed the procedure, probably because of the legal and economic consequences.

[Dean Williams]

Very nice all around, Julio.  I especially like the second one, and the shot of your father with his portrait of the Tango singer.

[Graham Serretta]

Julio, my congratulations to your parents - my parents are also still fit and well at 93 and 90.

[radiophoto]

Julio, as usual, you're too hard on yourself, and as usual, you get a bunch of people arguing with you.  When are you gonna learn?

I certainly don't see anything wrong with these excellent pics.  Your parents' portrait is perfect, looking as if you'd done the washed-out background on purpose.