contax rangefinder prices

[alan chin]

what is going on with prices for the Contax II (pre-war and wartime) cameras?!? They used to go for $100 or $200 and now even non-working examples are going for a lot more than that...

prices for just about EVERY other 35mm film camera are dropping, post-war Contax IIa, Leica M, Leica screw mounts...

what's going on with the Contax II?

Even early Kievs are going for a lot...?

any thoughts?

[Wayne]

Hmm, it's a bit curious isn't it Alan, maybe people are just now realising it's the best looking camera ever made. :wink:

I haven't been following ebay much, but the ones I have looked at certainly haven't been bargains. I got a complete III, with Sonnar but in need of repair, for about $60 a year ago (from New Zealand) and my "Kontax" (Contax II with Kiev lens mount) cost me about $40 total. As you said, even ones in need of repair are now fetching high prices, which is odd given the amount of work it can take to put them in good order.

[melek]

That is interesting. Maybe it's just one of those cyclical things. At once point a few years ago, the Retina IIIC (Big C) was selling for more than a Contax.

[Brian Sweeney]

Probably a couple of bidders got it in their minds to pick one up at about the same time. Maybe they figured out it would take J-12's and the newer (IIa, IIIa) ones can't.

Wait a month, they will come back to Earth.