- U boat watch kriegsmarine markings stopwatch serial number#
- U boat watch kriegsmarine markings stopwatch full#
(Selenium light meters were not designed to last 77 years.) So we recommend a modern handheld meter. However not surprisingly the readout is no longer accurate. Even the uncoupled light meter, it still responds actively to light. It’s bright, accurate and smooth and a real pleasure to use. The coupled rangefinder internal optical array has also been cleaned. The self timer was cleaned as well and works correctly. The original Zeiss shutter has received special attention and all speeds (B & 1/2 sec – 1/1250th) are appropriate. The camera has been carefully cleaned, lubricated and adjusted.
U boat watch kriegsmarine markings stopwatch full#
This camera is in full working order and in case you wondered, it uses normal 35mm film. But what makes this camera extra desirable is the fact that it’s been carefully serviced and ready for immediate use. Understandably a Kriegsmarine Contax III is a desirable and significant camera. Or it might simply have been a convenient replacement for one that was damaged. While it’s possible that this lens was on the camera when it was delivered (lens stocks at the factory generally exceeded camera production to insure an adequate supply), I think it’s more likely that this lens was fitted in leu of a wartime lens because the earlier lenses had a much better fit and finish. This lens was on the camera when we acquired it.
U boat watch kriegsmarine markings stopwatch serial number#
This camera is fitted with a 1.5/50 Sonnar and its serial number 2269558 dates it to late 1938. The camera’s number is MF- 1470, and the case’s number is MF-1425. I should point out that the two MF numbers are not identical. Included is an authentic Kriegsmarine’s leather case with MF markings embossed into the leather below the depth of field chart riveted on the rear of the case as is typical during the war. This Contax also has the Kriegsmarine’s MF engraving with an inventory number on the rear edge highlighted in white. This of course indicates that it still has its original back as delivered from the factory. The serial number on the body, also matches the serial number on the removable back. The serial number on top of the camera M37833 indicates that it was produced in Dresden, Germany between 1940 - 1942. To briefly sum things up, the camera in this listing is a Contax III camera that was issued by the Kriegsmarine. As the war progressed, they had to make do with an inexpensive grey paint finish which further reduced their cost. Leicas were primarily issued to the Army and Luftwaffe because they were lighter, compacter, cheaper and much simpler to produce in the large quantities. Leica never received this status even though their cameras were also used by the Kriegsmarine. This naval patronage insured that Zeiss-Ikon never had to give up the chrome finish on their Contax cameras during the war, despite war shortages. The navy already made extensive use of advanced Zeiss optics in their naval rangefinders, various targeting systems and binoculars, so it’s not surprising that the Zeiss-Ikon Contax III fitted with a superb Zeiss 1.5/50mm lens, was supplied to select Kriegsmarine warships and U-boats. They were the best funded and best equipped branch and they expected the best technology of the era. At the time, the Kriegsmarine held a preeminent position among the various branches of the Wehrmacht. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Kriegsmarine (Germany’s navy from 1935 to 1945) was also impressed with the Contax. As a result, many timeless American photos were shot with a Contax. The Contax was so highly regarded that in the United States, that the Contax was specified for use by 35mm photographers working for the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in their vast program to document the dramatic effects of the 1930’s Great Depression in America. Historically significant, the Contax III also featured one of the very first electric light-meters. It cost twice as much as a Leica and was certainly a more advanced, more complex design.
During the second world war and the years leading up to it, the Contax III was the best built and most expensive 35mm camera in the world. This is a 1941 Zeiss-Ikon Contax III produced in Germany during WWII and issued to the Kriegsmarine.
0 kommentar(er)
