Count on the Contina

I have this little Zeiss Ikon Contina Matic IIa. Aside from the shutter not closing on the full second, 0.5, and 0.25 settings, it works beautifully. That includes the light meter, which also works and is still spot-on. This is very rare for cameras of this one's age. But I wasn't 100% certain the meter was functional, so I tested it last week. for a number of shots, I took one with my guess for the settings and another with its instructions. These first four photos show those results.


1/60th, f4. My estimate. Graffiti on a gate. This doesn't bother me like most graffit as it looks like someone wanted it there. It's a very well made piece. The next photo represents the camera's settings.


1/60th f8. There are, as the cliche goes, many ways to skin a cat. Of note, though, the same basic photo returned notably different results with the latter being cast in blue to a much greater extent where the first has a distinctive green feel. This results from two factors: the length of time the light hits the film and the aperture. Different apertures record light in different ways, though I don't fully understand why. I suspect it has to do with the way lenses bend light to direct it toward the film plane, and which wavelengths travel in different areas of the lens or in different ways. I have no idea, and it's something I need to figure out.


1/125th, f16. I just liked the perspective of this fire hydrant and the shadow.


1/300th, f8. Contrary to the above example, these shots look almost identical. There was more direct light at this location than above. The graffiti wall faced north. This had direct sunlight, which may be part of the cause. Also, the colors here are more muted.


1/30th, f2.8. This was a camera reading. Not my favorite shot on the roll, but not bad, especially considering it was hand-held.


Full second, f8. Hotel Vitale. Braced against a lamp post to prevent camera shake. I'd like to re-take this shot with a wide-angle lens to capture light trails from the cars driving past.


Four seconds, f8, hand-held braced against a parking meter. This is totally a viewable shot as a thumbnail. Enlarged, it's a bit too blurry and gives me a headache. However, I'd like to try this again in a better location.