Me with my freshly CLA Zeis Ikon Contina ready for some fun on the streets of Chattanooga TN.

I picked up a vintage Zeiss Ikon Contina while on a trip to the UK and had it sent straight to Zack's Camera for a full CLA when I got home, because the shutter was dragging badly. Once it came back in good working order I loaded it with Ilford HP5, grabbed my old Sekonic handheld light meter, and hit the streets of Chattanooga to find out what shooting a fully manual film camera with no rangefinder and no automatic anything actually feels like. The short answer is that our modern cameras are far more remarkable than most of us give them credit for.

Zeiss Ikon Contina…a vintage fully mechanical camera.

I bought this camera while on my trip in the UK and when I got back home I sent it to Zack’s Camera for a CLA as the shutter was dragging pretty bad. Once back from Zack’s, (who did a phenomenal job BTW) I loaded it up with some HP5 and grabbed my old Sekonic light meter and hit the streets of Chattanooga to play with my “new” toy.

Zeiss Ikon Contina 35mm viewfinder camera with selenium light meter and collapsible lens — The Zeiss Ikon Contina after returning from a full CLA at Zack's Camera. Everything is fully mechanical, no batteries required anywhere in the system.

It didn’t take long to realize that we as photographers in the 21st century are so spoiled with our cameras that have auto…everything. I am currently 54 years old and even when I was younger we already had cameras with automatic focus and exposure and even auto film advance. This machine is the grandfather to those cameras.

Shooting photos with the Zeiss Ikon Contina Camera

The day I went out to shoot had partly cloudy skies so as I would walk the streets I would take light meter readings and adjust the camera accordingly for the light on hand. This almost turned into a chore as the clouds would move in front of the sun and lower the light by 2 stops then the cloud would move out of the way and the meter would jump back up those two stops. Also, I learned dark shade is 3 stops lower than direct sun, so keep that in the back of your mind while looking for street scenes too.

vintage Sekonic light meter that I used wtih the Zeiss Ikon Contina camera — A good light meter like the Sekonic pictured here will make getting the exposure set correctly a lot easier.

So now I see why some people like having those tiny little hot shoe mounted light meters. The handheld one was nice but it sure was inconvenient to carry around. Having a free hand to adjust and hold the camera would have been nice at times. Plus the light meter is just in the way all the time. I don’t have a lanyard on it so I either had it in my pocket or my hand, neither of which are really desirable.

Motion blur in full sun… Zeiss Ikon Contina vintage camera with Ilford HP5 film.

Once I started to get the exposure settings figured out, I start thinking, I am ready to hit the trail and get some sweet street photos. Nothing could be further from the truth. I now have to learn how to focus the camera. Yes, you heard that right, I… a photographer, had to learn how to focus a camera. That was strange to me as I have been accustomed to simply looking through the viewfinder and focusing and then pressing the shutter. Not so on the Contina! You have to engage in the fine art of range estimation with this camera. Yeah, you literally either get out a tape measure and put your camera on a tripod OR just guess as best you can. Seriously, those are the choices here…spitballing it or measuring tools! The viewfinder is literally used only for composing the image. The taking lens is a completely separate system. Unlike the rangefinder cameras such at the Leica M series of legend where the view finder has a calibrated “patch” from the rangefinder that is mechanically coupled to the taking lens, where you see what appears in the viewfinder as an aligned image when it is in focus, you just throw the dice with the Zeiss Ikon Contina. It is quite humbling to he honest about it.

You quickly learn about f stops and how to change depth of field so you have a hope of getting something in focus. Notice on the lens the distance scale and the depth of field scales? You better, because you are going to be using those alot if you plan to shoot with the aperture opened up at all.

The film for the day… Ilford HP5 B&W Film

On my first roll of film I used Ilford HP5 400 speed and quickly realized this was actually a mistake. This camera is so old that the highest ISO on the built in meter is 320 and the fastest shutter speed is 1/300 second. Yeah, in a world where I personally have cameras right now that will shoot at 1/32000 second, I just bought a camera that maxes out at 1/300… Luckily, the aperture goes down to f22 so in full sun it is correctly exposing (I think) at 1/300 second. This did help with the other problem though…focus. Since at f22 everything from 1 meter to infinity is in focus I just had to make sure that I had not bumped the focus ring and moved it.

Zeiss Ikon Contina vintage camera works in full sun and the aperture stopped down. — Teresa on the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge in Chattanooga TN shot on the Zeiss Ikon contina camera. Ilford HP5 Film

Once I used it for about an hour I would start to choose estimated focus distances to try to land better focus. We will see once I get the film developed and scanned…

Close up of Zeiss Ikon Contina lens showing focus ring, shutter speed ring, aperture ring, and depth of field scale — All three exposure controls are on the lens itself. The narrow front ring is focus, the middle ring is shutter speed, and the large rear ring is aperture. The depth of field scale between the focus and shutter rings is essential for zone focusing.

Another thing you will notice in this photo is that all three major functions of the camera are on the lens, the focus is the first and smallest ring, then the shutter speed is the middle ring and the rear most and largest ring is the aperture ring. All the controls on the top are used to control film exposure and movement. The shutter release button, the film advance, frame counter, and rewind knob are in this area. There is a cold shoe and a light meter in the center area on top. That’s it. I love the simplicity, but wow, photos made in that period were worked for.

Going forward I will now have a brand new appreciation for my modern cameras with all their conveniences. I have learned that our forefathers had it much harder and that we should be more appreciative of the photos from that period. I will continue to use this warhorse of a machine but plan to get some lower ISO film first and we will see what we get over time.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Zeiss Ikon Contina

What kind of camera is the Zeiss Ikon Contina? The Zeiss Ikon Contina is a fully manual 35mm viewfinder camera produced in West Germany in the 1950s. It has no rangefinder and no automatic exposure system. All focus, shutter speed, and aperture settings are set manually by the photographer. The built-in selenium light meter is a reference tool only and is not connected to the camera's exposure system in any way.

Does the Zeiss Ikon Contina need batteries? No. The Contina uses a selenium light meter which generates its own small electrical current from ambient light. There are no batteries required anywhere in the camera, which is one of its great practical advantages as a vintage shooter.

What film should I use in a Zeiss Ikon Contina? Because the Contina's built-in meter only goes up to ISO 320 and the fastest shutter speed is 1/300 second, lower ISO films work better in most lighting conditions. Ilford HP5 at ISO 400 is usable but can be tricky in bright sun. A 100 or 200 speed film like Kodak T Max 100 or Ilford Delta 100 gives you more flexibility with aperture and shutter settings in daylight.

How do you focus a Zeiss Ikon Contina? The Contina uses estimated zone focusing rather than a rangefinder. You set the distance on the focus ring based on your best estimate of how far away your subject is, then use the depth of field scale on the lens to confirm your focus zone. Stopping down to f8 or f11 significantly increases depth of field and makes zone focusing much more forgiving. At f22, everything from about 1 meter to infinity is in focus, which effectively eliminates the need to focus at all.

What is a CLA and does the Zeiss Ikon Contina need one? A CLA stands for Clean, Lubricate, and Adjust. It is a service performed by a camera repair technician that cleans the internal mechanisms, replaces dried lubricants, and adjusts the shutter speeds and aperture blades to factory spec. Most vintage cameras benefit from a CLA before heavy use, especially if the shutter feels sluggish or sticky. Zack's Camera is a well regarded shop for vintage camera service.

Is the Zeiss Ikon Contina good for street photography? It can be, but it requires patience and practice. The lack of a rangefinder means you need to get comfortable with zone focusing before you can shoot quickly and confidently. Once you learn the camera's quirks and develop a feel for estimating distances, it produces sharp images with the characteristic look of mid-century German optics. It is better suited to slower, more deliberate street photography than fast-moving candid work. Unless, once again, you stop down to f22 where everything is essentially in focus and you can simply point the camera and take photos.