Zeiss Ikon Pantar Convertible Lens for Contina III

The Contina III

The Contina III is equipped with a convertible Pantar lens. By exchanging the front elements of this lens, the following focal lengths and speeds can be obtained:

• f/2.8, 45 mm: Standard lens with which the camera is originally supplied.
• f/4, 30 mm: Wide-angle lens.
• f/4, 75 mm: Portrait and telephoto lens.

All three lenses are hard coated throughout and colour corrected. Since the speed of the wide-angle and telephoto lenses is f/4, the diaphragm must not be fully opened to f/2.8 when these lens units are used. As usual with our cameras, the exposure value indicated by the exposure meter of the Contina III should be transferred to the exposure value shutter of the camera.

Exchanging the Lens Units

All interchangeable lens units for the Contina III have a special bayonet mount. To remove a unit, hold the camera with the left hand. The thumb should depress the lock pawl bearing the red dot, while the front unit of the lens should be turned to the left as far as it will go. It can then be lifted upwards and removed.

[Diagram: Hands holding a camera, with the thumb pressing a red dot on the lens mount, ready to turn the lens counter-clockwise.]

When inserting a different unit, the red dot on the mount of the front element should be opposite the red dot on the lock pawl of the camera. Then, the new unit should be pressed in firmly and turned to the right until an audible click indicates that it is in the correct position.

[Diagram: A lens unit being inserted into a camera mount, aligning a red dot on the lens with a red dot on the camera body's lock pawl, then turning clockwise until it clicks.]

The Viewfinders

To prevent damage or soiling, the glass surfaces of the lenses should never be touched. For storing the units, use the Plexi-glass containers supplied or the practical leather case (see page 13).

The built-in viewfinder of the Contina III can only be used with the Pantar f/2.8, 45 mm lens. If the Pantar 30 mm or 75 mm is inserted, the correct special viewfinder must be slipped into the accessory shoe.

Wide-angle and telephoto viewfinders: These special viewfinders (wide-angle finder, order no. 422; telephoto finder, order no. 423) can be recognized by the size of the viewfinder lens opposite the eyepiece. The larger lens belongs to the wide-angle finder. Each viewfinder has the focal length engraved on the top.

Tele-view / rangefinder: For the Pantar 75 mm, a tele-view/rangefinder (order no. 425) is also available. When looking through its eyepiece, a bright square area is seen in the center of the image field, with all outlines appearing double.

[Diagram: Two images illustrating viewfinder parallax: Figure 3 shows doubled outlines; Figure 4 shows corrected, merged outlines.]

By turning the milled disc on the side and pointing the finder towards a vertical line (e.g., a tree or house edge), these double outlines merge until they coincide completely. The correct distance can then be read from the distance scale on the disc and transferred to the Pantar 75 mm.

Universal viewfinder: A universal viewfinder (order no. 426) is also available. Looking through its eyepiece reveals several bright frame lines.

[Diagram: Concentric rectangles (a, b, c) representing viewfinder frame lines for 30mm, 45mm, and 75mm lenses respectively.]

The two bright angles on the upper and lower sides of the central rectangle denote the image field of the Steritar-D attachment for stereo exposures.

Compensating for Finder Parallax

To compensate for finder parallax, the small lever on the universal viewfinder (see arrow in fig. 6) should be set as follows:

• to ∞: for distances between 13 ft and ∞
• to : for distances between 6 ft 6 ins and 13 ft
• to . : for distances between 3 ft 3 ins and 6 ft 6 ins

[Diagram: Close-up of a universal viewfinder showing a lever for parallax adjustment, with settings described for different distances.]

Distance and Depth of Field

The correct distance for all lens combinations should be set on the chromium-plated front ring of the Pantar. The depth-of-field scale on the camera body applies only to the standard Pantar f/2.8, 45 mm. The 30 mm and 75 mm Pantars have their own depth-of-field scales from which the zone of sharp definition can be read. The exact ranges are found in the tables on pages 11 and 12.

The depth-of-field range of the wide-angle Pantar is far greater than that of the Tele-Pantar, whose sharp zone is considerably smaller. For this reason, pictures with the telephoto lens must be focused as correctly as possible, and the use of the teleview/rangefinder is highly recommended (see page 5).

Depth of Field Tables

Depth of field table for Pantar 1:4/f = 30 mm

Depth of field table for Pantar 1:4/f = 75 mm

Accessories

Leather Case

For both the 30 mm and 75 mm Pantars, an attractive leather case (order no. 798) is available, which can accommodate two viewfinders and two filters. The Pantars are inserted into the recesses at the bottom of the case. There are two accessory shoes on the side walls to accept viewfinders. The tele-viewfinder should be slipped edgewise into the shoe on the rear side wall so that the adjusting wheel is on top. If the universal viewfinder is inserted, there will be no space for another finder.

The filters are slipped underneath the elastic ribbons in the lid of the case.

[Image: An open leather case holding two lens units and two viewfinders.]

Filters

With the 30 mm and 75 mm Pantars, coated Zeiss Ikon precision screw-in filters, diameter 60 mm, can be used. Available filter types include yellow, yellow-green, orange, red, Ikolor-B, Ikolor-A, and ultra-violet.

Lens hood for 75 mm Pantar

A lens hood prevents irradiation in back-light exposures and protects the lens from rain and snow. The Zeiss Ikon lens hood (Ø 60 mm) can also be screwed into the filters. A leather case for the lens hood, available on request, can be attached to the strap of the lens case. This lens hood should not be used with the f/4, 30 mm Pantar due to its wide angle of view.

Maintenance of the Lenses

The lenses should be cleaned only when absolutely necessary. Before wiping with a very soft linen rag, any dust must be removed using a soft lens cleaning brush.

Serial Numbers

Every lens unit for the Pantar has a serial number engraved on its mount. It is strongly recommended that a record of these numbers be kept, as they can be valuable in establishing ownership in cases of loss or theft.

Photographic Advice

For expert advice, consult your photo dealer, who will be glad to assist you. Further technical developments may involve slight changes in design or operation of the lenses compared to these instructions.