Contax 139 Quartz 35mm SLR w/ DBS 50mm f1.9 lens
Contax 139 Quartz 35mm SLR w/ DBS 50mm f1.9 lens
The Contax 139 Quartz is a superb 35mm SLR. This late serial number example (166307 out of ~ 20000) incorporates all the refinements made during this camera's 8 year manufacturing run.
Like the other enduring classic 35mm SLRs (the Minolta XR-7 comes to mind), the Contax 139 does many things right (e.g. bright viewfinder, thoughtfully placed controls, etc.), making its whole design greater than the sum of its parts. We recommend this British website dedicated to the 139 for tips, tricks, brochures, documentation, reviews, and discussion of the camera: https://www.contax139.co.uk/home
We found this camera to be an absolute pleasure to use. Our only very minor gripe was that its shutter release sound is a bit louder than average.
The Contax 139 Quartz requires 2 357/SR44 silver oxide batteries (available as an option).
Condition notes
We film-tested this camera and the negatives were all sharp and correctly exposed. In addition, we verified the shutter speed and autoexposure accuracy. The camera and lens are in very good cosmetic condition (see photos) with only minor wear from use.
Manual
https://www.cameramanuals.org/contax/contax_139_quartz.pdf
Specifications
See page 88 in the manual.