Zeiss Ikon Contax rangefinder
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
from 1932
Maker / issuer
Zeiss IkonThe Zeiss Ikon Contax rangefinder is a 35 mm camera system originally developed by Zeiss Ikon in Dresden, Germany, to compete against Leica using perforated 35 mm film. Conceived by chief designer Dr. Ing. Heinz Küppenbender, the initial model appeared in 1932 and was retrospectively designated the Contax I. It was followed in 1936 by the Contax II and Contax III, designed under Hubert Nerwin. Following the Second World War, limited production took place in Dresden and Jena before equipment was transferred to Kyiv, whilst Zeiss Ikon in Stuttgart produced the heavily revised Contax IIa and IIIa models until 1962.
A key mechanical hallmark of the Contax rangefinder is its vertically travelling focal-plane shutter, housed inside a die-cast alloy body. In contrast to horizontal rubberised fabric curtains, the Contax utilised interlocking blackened brass slats aligned by silk ribbons, running across the shorter dimension of the 24 mm by 36 mm frame. This design yielded top speeds of 1/1000 second on the original model and 1/1250 second on the Contax II, assisted by slit variations and an end-of-travel brake. The camera was supported by an extensive system of interchangeable lenses designed by Ludwig Bertele, including the Sonnar and Biogon.
The camera incorporates a long-base coupled rangefinder operating via a rotating wedge mechanism rather than swinging mirrors. On the black-enamelled Contax I, the rangefinder eyepiece sat adjacent to a separate viewfinder, with a built-in body focusing wheel, a removable back, and a combined film-wind and shutter-speed knob on the front plate. The chrome-plated Contax II introduced a unified eyepiece combining the rangefinder and viewfinder into a single window, along with top-plate winding controls, whilst the Contax III differed by adding an integral exposure meter atop the body.
Original Contax I cameras feature a black-enamelled finish with front-mounted winding controls and dual eyepieces, whereas Contax II and III models have chrome plating, top-plate controls, and a single combined viewfinder-rangefinder window.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Production is split between pre-war Dresden and post-war Stuttgart and Jena lines. The Contax II is a 35 mm rangefinder camera. It was released in 1936, in Dresden, Germany and was the successor of the original Contax later called the Contax I. It was the first camera with a rangefinder and viewfinder combined in a single window. Its chief designer was Hubert Nerwin. The Nettax was meant to be a cheaper alternative, it was a derivative of the Super Nettel with a rigid body and interchangeable lenses with a specific bayonet and a very limited range of lenses. (Description from Wikipedia: Contax II; details apply to the illustrated example, not every object of this type.)
Identification
- How to identify
- Check for a die-cast body housing a vertically travelling shutter made of interlocking metal slats and a long-base rangefinder.
- Source note
- Background drawn from Wikipedia (“Contax”; “Contax II”), a tertiary source; details have not yet been checked against issuing-authority records or a standard catalogue.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Pre-war and post-war model distinctions require transcription from a specialist reference.