Contax rangefinder
The Contax I was a high end 35mm rangefinder camera made by Zeiss Ikon to compete with Leica models. It was released in 1932.
The rangefinder had a very large base to enable precise focusing.
The Contax I had many small variations and was replaced by the Contax II / III.
Links
The Contax II was a high end 35mm rangefinder camera made by Zeiss Ikon. It was released in 1936 and was the successor of the Contax I.
It was the first camera with a rangefinder and viewfinder combined in a single window. The rangefinder had a very large base to enable precise focusing.
The Contax III was the same model with an exposure meter. It was one of the first cameras with a built-in exposure meter.
After the war, the Soviets made copies of the two models under the name Kiev.
The West German Zeiss Ikon company completely redesigned the Contax after the war and launched the new models Contax IIa in 1950 and Contax IIIa in 1951.
Links
- Cameraquest about Contax II/III
- Contax (II-III) Shutter Ribbons (also applies to Kiev 35mm rangefinder models) Repair Notes
- Make a Takeup Spool for your Contax or Kiev! (by Henry Fisher)
