Tenax
Tenax was a model name used by the German company Goerz at the beginning of the XXth century.
After Goerz was absorbed in the Zeiss Ikon company, the name Tenax was re-used successively for three different camera models.
The Tenax II (Zeiss Ikon 580/27)
The first one was first named Tenax in short, and became the Tenax II when the Tenax I was released. Its Zeiss Ikon code number was 580/27. Launched in 1938, it was a 24x24mm rangefinder camera with a rapid-action advance lever placed around the lens.
The coupled rangefinder was integrated in the viewfinder. It included a wedge-shaped rotating lens, that was actually attached to the lens and was interchanged with it. This system was much like the one on the Super Ikonta, Super Nettel or Nettax.
The shutter, placed behind the lens, was a Compur-Rapid leaf shutter to 1/400.
The lens was interchangeable but only very few wide angle and tele lenses were produced. The very limited range of lenses was the following:
- Carl Zeiss Jena 4cm f/2 Sonnar standard lens
- Carl Zeiss Jena 4cm f/2.8 Tessar standard lens
- Carl Zeiss Jena 2.7cm f/4.5 Orthometar wide-angle lens
- Carl Zeiss Jena 7.5cm f/4 Sonnar tele lens
The Tenax II was certainly inspired by the Robot camera, a small 24x24mm camera with spring-driven motorized film advance, launched in 1934. The format was indeed the same, as well as the emphasis on rapid action shooting. The rangefinder Tenax II was more sophisticated, but it was not commercially as successful, and did not survive the war, unlike the Robot.
The Tenax I (Zeiss Ikon 570/27)
The Tenax I was actually launched after the Tenax II. As the Tenax II, it was a 24x24mm square-format camera, with a rapid-advance lever around the lens. But it was a much simpler camera, with a completely different body, no rangefinder, a simple folding viewfinder on the top plate, and a behind the lens Compur shutter to 1/300. Most of them were equipped with a Zeiss Novar 35mm f/3.5 lens.
The production began in 1939, and it was nearly halted in 1941. A limited production continued during the war. Afterwards, the Eastern Zeiss Ikon company resumed the model. It was modified during the 1950s with a fixed viewfinder integrated in the top plate. Then it was renamed Taxona, after the Eastern Zeiss Ikon company lost the rights to use the traditional Zeiss Ikon names, property of the Western Zeiss Ikon company.
