The Magnificent Post-War Contax
By: James S. Vilett
INTRODUCTION
By far the best "modern" rangefinder camera is the Leica M3, at least from a mechanical point of view. But for those of us who can't afford an M3 (or an M4) a late post-war Contax IIa or IIIa with first-rate optics is still very affordable and nicer looking. Granted, so is the beautiful Nikon SP, so why collect the mechanically complex Contax? Other than the fact that there is no accounting for taste, my grandfather gave me a unique, little known model IIIa (#C 3252) along with lenses and accessories. (Anyone who has this body, no questions asked, $$---) Many of the late-production accessories, lenses, and literature are hard to find which adds a challenge to collecting this camera system.
THE ORIGINS OF THE CONTAX
Historically the Contax was developed to compete with the Leica. In fact, Oskar Barnack, the originator of the Leica, worked for Zeiss Jena before joining Leitz. While the Contax never attained the performance levels of the Leica, their later cameras are reliable and gorgeous, with a variety of great optics available.
Dr. Immanual Goldberg is considered to be the chief designer of the pre-war Contax. In 1939 he escaped from Germany to Paris and thence to London, probably with the help of friends at Zeiss Ikon, thus avoiding the fate of many other Jews. Dr. Goldberg's doctoral thesis on the design of the "ideal shutter" resulted in the Contax's unique vertical metal blind shutter. This consisted of brass slats supported on silk ribbon with a complex geared timing system.
Originally Carl Zeiss A.G. was an optical manufacturer but joined many of Germany's camera manufacturers to form Zeiss-Ikon in 1926. The trade name Ikon is of Greek origin (Icon or Eikon) which means picture. The name Zeiss-Ikon was meant to symbolize a realistic picture obtained by Zeiss optical quality.
Zeiss-Ikon introduced the Contax I in the Spring of 1932 and was in direct competition with the Leica first introduced in 1925. The Contax was in many ways superior to the Leica, but from the first Zeiss had problems resulting from patents protecting the Leica design. The two companies continued as direct rivals through the '20's and '40's and again following the war until the early '70's when Zeiss-Ikon totally ceased camera manufacture. Nikon, who lifted many features from the Contax, certainly contributed to the demise of Zeiss-Ikon.
POST-WAR ZEISS
A.G. Following the war the Zeiss company split apart and eventually reformed into two major companies. The staff that remained at the original headquarters with most of the records and manufacturing facilities eventually amalgamated with a number of smaller Eastern Block companies to formed the East German Zeiss company located at Jena. The new East German government considered the Zeiss Jena works an asset to the state. However, successful camera manufacture was difficult due to the loss of many key staff and the earlier Russian liberation of a few pieces of equipment. Eventually they relinquished the Contax name and produced cameras under a variety of other names (Pentacon, Exakta, etc.).
At the end of the Russian occupation of Germany the Russians went into the camera business using tools, dies, parts, and almost the complete assembly line captured from the defeated Germans and spirited from Zeiss Jena to Kiev. Ln fact, they dismantled the majority of the factory. Earlier (1946/47) the Russians occupied the Zeiss Jena works, called "Mechanik Association of Industries owned by the People:' and produced a small number of Contax II cameras. The 1947 version lacked the word "Contax" on the front plate and was engraved "Made in USSR occupied Germany." A first-rate collector's find! They still produce crude but nice enough pedestrian copies of the Contax II and III cameras known as Kievs. It's thought by some people that the Kiev cameras may still be made in Dresden (?) and then transported to Kiev for shipment out of Russia.
Most of the Zeiss executives, designers, and equipment operators fled from the Russian Zone. They escaped with many of the original blueprints and designs to the British zone of Germany. This second Zeiss-Lkon company re-established in 1946 at the former Contessa factory in Stuttgart, West Germany. A fully redesigned Contax was made in a new factory built as part of the Zeiss-Ikon plant in Stuttgart. This new model (1950), produced in several versions, was superior in many ways to the pre-war Contax cameras.
SELECTING WHICH CONTAX TO COLLECT
While there are a few collectors with a special interest in pre-war and war-time Centares, these models are not really a good user choice. If you're a collector who dislikes pictures but loves cameras, they're beautiful to look at and sparkle on the shelf. These late 30's and 40's cameras are heavy, slow to focus, and have delicate shutters. I've cocked several unused pre-war models and had the shutters break shortly after purchase. The meters in the early III models are often dead and seldom accurate. Although these can be repaired, I know of only one company that still works on these earliest meters. They can repair most Zeiss cameras made from roughly 1905 onwards (Leicester Repair Service, 166 Westcotes Dr., Western Park, Leicester LE3 OSP, England. Payment needs to be prepaid in English Pounds). Selenium cells found in later Centares are more likely to work correctly. Part of the reason is that modern selenium cells are often "pre-aged" under strong lights, making the cells more accurate over a longer lifetime.
In March, 1950 Zeiss-Ikon introduced the Contax IIa to the U.S. market. Fully redesigned, it was much improved over the pre-war Contax but still had some family resemblance. These early bodies (tenned "black dial" by most collectors) were supplied with "T'Toated lenses produced by the Zeiss lense plant in Jena. A metered version called the IIIa was announced as available in the U.S. in June 1951. For a user camera it's best to avoid purchasing these early Contax models. They had a mechanical flash sync device that coupled to an accessory synchroniser which screwed into the flash socket. These cords go out of adjustment easily and a special cord (#1366) is needed for electronic flash to work. Although these models can be synced with a modern PC adaptation, I've found this to be unreliable. (Converted models have all black numbers on the speed dial.) The mechanical sync was discontinued in 1953 to be replaced by a fully synced Contax "red dial" version.
THE LAST CONTAX
Once Zeiss-Ikon designers had settled in Stuttgart they turned their talents toward meeting the demand for quality cameras. What they settled on was a fully reworked camera that still resembled the original p~-war models. Made between 1950 and 1961, the 'ia" models are both usable and reliable. In almost all respects these models surpassed their pre-war predecessors. The one exception was that in making the camera lighter, and thus more suable, the viewfinder was smaller and the rangefinder dimmer and less contrasty. Otherwise, almost every post-war mechanism is superior. Despite the 700 plus pieces, the bodies were both smaller and lighter with reliable shutters. The aluminum metal slat shutter supported on silk ribbons were still "a masterpiece of misplaced ingenuity" (MINIATURE AND PRECISION CAMERAS, J. Lipinski, 1954) but were simplified and redesigned with new springs and gears.
Beginning in 1953 the mechanically synced "a models were replaced with full internal synced models (PC fitting) termed the "red dial" version. These last Contax versions continued in production with only slight modification until 1961. They're a snap to identify as the speed settings are colored yellow, red, and black. By this time the West Germans had refined their production technics and materials to the point where the cameras were machined and finished to exacting perfection. The overall effect is a well-made, classically styled and finished camera that says quality. You can almost tell a red dial version from other Contax "a" models by the way they're finished and machined.
The bodies were die cast from light, extremely durable alloy in two major casting pieces. It's small and compact measuring 5-1/4 x 3 x 1 in. The new bodies were narrower, noticeably shorter, and much lighter than their pre-war II cousins. Proportionally the IIa and IIIa models have a nice feel designed with balance in mind. It weighs 18-1/4 oz., fairly hefty by today's standards, but still just light enough to be comfortable while having sufficient weight to make steady shots. The body was finished with a durable, slightly polished black enamel and covered in fine grain black morocco leather. The speed dial, advance knob, rewind knob and focusing wheel are knurled and thick plated with bright chromium. The top deck, camera bottom and accessory trim are plated in a dull brush chrome.
The "a" model rangefinder was shorter and thus less precise than the pre-war rangefinders. The viewfinder was combined with the rangefinder, permitting sighting and focusing through a single eyepiece. The magnification was also reduced to 2/3 lifesize. Zeiss designers had good reasons for this compromise. The entire assembly was lighter, focusing was still precise but faster, and best of all the larger III finder window was reduced in size and moved to the left allowing a more comfortable camera grip.
As mentioned, the new shutter was fully redesigned. Use of lighter aluminum placed less stress on springs and allowed the slowest speed to be increased to 1 second. The overly complex geared timing system found on the II and III models was replaced with a more reliable and simpler second curtain timing system where the shutter is wound the same distance no matter what the speed setting. When purchasing a red dial Contax it's a good idea to look for a flat shutter. The metal blinds are still supported on two silk ribbons which can just be seen from the back of the camera by turning it slightly. Careful inspection will show if these ribbons have deteriorated or stretched. Slight stretching, as evidenced by waves in the shutter, are normally not a problem but speeds and shutter functions should certainly be checked prior to purchase. If there is a major shutter alignment problem, bright worn spots can often be seen on the metal shutter slats. Overhaul of a Contax shutter is a complex and expensive endeavor normally costing $200 for a good job and obviously should be avoided by careful inspection. The shutter operates almost noiselessly and very smoothly with speeds from I second to 1250th of a second including B and T (Note: I've never found a Contax where the top speed was very accurate). The film advance knob is easy to turn and locks firmly in place when cocking the shutter. The action is smooth and it's easy to cock even when loaded with film despite the lack of a more modern lever advance. Internal gears are made of both brass and steel and are very durable. Shutter speeds are quickly set by lifting and turning a flat dial directly under the advance knob.
The IIIa models had an uncoupled built-in selenium cell meter. These meters were very good with a light measuring capability I stop greater than a Weston Master and roughly equal to early CDS metering systems. The angle of view is a little wide but easily corrected for. The movement is supported on ballbearings with a rear-mounted zeroing adjustment screw. Although new meters are still available, most minor adjustments can be done by the photographer. (The best red dial overhauls and meter repairs are done by Z.V. Service, Valley Stream, NY. This company was a major Zeiss Service Center and has most parts for restoration of Contax cameras. A full overhaul including internal mechanics and full exterior restoration to Mint is available.) Early black dial meters were calibrated in DIN while most red dial meters were calibrated in ASA (to 400). The very last cameras manufactured were calibrated to ASA 650. One major oversight in the post-war design of the "a" models was that the film take-up spool fell out of the camera when the back was removed. Cameras of very late manufacture corrected this problem with a change in the body casting that allowed the addition of spring clips inside the body on the takeup shaft. An ASA of 650 on the meter knob (IIIa only), and spring clips inside the body are two obscure minor changes that separate early red dial cameras from similar versions of late manufacture.
Other features include a self-timer located in the lower front of the camera. This can be locked at 5, 10, or 15 second delays. The lense mount is a solidly constructed bayonet design. In practice, lenses are quickly interchangeable, seat well, and lock tightly into place. The focusing mount is part of the lense mount which made lenses cheaper to manutacture. This is one feature Nikon lifted directly from Zeiss. Zeiss lenses shorter than 50mm could be used on the Nikon.
The IIa Contax was the same as the IIIa but lacked a meter and was thus more compact with a cleanly designed top deck. On top of the rewind knob was a film speed reminder chart. A good IIa red dial version is hard to find. This can partially be attributed to the fact that Zeiss-Ikon offered a factory conversion of Ila non-metered models to IIIa metered cameras. It's a great camera to picture hunt with. Even with a 21mm Biogon with accessory viewfinder mounted on top, it's still small and unobtrusive. The service life of a non-metered IIa is probably longer than a IIIa metered version and it's a bit easier to handle. This is often reflected in a higher price for a nice, clean IIa.
LATE CONTAX LENSES
The Contax had a full line of lenses from 21mm to 500mm. There are a number of very rare lenses and many versions of a given lense that the average collector will never acquire. For this reason I'11 limit this review to the common and semi-scarce lenses that actually can be located and are affordable.
Directly following the war there was considerable cooperation between the two Zeiss companies. As the political situation deteriorated the two companies became estranged. Originally both the 50mm f2 and 50mm fl.5 Sonnar lenses were produced by the Russian Occupied lenses plant in Jena. The lenses are marked "Jena". Early West German Contax lenses are marked "Opton." Later West German lenses are marked "Carl Zeiss" without "Jena" or "Opton." West German lenses are found with a variety of mounts with the majority of late lenses found in light alloy mounts. Eastern zone lenses (Jena) are considered inferior by many collectors. Early West German lenses marked "Opton" vary in quality. Zeiss suffered from materials shortages and manufacturing difficulties. Opton lenses are fairly common and are the post-war West German optics that you will find most often. Most of my lenses are of this variety and I've found the majority of these take beautiful pictures. Very late-production top-quality Carl Zeiss Contax lenses are identified by the simple engraving "Carl Zeiss" and are not marked with "T", "Opton", or "Jena". If you find one of these lenses you will note that the glass is very clear with few bubbles and deep-colored purplish coating. The mounts and finishes on these later lenses are superb, and major Japanese exporters offer higher prices for them. These lenses are certainly the best Contax optic produced but they're not worth a large extra investment. On the other hand, the quality and types of optical glass available certainly improved in later Zeiss optics. It's also probable that later lenses were updated with slightly improved optical designs since most manufacturers do this constantly.
21mm f4.5 Biogon: (1955, lightweight mount, chrome).
FINDERS: (turret, bright line #427, single focal length).
This lense alone is almost reason enough to own a Contax. It can also be used on Nikon rangefinder cameras. It is a highly innovative design with an image quality easily comparable to the Leitz Super Angulon. Optically the design is very similar to Schneider's f8 Super Angulon 4x5 lenses. There are 8 elements: consisting of two negative meniscus lenses in the front and one in the rear, these outer elements enclose two inner cemented components (one of two elements and one of three elements). The rear components are set into a square metal rear barrel which rotates to allow proper alignment when the lense is locked in place. The optical design differed appreciably from all other previous wide-angle lenses with an image angle of 90 degrees. At fll the depth of focus is II" to infinity. Even at full aperture, illumination is very even across the film with only very slight vignetting at the corners. Chromatic abberations and other image faults are minimal. It's almost distortion-free and yields superior definition.
35mm f2.8 Biogon: (circa 1950, lightweight mount, chrome).
FINDERS: (Turret, Brightline #426, Brightline #427, Single focal length).
The West German version of this lense was a fully redesigned 7-element lense with a 63 degree angle of view, and was marked Opton or Carl Zeiss. The post-war Jena Biogon was a 6-element lense of earlier pre-war design and will NOT fit the "a" model cameras. In use the lense should be stopped down to f4 for best performance. However, resolution and definition are good even at full aperture.
35mm f3.5 Planar: (1954)
This is a Symmetrical (Gauss) derivative with 5 elements in 4 groups. Optically it has low residual abberations, with high uniform definition and contrast over the field. It's well-corrected for coma, chromatic abberations, and spherical aberrations. Within the limits of its design, it performs well over its entire range and can be used wide open as a universal camera lense. It's not considered to be as good as the Biogon, and was included in the Zeiss lense line as a cheaper alternative 35mm. Since it is a scarce lense it often sells quickly in the $150 range.
50mm Sonnar: (1950-1952, chrome, rigid mount).
These lenses are all triplet derivatives, both the fl.5 and f2 Sonnars were first designed by L. Bertele in the 1920's and were constantly updated and refined. Contax Sonnars consist of 6 (f2) and 7 (fl.5) elements combined into three components resulting in six air/glass surfaces. The latest lenses (1952) are marked "Carl Zeiss" with stops to n2 rather than fl6. Both optics are of high quality. The 50mm f2 Sonnar is a tack sharp lense that is crisp even at n. The fl.5 Sonnar performs well at fl.5 but shows marked improvement when stopped down.
85mm n Sonnar: (1950, alloy mount, tapered front, "Opton").
(1952, same as above, "Carl Zeiss")
FINDERS: (Turret, Brightline #426, #427, clip-on parallax correct mask
finder #563/03, multiple finder #438 for 85/135mm)
This 7-element West German design shows a minimum of vignetting and is similar to the 50mm fl.5 Sonnar. Resolution is crisp even at f2 and contrast is superior. This is the nicest telephoto made for Contax. Its high speed makes it great for portraits. Focused at infinity it's very compact, only 3" long. I've found any of these post-war lenses to be very well made with nice glass. This is a superior optic which is normally available and worth getting.
85mm f4 Triotar: (1950/1952, alloy mount, larger front element in post-war designs).
Zeiss introduced this as a low price basic 3-element triplet lense. Like many triplets this suffers from slight astigmatism. Pictures are soft at the edges at f4 with improvement when stopped down. The quality of optical glass used in triplets has a strong bearing on performance. For this reason it's probably best to purchase the later "Carl Zeiss" version of this lense. Most users pass up the Triotar, showing a marked preference for the slightly larger, optically better f2 Sonnar.
135mm f4 Sonnar: (1950/1952, alloy mount).
FINDERS: (See 85mm Sonnar).
A LC-element triplet derivative with moderately good contrast, high resolution and even illumination. This is a compact lense of high performance. The narrow 18-degree angle of view helps control astigmatism. Despite its 4-element construction the basic Sonnar optical configuration works well.
Other Long Zeiss Lenses:
A variety of longer lenses were marketed by Zeiss for use on special reflex housings. All these lenses have quality optics and are a collector's find as they are scarce. A 115mm Panaflex Tessar was introduced in 1954 for closeup work with the Panaflex reflex housing. A 180 f2.8 Sonnar was available for reflex telephoto work with the Flketoscop reflex housing. It's now marketed for use with the Contax RTS. These lenses are really only of interest to the advanced collector as the reflex housings are large and bulky, making them cumbersome to use. Modern SLR's are much easier to use and have all but replaced these outdated systems.
SELECTED CONTAX ACCESSORIES
Zeiss made a vast array of accessories for the Contax which rivaled the Leica screw mount accessories. Many of these small items are very hard to find in nice condition. Only a very few of the more interesting items are mentioned here.
Stereotar (1952): A 35mm stereo attachment available with a special finder, prism attachment, view 00/1428 (note the 1427 viewer does not work with the Contax outfit). (Scarce)
Contatest: A neat parallax-corrected closeup 'plate' that bayonets to the front of the camera covering both rangefinder windows. Used in conjunction with proxar closeup lenses. The whole outfit fits in a large pocket and is easy to use.
Universal Carrying Case: A flat case of nice design which was compact (4" x 7" x 9") and held several lenses, the camera, and accessories. Made of high quality brown leather.
Bubble Level: A shoe mount level that tapers from a wide base to a dime-size top. The exterior is chrome with a pink interior. Designed for use with the 21mm Biogon for straight pictures. This is a beautifully made accessory which is useful even on an SLR. (Rare)
Plastic Flash Shoe Protector: A small gray shoe that slips into the chrome flash shoe and provides a raised plastic flash shoe. It also protects your camera shoe. (Generic Zeiss accessory)
Contax Eveready Cases: Cases in good condition are very scarce. They often tear under the lenses where the leather is weak. IIIa cases have slightly higher tops designed to fit over the meter. Late cases have more chrome trim and are stamped "Zeiss Ikon Stuttgart" on the back.
Lense Cases and Containers: Zeiss marketed their lenses in small plastic dome cases. These are hard to find without fine cracks. Some lenses came in pretty velvet covered cardboard containers with an embossed Zeiss logo. A whole line of soft leather lense pouches with hard bottoms were available and much nicer than the larger hard cases.
Lense Caps: All caps and hoods are rare and next to impossible to get in nice shape. Caps should be purchased with the lenses. Most caps are stamped with the Zeiss logo and many say "Opton" or "Jena." These are metal with a brushed chrome finish or black plastic. Late body caps for Contax are rare and are marked "Zeiss Ikon Stuttgart Germany." These caps have a marked rolled front edged, straight rear edges, are 1/2" high by 2" in diameter, and are brushed chrome. Post-war hoods with screw fitting (rather than slip on) are hard to get.
Contakop Table Reproduction Stand: This is a tiny tabletop stand suitable for copying small pictures or stamps. It came with a ground glass focusing screen and a critical f~cusing magnifier. A standard 50mm Contax lenses was used on what amounted to a variable extension tube. Once the lense was focused the camera mounted on top in place of the glass focus screen.
Dealer Display Case: A rare Salesman's sample case provided "free" to dealers who ordered all the items needed to fill them. They held a full range of cameras, lenses, finders, and other accessories and were velvet lined with a Zeiss Ikon Logo. Most suitable for display of an entire collection. Almost made for other Zeiss systems.
While there are numerous accessories, these are a selected few that most users would find in teresting. If you have specific accessory needs or wish to trade information, feel free to send me an SASE and I'11 be happy to respond as time permits. I'm interested in late post-war pamphlets and dealers literature. (Vintage Photographies, James S. Vilett, 3040 NW 63rd St., Seattle, WA 98107.)
