Contax Iii Serial Numbers



The company Zeiss Ikon AG in Dresden was the result of a series of acquisitions and mergers between many other companies involved in the production of cameras, lenses and other optical instruments in Germany. Among the most important were Ica and Ernemann, both of Dresden, Goerz of Berlin and Contessa-Nettel of Stuttgart. In 1926 this phase of consolidation gave way to the golden period that lasted until the end of the 1950s. From there the uninterrupted accumulation of losses led the giant to shut down camera production in 1972. The most obvious problem was the portfolio extremely long, which aimed to offer solutions for all types of photographers in all fields of photography. Only that, at a time when specialization and rationalization were becoming vital, it would already be too difficult a burden to bear, regardless the success of the brand.

Zeiss Contax IIa and IIIa. Postwar Precision 1950-61. The Zeiss Contax was arguably the best 35mm rangefinder made before WWII, with a larger range of faster and sharper lenses than Leica. Many considered the pre-war Contax the 'professional' 35mm camera, while the Leica was for amateurs.

From the outside this is a true Excellent cosmetic condition Contax III. It is a real German made Contax body and all of its parts are German and original except for the shutter. It has a Kiev shutter in it. Kiev shutters range in quality from a '10' (equivalent to German quality), to a (1) (real trash). Contax I's WITHOUT a 2nd repair letter code are very hard to find! Serial Numbers for Contax II e III. F 41001 - 46000. I found something but I'm still missing info about global production of contax model (RTS II, III, ST, RX, AX and S2/S2b). Any info helping me in depicting the numbers of contax procution is the welcome! Contax serial numbers Zeiss Contax. Zeiss Contax Forum for the classic Zeiss Contax I, II, III, IIa, IIIa, G series, and if you want to push it, the nice Contax point and shoots. And the serial number on the 50 1.4 seems incredibly high.

It is important to note that Carl Zeiss from Jena, a lens manufacturer, founded in 1846 and still existing today, is another company, independent of Zeiss Ikon, which was formed in 1926 focused on manufacturing of cameras and accessories. Carl Zeiss was from the beginning a reference in the development of the optical industry and provided for many years lenses for Zeiss Ikon to equip their cameras. Zeiss Ikon was also a reference in its field and many technologies and concepts created in its laboratories would become history and set new standards in camera market.

Source: Knipse Aber Richtig, von Wolf H.Döring DWB

One of those jewels was Contax. It was announced in 1932 and had the challenge of competing with Leica, designed in 1914 and commercially available since 1925. Some features, such as the focal plane shutter, range finder and interchangeable lenses were mandatory to compete with the one which was already an absolute market leader. But simply copying Ernst Leitz solutions, originally a microscope maker, to someone with the weighty ancestors who formed the Zeiss Ikon, didn’t seem a viable alternative to their engineers.

Contax was the adaptation of several technologies available among companies that formed Zeiss Ikon. The Contax name came, probably from Contessa, along with one of the main features of the new camera: its focal plane shutter that runs vertically. Such concept was already present in Contessa-Nettel’s Deckrullo camera and also in Goerz shutters. Another important point was the rapid coupling of the lens with a bayonet instead of the thread used by the Leica.

Still unlike Leica, the Contax back cover comes out completely. This was an argument used in its favor as to the swiftness and ease in film loading. It was also argued, not without reason, that the greater distance between the viewfinder and the rangefinder window provided greater precision in the camera’s focus. In addition, a telemeter coupled to the display (launched with the Contax II in 1936) was a clear advantage that Leitz would take almost 20 years to incorporate into its Leica M series in 1954.

Contax can be focused by rotating the lens or by activating the toothed disc at the top of the camera. The idea is that the index finger rests on the shutter release while with the middle finger the photographer fine-tunes focus. As in Leica, the lens locks in the infinite position, there is a click, and you have to release it to focus. This is a condition inherited perhaps from medium and large format cameras and was later abandoned in 35 mm.

The Contax shutter is original not only by running upright, it’s all metal instead of the then usual rubbery fabric. Its construction follows a principle used in woodworking in which several slats of wood form a curtain that can be rolled up (visible in the photo above). One advantage of running on the frame’s shortest distance is that from the outset the Contax offered the speed 1/1000 while Leica made half of it reaching 1/500. In the first models the shutter dial was in front of the camera and offered 1/25 to 1/1000. However, because 35mm photography lenses were brighter, they made photography possible in darker situations, and so the low speeds, up to 1 second, were also incorporated. Contax is excellent in terms of stability when using low speeds without a tripod. Its body is not a box with mechanisms inside. Instead, the camera is a machined aluminum block with mechanisms around it. This gives it a very solid strength, which in use translates to stability.

The amount of accessories that were created for Contax is something really amazing. In addition to regular filters and lens-shades, also adapters for microscopes, macro photography, stereo photography, mono reflex adapters, tubes and bellows, flash sync, rechargeable film cartridges and, of course, a rich set of lenses and corresponding viewfinders. The lists below present what was offered before and after the Second World War.

Source: Zeiss Ikon Cameras 1926-1939 – D. B. Tubbs

Source: Zeiss Compendium East and West – 1940-1972 – Charles M. Barringer e Marc James Small

Today it seems really strange that a viewfinder camera had so many lenses available. For each focal length it was necessary to adapt a specific viewfinder. There were also adjustable viewfinders for various focal lengths. But even that, it seems awkward for such camera concept.

This camera specifically has a Sonnar 50mm f / 1.5, and Sonnar is a story apart. It was a development from the Cooke Triplet, an original creation by H. Dennis Taylor (1862-1943), who in 1893 proposed a simple lens, with three elements in three groups, luminous and well corrected, destined to portraits due to its small angle of view. From this first idea came many modifications and revisions.

In 1919 Ludwig Bertele (1900-1985), self-taught optician at Ernemann, studied this type of construction and decided to use composite lenses instead of simple lenses while maintaining the initial idea of the triplet. He developed the Ernostar f / 2 that equipped Ermanox, a camera forever linked to Erich Salomon’s candid pictures, which, thanks to the large diaphragm and improved film’s speed, managed to get good images indoors. He registered without drawing attention and using only ambient light, law courts, parties, dinners and diplomatic gatherings.

When Zeiss Ikon acquired Ernemann in 1926, Bertele continued to work, now for the new composition, and took his lens further. In 1931 he patented Sonnar f / 2 and the following year Sonnar f / 1.5 that would equip the Contax (Kingslake). A robust 7-element lens in 3 groups that has been produced at various focal lengths and formats.

Do livro A History of the Photographic Lens – Rudolf Kingslake

The descriptions below address the most distinctive features. There are examples that combine some details of one model with details of another and Zeiss Ikon itself offered transformation and upgrade services between models.

Contax I – Manufactured from launch in 1932 until 1938. It is all black camera appearing in advertisement announcing its launch in 1932 (reproduced above). It has the speed dial on the front of the camera, next to the lens, and the rangefinder is of the rotating type (as in the Super Ikonta) with independent window from the viewfinder.

Contax II – Launched in 1936 with major modifications. The speed dial shifted to the top of the camera and the finish changed to satin metallic. Very important was the new type of telemeter (swing wedge) that was incorporated into the camera’s own viewfinder. Slow speeds were also incorporated.

Contax III – This is like the II, but with the addition of a photometer at the top of the camera.

Below, two pages of the general catalog of Zeiss Ikon, 1939, featuring the two Contax I sucessors:

Due to the war, the destroyed factories, the division of Germany, the shortage of the post-war years and all the conditions of the international, fast and highly competitive business of photographic cameras, the simple division between models I, II and III does not account for all the particularities that are found in the copies that were actually produced. Without wishing to go into too much detail, the suffix ‘a’ as in Contax IIa or IIIa, means the addition of flash sync. There is also the issue of black or color dial. This refers, among other things that came along with, to speed inscriptions. When all are marked in black, we have a black dial. When 1/50 is in yellow, the faster ones in red and the slower ones in black, we have the color dial. This is interesting because it means an indication of date of production, the black dial was manufactured until 1954 and the color dial from that year onwards until 1962 .

As far as I’ve researched it seems there is no reliable source of correlation between serial numbers and year of manufacturing for the Zeiss Ikon cameras.

The camera that appears in this article is an Contax IIIa color dial. It is equipped with a Sonnar 50mm f / 1,5. It is therefore a kind of top of the line and was produced in the last years of Contax’s history.

The photometer still works. It is protected by a shade that must be lifted for usage. This is an interesting feature as the selenium meters get worn out by light exposure over time. It is interesting that in the catalog shown above this is a feature that Zeiss Ikon most linked to color photography, stating that in it photometry would be more critical. This, perhaps, betrays the mistrust that photographers would find wasteful to pay 35% more just to have a photometer. In fact, we may have been a bit lazy with the automatic cameras or with coupled photometers. It is not so difficult to guess time and aperture, under most of light conditions, and still obtain acceptable results.

To adjust the photometer, one must set film speed, aim the camera to the subject, and then rotate the larger ring until center the meter’s needle. In this position, the aperture / speed pairs for this light condition can be read.

From this viewpoint, on the top of the camera, to the left, are the film advance and the speed dial. On the right are the rewinder and photometer control. The needle window is the photometer.

To open the camera and change the film you need to turn around each of the concealed knobs and the back comes loose from the camera body. The small button on the left side releases film for rewinding.

Some pictures taken with this Contax IIIa

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Fromthe Lens Collector's Vade Mecum:

(a)CZJ = Carl Zeiss Jena (pre war)


Itdoes seem that very low numbers do exist, and it is suggested that they beginat Jena at 1,000 in about 1890, unless information to the contrary is found.
Theremay also be unnumbered lenses, possibly when they are one of a stereo pair,though confusion with licencees lenses can occur.
Twolistings then exist, and run very much in parallel. One is by G. Gilbert, in'Collecting Photographica' and is reproduced in the back of McKeown's 'Price Guide'. The other is given in 'ChiffresCles' by P-H. Pont.
Asa collector, the main point is that they do tell the same story within the timespan that interests one.
Thefollowing is a shortened version of the one in 'Chiffres Clef' withsome extra notes added from experience here. It is tentative in places.
1890 Anastigmat production begins. this is partlylicensed to others, including Voigtlaender for Germany. The earliest ZeissAnastigmat noted so far is No 1,51x suggesting a possible No 1,000 start atJena for camera lenses: but note an aplanat for projection seems anomalous.
1895 Voigtlaender stops production of Zeiss designs,suggesting Zeiss had expanded production facilities to make the lenses at Jena.
1900 c. 44,040 as Unar sales begin, production ofanastigmats reaches 100,000, with about 44,000 by Zeiss and 56,000 underlicense.
1902 Tessar f 6.3 launched. This must have been onefactor leading to a big expansion of demand and production.
1908 91,711 + 103,3xx, 104,2xx noted on camerasburgled at N&G, London (Manthos article), but note N&G may have laggedin fitting as cameras made in 1912 had lenses No 133,73x- say a year in storeor transit.
Year Serial Number (begin + end) numbersused
1912 173,418 - 200,520 27,102
1913 208,473 - 249,350 40,877 Carl Zeiss London here (see below)
1915 c282,800 - c284,500 1,700
1917 289,087 - 298,157 9,070
1919 322,799 - 351,611 28,812
1921 433,273 - 438,361 5,088
1923 561,270 - 578,297 17,027
1925 c631,500 - c648,500 29,513

Contax Iiia Serial Number

1927 722,196 - 798,251 76,055
1929 919,794 - 1,016,885 97,091
1931 1,239,699 - 1,365,582 125,883 First Contax lenses here.
1933 1,436,671 - 1,456,003 19,332
1935 1,615,764 - 1,752,303 136,539
1936 1,674,882 - 1,942,806 267,924 chrome finish begins at c1,89 million.
1938 2,267,991 - 2,527,984 259,993
1940 2,652,000 - c2,678,000 26,000
1942 2,800,000 - ?
Notethe variation in the number per year. Now a plant of a successful company doesnot vary that much in production rate unless there is diversion to otherproducts, as is likely during a war (binoculars?, gunsights?) numbered inanother series. Or there is a cessation of materials or labour, which can alsohappen in war. These will have affected things in say 1916 to 1918 but it doesseem likely that the numbers used in 1913 are a 'funny' and one feelsthey include some for 1914 as well.
Alsonote that there are gaps between the 'Years lens' numbers, as for No252,739 in 1914 end and No 282,800 for 1915 begin, where 30,061 numbers are'missing.'
Serial
Thetables admit that the WW1 data is approximate and this might explain the lowfigure apparent for 1914. It seems likely that there was a carry over ofnumbers in some years from one year to the next, due to numbers being bookedfor a contract or sale in advance- or some such mechanism.
Thereis a instinctive feeling that in 1912, the plant was actually normally makingabout 25,000-30,000 lenses. Now going backwards, it is likely that productionhad built up slowly as labour was trained and plant designed and built, andthat a typical serial number for 1900 might be No 40,000 (as suggested above),rather than No 75,000 which would be the mid-point from No 1000 to say No151,000 in 1910.
AfterWW1, there is a rapid recovery of production, but again there are bigfluctuations in the apparent yearly numbers produced.
Thereare also still gaps between the blocks of numbers attributed to years. It doesseem that production was set to rise steadily in the 1920's, even though therewas a recession, and especially after the formation of Zeiss Ikon with therelated rationalizations and a 'captive' market.
Thusby 1930, there do seem to be some 100,000 or more per year, and then in the1930's, up to 250,000 or 300,000 numbers per year used. This suggests a majorexpansion at Jena, or just possible the use of the redundant plants ofGoerz/Berlin and Ernemann/Dresden to support the production in some way.
Allthis does also raise one point: that any maker quickly finds that while brassand glass cost money, numbers are 'free' and makers often'waste' numbers when plans change or products are cancelled. Thus itis normal to find cases where lenses were never made to match numbers reservedfor them.
Oneis left with a feeling that early Zeiss lenses are rare and should be verydesired items. An authentic list Carl Zeiss supplied to a friend in 1967, withthe same general result, was as follows:
150,000 - 200,000 1912 ca.
300,000 - 350,000 1916-1919
500,000 - 750,000 1923-1926
1,000,000 - 1,500,000 1929-1934
2,000,000 - 2,800,000 1937-1942
AfterWW2, Carl Zeiss at Oberkochen began a new series of numbers, probably at No1,000 or 10,000 and as indicated above, these were normally also marked Optonand coated. The Opton mark lasted for most purposes until about 1953 at No1,100,000 but was used for many more years for items sold in the Comeconcountries- which will cause confusion if it is not realized. More data thanthis is in P-H Pont's 'Chiffres Cles'.

POST WAR


(b)CZJ = Carl Zeiss Jena Postwar (DDR-East Germany)

2,842,301 primo Tessar 5cmf/3,5 CZJ DDR (si distinguono dalla scritta “Germany”)

1945-1949 3,00 - 3,20 million Initiallywith the focal length in centimeters.
1952-1955 3,47 - 4,00 million From here focal lengths were given in millimeters.
1958-1961 5,00 - 6,00 million
1964-1967 7,00 - 8,00 million
1970-1975 9,00 - 10,0 million

(c)CZ = Zeiss-Opton / Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen (RFT - West Germany)


1946-195110,000-500,000 These will be engraved Zeiss Opton,

Leica Contax: Carl Zeiss Jena Lens Serial Numbers

1949la prima ottica Zeiss-Option per Contax è un Sonnar 135/4 sn 91,001 del 1949,ma si tratta di un lotto isolato fabbricato a Coburgo
1951parte la produzione regolare per Contax con un Sonnar 50/1,5 sn 47,000 del1951, con sn dunque inferiore rispetto a quello di due anni prima!
questodimostra come la numerazione sia indipendente dalla cronologia
1953-1953 1,100,000 - 1,256,000
1953-1959 1,256,001 - 2,600,000 Now just Carl Zeiss (**) except for Comecon sales
1961-1965 3,000,000 - 4,000,000
1969-1971 5,000,000 - 6,000,000

(*)i primi Zeiss Opton avevano una T rossa (che io conosca con SN più alto con Trossa è 887,xxx)
(**)Ufficialmente il cambio di nome si ebbe al sn 1,256,000
CarlZeiss con SN 1,167,xxx
CarlZeiss con SN 820,412

Contax Iii Serial Numbers Doreen

Jena

Inumeri di matricola dei singoli obiettivi possono servire come riferimento per identificarel’anno di produzione, ma in realtà questo metodo non è sempre esatto. Alcuniobiettivi sono stati fabbricati all’interno di lotti fuori dalle normalisequenze produttive, per cui non sempre la sequenza numerica risulta rispettatacorrettamente.
Unesempio lampante è dato da alcuni lotti d’obiettivi Sonnar 13,5 cm, inizianticol numero di matricola 1,500,000, sequenza che normalmente si riferisce al1934, ma che in realtà è stata assegnata ad obiettivi prodotti nel 1936 edoltre. In casi come questo è probabile che gli obiettivi in questioneappartenessero a serie speciali, forniture particolari, o fossero esemplari dipre-produzione.
Altroesempio di confusione numerica si è verificato verso la metà degli anni Trenta,quando la produzione degli obiettivi neri e nichelati si è sovrapposta allanuova serie d’ottiche cromate. In ogni caso è accertato che esistono lottilasciati momentaneamente liberi ma poi assegnati successivamente.Dell’Orthometar 3,5 cm mancano, ad esempio, le date di consegna per ambedue ilotti costruttivi.
Durantela guerra, tra il 1940 e il 1945, la situazione si fa sempre più confusa: inumeri di matricola si accavallano senza apparente logica.

Contax Iii Serial Numbers Diagram

Adesempio, vi sono lotti del 1944 posizionati come numerazione all’interno del1940, e numerosi lotti del 1941 che possiedono numeri di matricola superiori ailotti del 1945.
Gliobiettivi con numerazione intorno a 2,600,000 in apparenza prodotti negli anni1944/45, appartengono quasi sempre a lotti del 1940, e in generale la numerazionetra 2,600,000 e 2,700,000 è quasi sempre inaffidabile per identificare l’esattoanno di produzione.
Lasituazione si stabilizza solo nei primi mesi del 1946, quando la normalesequenza numerica viene ristabilita.
Ancheper quello che riguarda i registri di Oberkochen si assiste a contraddizioninella numerazione.

Serial Number Lookup - Colt's Manufacturing LLC

Citiamoad esempio un Sonnar 50mm f/2, con sn 824,840 ed un Sonnar 50 mm f/1,5 con sn820,412 marcati ‘Carl Zeiss’, che teoricamente dovrebbero essere marcati 'Zeiss–Opton”, poiché i Sonnar siglati Carl Zeiss sono iniziati ufficialmentesolo col numero 1,256,001.

Contax - Wikipedia