Here you will find a story of interest to Contax cameras Zeiss Ikon AG and the later Kiev workshops.

Contax is a camera brand from Carl Zeiss. Under this name different manufacturers and types were offered from 1932 to 2005 cameras, provided the lenses for Carl Zeiss ( or until 1958, the VEB Carl Zeiss Jena) .

1932 brought the Zeiss Ikon AG its first small-format camera on the market, the Contax . The development was led by Emanuel Goldberg . The first Contax was called from 1936 as Contax I . It was designed to compete with the Leica II , but already had a lens mount , a coupled rangefinder with a very large measuring base and a closure made ​​of metal slats. This was followed in 1936 significantly improved Contax II ( the first rangefinder camera ever ) and also the Contax III with integrated light meter. The production ended in 1945 with the dismantling of Zeiss Ikon in Dresden. This should be built in Kiev a camera production ; due to improper disassembly and transport losses , however this was not possible . To meet the demands for reparations in 1946, the machines and tools at Carl Zeiss in Jena were made again in slightly Skeletized form. In small quantities, resulting cameras were used for the testing tool in Saalfeld in the sale, before the plants were transferred in 1946 to Kiev, where then the production of the Kiev Kiev II and III was taken at today's company Kiev Camera . (Source : wikipedia )

Original

Replica of the Contax from Kiev