Carl Zeiss Contax II
The Carl Zeiss Contax II is a Contax RF-mount film rangefinder camera, introduced in 1936. Leica camera price index →
Reference maintained by Thomas Boots
General
- Mount
- Contax RF
- Release Year
- 1936
- Type
- Film
- Model Number
- 543/24
- Serial Range
- Unknown, production and military blocks are non-contiguous
Dimensions
Viewfinder & Shutter
- Framelines
- Fixed 50mm finder, external finders used for other focal lengths
- Shutter Speeds
- 1/2s to 1/1250s, Bulb
- Shutter Type
- Metal
Features
- Hot Shoe
- No
- Tripod Socket
- Yes
- Self Timer
- Yes
- Flash Sync
- None
Contax II
The Contax II is a 35mm Contax RF rangefinder introduced by Zeiss Ikon in 1936. It replaced the black Contax I with a redesigned satin-chrome body and combined the rangefinder and viewfinder in one eyepiece [1]. The body uses the Contax bayonet system, including the internal standard-lens mount and external bayonet for other lenses.
Its vertically travelling metal focal-plane shutter provides speeds from 1/2 second to 1/1250 second plus Bulb. The camera also introduced a front-mounted mechanical self-timer and retained the removable back and body-integrated focusing wheel [1].
History
Development and Launch
Zeiss Ikon released the Contax II in 1936 as the successor to the original Contax. Its combined rangefinder/viewfinder, long focusing base and 1/1250 second top speed made it one of the most technically ambitious professional 35mm cameras of its period [1].
Production Evolution
Production continued into the wartime period. Small changes occurred in shutter-speed markings, knob details and engraving. The related Contax III added an uncoupled selenium exposure meter but retained the principal camera mechanism [1].
Special Variants
Military-marked bodies, including Kriegsmarine examples, are documented. Such markings require careful provenance checking and belong in variant metadata, not in the generic camera name [1].
Collector Notes
Collectors should verify the 543/24 body identity, shutter-blind condition, rangefinder alignment and originality of military markings. After the Second World War, transferred tooling and technical knowledge contributed directly to the Soviet Kiev rangefinder line, making the Contax II historically central to the wider Contax RF system [2].
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