Mar 03, 2007 p.1 #4 p.1 #4 Contax Zeiss Serial#/YR of Manufacture Thanks John. I have seen that Zeiss lens date calculator before but it does not seem to work with Zeiss Contax lenses very well, or at least pre late 90's.
Contax TVS Digital with Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 2.8–4.8 – the last camera with the brand CONTAX Contax (sometimes stylised as CONTAX) began as a model in the Zeiss Ikon line in 1932, and later became a brand name. The early cameras were among the finest in the world, typically featuring high quality interchangeable. The final products under the Contax name were a line of, medium format, and digital cameras engineered and manufactured by, and featuring modern Zeiss optics. In 2005, Kyocera announced that it would no longer produce Contax cameras. Contax G2 with Biogon T* f2,8 21 mm The G series was a unique 35 mm autofocus rangefinder system with interchangeable lenses. Rather than displaying a typical rangefinder focusing patch and brightlines, the first G1 had a zooming viewfinder with a focus confirmation light activated by the autofocus system if manual focus was required. The actual AF system, unlike AF for SLR cameras, used a twin-window rangefinder, but the alignment determination was electronic.
The G2 was the second camera body in the series, and displayed manual focus distance directly on a viewfinder LCD. The G2 was generally considered more rugged and controllable than the earlier G1. Another improvement over the G1 was its full parallax correction viewfinder. A limited edition run of black G2 bodies and lenses were produced, differing from the standard titanium finish found on the original G1 and G2.
The lenses used optical formulae not often used by Zeiss, which had specialized in SLR photographic lenses for many decades prior to the G Series. (These formulae appear to be repeated in the later rangefinder cameras.) The G series also boasted the only true zoom available for a rangefinder system, made possible by the electronic coupling of the camera's viewfinder and the lens.
T-series compact cameras [ ]. Contax 645 A departure from the 35 mm format, the Contax 645 was an autofocus medium format SLR system, featuring an array of Zeiss lenses and interchangeable film and digital backs. One of its unique features was a film back equipped with the vacuum system originally developed for the 35 mm RTSIII SLR, which was claimed to increase sharpness by keeping the film perfectly flat in the plane of focus.
By using the adaptor 'MAM-1' produced by Contax, Hasselblad V-series lenses including C, CF, CFE, CFI, F and FE can be mounted on Contax 645 as well. In addition to 120 and 220 medium format backs with film inserts for quick loading, including the previously mentioned vacuum back, as well as a Polaroid/instant film back, many manufacturers offer a variety of interchangeable digital backs for the Contax 645 system: • Imacon • Leaf • Kodak • Jenoptik • Sinar-Bron • Megavision • Phase One N series [ ]. Carl Zeiss T✻ Planar 50 mm F/1.4 • Planar T* 50/1.4 • Planar T* 50/1.4 gold plated version, included with the limited 'Golden' Contax RTS camera • Planar T* 55/1.2 – 100 years of Planar design Anniversary lens. A total of 1,000 were produced (Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik III, Carl Zeiss Oberkochen). • Makro-Planar T* 60/2.8 – Offers a higher magnification ratio (1:1) than the other MM macro lenses. • Makro-Planar T* 60/2.8 C - Having the same optical design of M-P T* 60/2.8, but packed in a smaller barrel which offers magnification ratio 1:2. • S-Planar T* 60/2.8 – The former type of Makro-Planar T* 60 mm f/2.8 which having the same lens design each other.
• Planar T* 85/1.2 - Contax 50 years Anniversary lens (AE type). A total of 1,500 were produced (Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik III, Carl Zeiss Oberkochen). • Planar T* 85/1.2 - Contax 60 years Anniversary lens (MM type). A total of 1,503 were produced (Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik III, Carl Zeiss Oberkochen).
• Planar T* 85/1.4 • Sonnar T* 85/2.8 • Planar T* 100/2 • Makro-Planar T* 100/2.8 • S-Planar T* 100/4 - Macro lens for using with bellows. • Sonnar T* 100/3.5 • Sonnar T* 135/2.8 • Planar T* 135/2 - Standard AE type lenses. • Planar T* 135/2 - Contax 60 years anniversary version (MM type).
• Sonnar T* 180/2.8 • Apo-Sonnar T* 200/2 – Noted for its unusually high speed and an iris with extra blades for smoother bokeh and rounder highlights, designed for portrait and fashion work. It came with a set of drop-in filters.
• Tele-Tessar T* 200/3.5 • Tele-Tessar T* 200/4.0 • N-Mirotar T* 210/5.6 A smaller lens with a built-in, giving it an effective of 0.00012. According to some open sources, there were only 43 made. • Vario-Sonnar T* 70-210/3.5 - One of the two Germany-made zoom lens in the C/Y history.
• Vario-Sonnar T* 80-200/4 • Tele-Apotessar T* 300/2.8 – Noted for its sharpness and stratospheric price [ ]. • Tele-Tessar T* 300/4.0 • Vario-Sonnar T* 100-300/4.5-5.6 • Mirotar T* 500/4.5 - Mirror lens developed in the Contarex era. A special ordered item from Zeiss Germany. • Mirotar T* 500/8 - Mirror lens • Tele-Apotessar T* 600/4 AE - Prototype only but several were manufactured; it was partnered with a bespoke 1.4x Tele-converter. • Mirotar T* 1000/5.6 AE - Mirror lens developed in the Contarex era. A special ordered item from Zeiss Germany. • Mutar I 2x teleconverter • Mutar II 2x teleconverter of high quality, designed to mate with long telephotos.
• Mutar III 1.4x teleconverter Lenses for G-series [ ] G-series Contax models used a unique bayonet mount offering auto-focus coupling mechanism. Noted Hologon was the only manual-focus lens and the only Germany-made lens in the lineup. Also, apart from Hologon, all lenses were available in both Gold Titanium (standard) and Black (limited) colors. • Hologon T* 16/8 – Came with an optical viewfinder, a case and a center filter to reduce vignetting. Noted for its extremely low distortion. It was produced in Germany.
• Biogon T* 21/2.8 – Came with an optical viewfinder and a case. • Biogon T* 28/2.8 • Planar T* 35/2 • Planar T* 45/2 – Noted at the time of its release as the sharpest available lens for 35 mm photography [ ] • Sonnar T* 90/2.8 • Vario-Sonnar T* 35–70/3.5–5.6 Lenses for 645 [ ] The following lenses were made for the Contax 645 systems which offered auto-focus function (apart from A-M-P 120/4 which was an manual-focus lens). Additionally, with the use of MAM-1 adaptor, Hasselblad V-series lenses including C, CF, CFE, CFI, F and FE can be used (manual-focus) as well.
• Distagon T* 35/3.5 • Distagon T* 45/2.8 • Distagon T* 55/3.5 • Vario-Sonnar T* 45–90/4.5 • Planar T* 80/2 • Apo-Makro-Planar T* 120/4 (manual-focus lens) • Sonnar T* 140/2.8 • Sonnar T* 210/4 • Tele-Apotessar T* 350/4 • Mutar 1.4× teleconverter Lenses for N series [ ] The following lenses were made for the N-mount systems which offered auto-focus function. With the use of NAM-1 adaptor, all lenses of the '645' systems can be mounted on N-series cameras which offered auto-focus function. If uses both NAM-1 and MAM-1 adaptors simultaneously, Hasselblad V-series lenses including C, CF, CFE, CFI, F and FE (manual-focus) can be mounted on N-series cameras as well.
Contax Rts Serial Numbers
• Vario-Sonnar T* 17–35/2.8 • Vario-Sonnar T* 24–85/3.5–4.5 • Vario-Sonnar T* 28–80/3.5–5.6 • Planar T* 50/1.4 • Vario-Sonnar T* 70–200/3.5–4.5 • Vario Sonnar T* 70–300/4.0–5.6 • Planar T* 85/1.4 • Makro-Planar T* 100/2.8 - This version was appeared in the debut of N-series and was showing in some early N-series brochures only. Perhaps it had never been running in mass production. It was said the Makro-Planar design was not ideal for auto-focus, so it was then be replaced by the new design 'Makro-Sonnar T* 100/2.8' before entered to mass production. • Makro-Sonnar T* 100/2.8 • Tele-Apotessar T* 400/4 See also [ ] • • • (supported by Contax 645 AF) References [ ].
Contax 1 Serial Numbers
Zeiss Contax II and III Contax II and III Zeiss' Successful Leica Competitor After being embarrassed with the failures of their Contax I, Zeiss circled the wagons and came up with a winner. 1936-1942 A good argument can be made the Contax III was the world's first modern 35mm camera, as it was the first 35mm system with a built in camera exposure meter.
Contax 645 Serial Numbers
Yes, I know about the earlier 35mm Contax TLR camera, but its outlandishly poor design disqualifies it from the 'modern' category. 'Superlatives are too frequently abused. We will content ourselves by saying that Contax II represents the most advanced miniature camera design and construction of the present day.' 1936 Zeiss Catalog Contax II mounting a Voigtlander Prominent 50/1.5 Nokton After photography conglomerate Zeiss fell on its royal laurels with the incredibly unreliable Contax I shutter, it went back to the drawing boards and introduced the Contax II and II in 1936. With the Contax II and III, Zeiss not only had a legitimate competitor to Leica, in many ways it bettered Leica and was often considered THE Professional 35 system. It was a success Zeiss would not enjoy after W.W.II. combating the likes of the formidable Leica M3. Today most Contax II / III are well worn, they were workhorses.