The Contax, or more specifically Carl Zeiss, name has been associated with greatness in optical and mechanical design since the early days of photography. Their long history of optical greatness goes back to the 1850s, and even today the Zeiss name almost guarantees quality. The Contax rangefinder introduced that name and set the standard for what a Zeiss Ikon product was supposed to be.
But what about their Leica-killer rangefinder system? This system of rangefinders is unfortunately far less celebrated than the German brand they wanted to beat, but they are worthy cameras in their own right as well. Worthy enough for the Soviets to copy and produce them for decades, at least.
Here we will give a brief overview of the Contax rangefinder system, including the Soviet-made Kievs. Keep scrolling for the text version.
History
Leica were the ones who started the 35mm camera market with their thread mount Barnack cameras. They were instrumental in pioneering film cassettes and the 24x36mm format, so their rangefinders had a bit of an advantage in the market.
Zeiss Ikon refused to cede complete control of the market to their rivals, and set out to create a better-than-Leica rangefinder. This became the Contax I.
The first Contax differentiates itself from the Leica by having a longer rangefinder length, a faster shutter, a more robust lens mount, and a much easier loading system. Unfortunately, the Contax I was plagued by reliability issues and was arguably rushed to market in order to take sales away from Leica. This led to the Contax I being iterated upon during production, with six distinct models all called the Contax I.
This confusion ended with the release of the Contax II and III in 1936, which solidified Zeiss as a worthy competitor to Leica. There were massive improvements to build quality and ergonomics, as well as some technological breakthroughs that would become industry standard.
But first, the lenses. The Contax II and III were introduced alongside world-class optics that Leica simply could not match at the time. The 50mm f1.5 Sonnar in particular compares incredibly well to Leica’s comparable offering.
The Contax also had the fastest shutter for the time, of any camera. While there is some debate over whether it actually was/is this fast, the shutter speed dial had a position for 1/1250th. This outpaced the Contax I’s 1/1000th top speed and far outsped the Leica’s sluggish 1/500th.
Another huge breakthrough was the combination of rangefinder and viewfinder into one window. Previously, the photographer would focus and frame in two separate windows, adding an extra step to the process and slowing photographers down.
This combined system would completely change the way rangefinders worked in the future, and quickly became the standard worldwide. It took Leica 18 years to incorporate this feature in the M3.
The Contax III even added a selenium exposure meter, being one of the first cameras to do so. Leica wouldn’t have a built-in meter until their ill-fated M5 in 1971.
Then, World War II started. Zeiss’s factories, tools, and drawings were captured by the Soviets, who liked what they saw in the Contax. They soon started up production of their own version, the Kiev-2, in Kiev, Ukraine. Some people in Japan would also get their hands on the plans eventually, but we’ll mention them later.
Around the same time, the West German branch of Zeiss relaunched an improved rangefinder known as the Contax IIa or IIIa. A more precise shutter was created and optics were changed to match changes in film production. Some material changes were also made, including switching from brass to aluminum for lens construction to save weight. Flash synchronization was added as well.
Unfortunately, the Contax rangefinders did not see any more improvement as focus switched to SLRs and other designs. By the time the IIa and IIIa were discontinued, the Contax had been outclassed by cameras like the Leica M3, the Canon 7, and the Nikon SP.
The Soviets, however, had a different situation. Production of their pre-war Contax II copy, the Kiev-2, began directly after the war. This camera went through numerous iterations just like the Contax, adding flash sync and making other quality of life improvements.
The standard lens was the Jupiter-8 50mm f2, which was itself a copy of the Zeiss Sonnar optical formula. These cameras and lenses only went through minor changes until 1987.
The Kiev 5 is one of the only Contax/Kiev cameras not originally designed by Zeiss. This camera features a much larger viewfinder and built-in selenium meter, and was sold from 1967 to 1974.
It also does not have the Contax’s internal bayonet, requiring all lenses mount to the camera’s external bayonet. This severely limits the amount of original Zeiss lenses that are mountable to the Kiev 5.
Since then, the only camera to come out using the Contax mount has been the Voigtlander Bessa R2C in 2002. This model retains the knob-focusing of older models but adds features Zeiss Ikon never dreamed of, like TTL metering.
A Note on Nikon RFs
Nikon’s line of rangefinders ran from 1948 until 2000, technically, but realistically 1960. Nikon’s bodies started, and remained, very Contax-like for the entirety of their production time. They even accept most of the same lenses!
Nikon did, however, slightly alter the lens mount. This means that telephoto lenses, or basically anything longer than 50mm, will have issues focusing. The longer the lens, the worse the issues. Anything below 50mm, though, will focus fine! The same remains true for Nikon lenses mounted on Contax bodies.
For this reason, we haven’t included Nikon S rangefinders and lenses in this discussion. They are great cameras in their own right, but technically Nikon S and Contax/Kiev are two different lens mounts.
Who Is It For?
With a system of this age, the discussion is less about pros and cons and more about personal preference. These are historical pieces that were technically obsolete decades ago, after all.
That being said, if you’re interested in history, love rangefinders, or are a Zeiss fanboy, a Contax rangefinder might be for you. They’re quirky, for sure, but the build quality and engineering is second to none.
Just don’t use the knurled focusing wheel unless you want to cut your hand open.
Quirks & Features
The knurled focusing wheel is just one of the interesting aspects of a Contax rangefinder. Even the 2002 Bessa R2C has this wheel directly above the rangefinder window on the right side of the camera. This wheel directly controls the focusing dial.
In theory, the wheel allows for precision focusing without moving a finger far from the shutter. In practice, however, it just hurts. Most people prefer to just focus by rotating the lens, which the camera allows you to do.
The focusing wheel leads into the next quirk of the Contax rangefinder; the helicoids. Most Contax lenses rely on the camera’s internal focusing mechanism. Lenses of normal focal lengths will generally use this internal focusing mechanism. Longer or wider lenses, however, will use the Contax’s second bayonet mount and have their own focusing ring.
Second bayonet mount? Why? Well, to fit both styles of lenses. Zeiss realized that their internal focusing mechanism would not work for all lenses and decided to include both an internal and external bayonet on their rangefinders. The internal one handles normal lenses, and the external one takes wide or long lenses.
The only exception to this is the Kiev 5, which only has the external bayonet. Soviet engineers decided to make all of their lenses fit the external one for the sake of simplicity and cost reduction.
One thing to be aware of is the infamous “Contax grip”. The focusing wheel is very close to the rangefinder window, and the window itself is quite far towards the edge of the body. This leads to the photographer having to hold the camera awkwardly to avoid blocking the rangefinder window with a finger.
Another thing of note is the reliability of these cameras. A well-maintained Contax rangefinder will be an extremely reliable tool. Aside from the Contax I’s shutter, the other models didn’t really have problems with reliability.
80 years on, however, few of them have received the care and attention that they deserve. Regular maintenance is necessary for these tools to function properly, just like a Leica or a luxury car.
Lenses
Obviously, one reason to get into a Contax system is to use Carl Zeiss glass. The impressive range of available Zeiss lenses will not disappoint Contax users.
What really makes this system impressive, though, is the availability of Russian lenses and lenses from other manufacturers. Despite its age, there is a Contax kit to fit every budget.
Conclusions
Picking up a Contax kit requires quite a bit of thought. Contax rangefinders are finicky, quirky cameras that don’t have many of the features that would eventually become standard in camera design. They even have some features that are downright bizarre.
That being said, there are many reasons to get one as well. Access to Zeiss lenses at moderately low prices is an attractive opportunity. Using a camera that could be 80 or 90 years old is something worthy of note as well. Owning a Contax makes you a part of camera history, and you can't put a price on that.
This article was originally published on 30.10.2020.
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