Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Syncro-Compur SLR Camera with CArl Zeiss Tessar 50mm F2.8 lens in excellent condition and ready to take pictures!

ZEISS IKON CONTAFLEX SUPER SYNCHRO-COMPUR SLR CAMERA WITH CARL ZEISS TESSAR 50mm F2.8 lens.

The Contaflex family of 35mm leaf-shuttered SLR cameras was introduced in 1953 by Zeiss Ikon, using the newly developed Compur reflex shutter. By doing so, a completely new 35mm camera emerged, a concept probably first used in 1929 in the Mentor Compur Reflex. The Contaflex name was made famous and became highly respected due to the spectacular 35mm twin lens reflex Contaflex, introduced in 1935 and only produced a few years.

It should be remembered that almost all the popular cameras manufactured worldwide, have their origins in Germany; these are typically the 6x6 TLR 1928 Rolleiflex, the 1925 Leica and the 1932 Contax 35mm rangefinder cameras, as well as the 1936 Kine Exakta and the 1949 Contax S 35mm SLR cameras.

This was the situation when ZEISS started designing the Contaflex SLR camera and had already developed the pentaprism viewing system in the late 1930s, and being convinced the compact, reliable and easily manufactured leaf shutter could outperform the focal plane shutter, they set out building a compact high quality camera for the masses.

The Contaflex family started in early 1950's and actually was quite successful, quite reliable and performed well, and large number of improved models and new ranges of lenses were introduced all the way up until Zeiss Ikon itself was closed down.

The Contaflex Super has a coupled selenium exposure meter on the front side of the prism. It is easily recognized by the aperture setting wheel on the front plate. The meter's match-needle instrument is visible in the finder as well as on the top plate from the outside. It has a special exposure setting conception. The speed setting ring has two grips to provide lever power for exposure setting which is needed since turning the speed ring automatically turns the aperture ring into the opposite direction. The thumb-wheel around the camera's film speed setting knob is the device to turn the aperture ring on the lens barrel independently and to change its relation to the speed ring so that other speed/aperture-combinations become possible. If this device is used for match-needle metering the speed ring with the grips allows to switch easily to other exposure-setting combinations without getting out of correct exposure values as shown by the meter.

The camera is in excellent condition cosmetically, mechanically and optically. The camera is fully functional and can be used immediately. The only one feature doesn't work - 10 second delay shutter lever. It is quite common for any old cameras, but this is the feature that photographers use in very rare occasions.

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