Camerapedia
Register
Advertisement

During WWII Hubert Nerwin thought about a new 35mm folder. The results of his thoughts were developed after the war to Zeiss Ikon's first completely new postwar product, made since 1948 as Ikonta 522/24. As Zeiss was unable to produce sufficient Tessar lenses (due to war damage to their production facilities), this is one of the few Zeiss models ever to feature a non-Zeiss (Schneider Xenar) lens. The model was continued in 1953 as Contina, as one of the first cameras of the new Contina series of 35mm viewfinder cameras (one was a rangefinder) made in Germany by Zeiss Ikon. The first models were folders, later models were rigid. Some had linked shutter/aperture rings, using the Light-value system. The folding models had knob wind, frame counter and rewind fitted to the bottom; the later ones had top-mounted 180° lever wind, knob rewind and frame counter around the shutter release.

Specifications[]

  • Manufacturer: Zeiss Ikon
  • Origin: Stuttgart, Germany
  • Introduced: 1951 (folder); 1954 (rigid)
  • Film: 35mm
  • Shutters: Prontor-SVS, 1sec-1/250 or 1/300 with X & M sync & self-timer, Prontor-SLK or Synchro-Compur


Models[1][]


Name Date(s)      Cat no.      Lens Features
Ikonta 522/24 1948-53 522/24 Novar, Tessar, or
Schneider Xenar 45mm/2.8
Folding
Contina I 1951-55 522/24 Novar 45mm/3.5 or
Tessar 45mm/2.8
Folding
Contina II 1952-53 524/24 Opton-Tessar 45mm/2.8
or Novar f3.5
Folding,
Rangefinder
Contina Ia 1954-55 526/24 Novar 45mm/3.5 Rigid
Contina Ia 1955-57 526/24 Novicar 45mm/2.8 Rigid
Contina Ia 1958 526/24 Pantar 45mm/2.8 Rigid
Contina "1b" c.1956 526/24 Novicar 45mm/2.8
or Pantar
not labelled as "Ib"

(See also the article Contina 1b)

Contina Ic 1958-60 10.0603 Pantar 45mm/2.8 name in script on front
Contina II 1956-58 527/24 Novar f3.5 or
Novicar f2.8
Light meter
Contina IIa 1954-56 527/24 Novar 45mm/3.5 or
Novicar f2.8
dual-range Light meter
Contina III 1955-58 529/24 Pantar 45mm/2.8 Light meter + convertible lens
Contina 1962-65 10.0626 Color Pantar 45/2.8 updated, rounder styling; crank
rewind, second viewfinder
window for bright-line

(See also the article Contina)

Contina J 1964-65 10.0604 Color Pantar 45/2.8 no self-timer
Contina L 1963-65? coupled meter
Contina LK 1963-65 10.0615 Color Pantar 45/2.8 coupled meter
Contina-matic II 1958-59 10.0613 light meter
Contina-matic III 1959-60 10.0622 Pantar 45/2.8 meter


Notes[]

  1. from McKeown, pp.1047-8

Links[]

In English:

In French:

In Spanish:

Advertisement