Used Contax I for Sale — From £73 | UsedLens.co.uk

£72.65 Low price

£355.48 High price

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1 Retailers

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Great for: documentary general reportage

Zeiss Ikon's first Contax rangefinder — the Contax I, metal focal-plane shutter, Contax RF, 1932.

The Contax I is a 35mm rangefinder introduced by Zeiss Ikon in 1932 as its answer to the Leica, launching the Contax rangefinder system and its distinctive bayonet mount. It went through several running changes during the 1930s and is now an early, complex collector's camera valued for its place in 35mm history.

It is a 35mm coupled-rangefinder camera using the Contax RF bayonet mount. It is fitted with a vertically travelling metal focal-plane shutter, unusual among early 35mm cameras and capable of a wide speed range, and fires without a battery. There is no built-in meter; exposure is set manually. The rangefinder uses a separate window from the viewfinder on early bodies.

As Zeiss Ikon's first-generation 35mm system camera, the Contax I is chiefly a collector's and historian's body today, prized for its engineering and its role in establishing the Contax line. Its metal focal-plane shutter and precise Zeiss optics defined the system, though the mechanism's complexity makes it a specialist rather than casual shooter.

Given its age and intricate shutter, have the metal focal-plane mechanism assessed carefully for reliability and accuracy across speeds, as these are prone to wear. Check the rangefinder for contrast and correct vertical and horizontal alignment, inspect the separate finder windows for haze, and verify the bayonet and film transport. Originality and running condition strongly affect value; there is no meter or battery.

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