Premium pre-war Zeiss Ikon rangefinder from 1939 with built-in meter and vertical metal shutter, a serious collector's camera.
The Contax III is a pre-war professional 35mm rangefinder camera from Contax (produced by Zeiss Ikon), released approximately 1936. A direct competitor to the Leica of its era. Uses the Contax RF (rangefinder) bayonet mount for Zeiss Ikon lenses. Contax RF mount.
35mm film rangefinder. Contax RF bayonet mount (pre-war Zeiss Contax system). All-mechanical focal-plane shutter to 1/1250s. Built-in selenium exposure meter (III model). Manual focus. Contax RF mount.
The Contax III added a built-in selenium exposure meter to the Contax II design — one of the first cameras with an integrated exposure meter. The Contax RF mount uses Zeiss lenses (Sonnar, Biogon, Tessar) from the pre-war Contax system. An important piece of photographic history.
On the used market the Contax III is a rare pre-war rangefinder collector camera. Condition checks: rangefinder and viewfinder, focal-plane shutter at all speeds (pre-war shutters can be sticky), selenium meter condition. Contax RF mount — pre-war Zeiss system.