Late-era Zeiss Ikon SLR with interchangeable Tessar 50mm f/2.8 in Icarex bayonet mount.
The Zeiss Ikon Icarex 35 paired with the Carl Zeiss Tessar 50mm f/2.8 is a West German SLR kit from the 1960s featuring the Icarex bayonet mount system. The camera represents Zeiss Ikon's final generation of SLR cameras before the company ceased camera production, incorporating lessons from the earlier Contaflex range.
The Tessar 50mm f/2.8 delivers the classic four-element Tessar rendering — sharp in the centre with a gradual fall-off that many photographers find characterful and pleasing. The lens is interchangeable using the Icarex BM bayonet mount, which accepts a modest but high-quality range of Carl Zeiss and Voigtlander optics.
Build quality is excellent with West German precision engineering throughout. The focal plane shutter provides speeds up to 1/1000th with reliable mechanical operation. The camera body is solidly constructed with attractive chrome and black finishing that has held up well on surviving examples over the decades.
A niche collector's camera that represents the twilight of Zeiss Ikon's camera manufacturing. On the used market, the Icarex 35 with Tessar lens appeals to collectors of German cameras and vintage Zeiss optics. The limited Icarex lens range keeps prices modest compared to more widely adopted systems.