Anyone read Chinese? Contax lens for China

[dexdog]

Can anyone provide a translation of the Chinese characters on the base of this Contax RF lens? Not a particularly great picture, but I don't have a macro lens. Just wondering if it does indeed mean something like "for China".

Thanks!

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

First 2 characters: germany
Last character manufactured.

I guess it means, made in germany.

 

[dexdog]

raytoei, thanks a lot! I have wondered for a few years what that said. Lens is a 13.5cm/4 Sonnar in Contax RF mount.

 

[raid]

Where in the world did you get a Made in Germany, Made for China Contax lens, Mark? It must be rare.

 

[wetmonkey]

Yes, the chinese word "德国" means Germany， "制" means made. But I dout it is fake, or maybe it is only a joke? Who knows?

 

[dexdog]

Where in the world did you get a Made in Germany, Made for China Contax lens, Mark? It must be rare.

I bought it off eBay a few years ago, only because I had never seen one before.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

can it be something like that rooster leica type of production?

 

[dexdog]

Yes, the chinese word "德国" means Germany， "制" means made. But I dout it is fake, or maybe it is only a joke? Who knows?

Hans-Jurgen Kuc's book "On the Trail of the Contax, Volume 1" notes that Zeiss marked cameras and lens as "For China" in English, along with the Chinese shown in the first post. Zeiss also marked cameras, and possibly lenses, "For Manchoukuo".

 

[Archlich]

It does mean Made in Germany, the writing itself is pretty old fashioned.

I suspect it to be from the Nationalist era, when the Chinese had a sweet moon period with Germany in the 1930s until the war broke out.

 

[ZeissFan]

As you probably know, this lens is the nickel and black version that was made for the Contax I.

I was hoping for something a bit more exotic than "Made in Germany."

I also have a Contax I version (without the Chinese markings), and it's a very sharp lens.

 

[dexdog]

It does mean Made in Germany, the writing itself is pretty old fashioned.

I suspect it to be from the Nationalist era, when the Chinese had a sweet moon period with Germany in the 1930s until the war broke out.

Seems to make sense- Thiele's book of CZJ lenses gives production date of this lens as October, 1934.

 

[axiom]

Very pretty. But I thought the Chinese characters at that time are written from right to left?

 

[Vince Lupo]

Interesting -- I have a brown-rimmed Proxar A42 close-up filter that has the same characters.

 

[Dralowid]

I have read a theory that early Contaxes marked 'Made for China' were not desitned for that market but were marked thus to separate them from cameras of a higher quality destined for western markets. The implication being that the 'Made for China' cameras were in some way substandard and should not be let loose on the most valuable markets.

I know, I know, it sounds crazy but it came from somewhere other than Wikipedia. I cannot remember where.

That Zeiss, like the rest of Germany, was keen to achieve high levels of export sales in currencies stronger than the DM cannot be in doubt but to mark cameras that did not meet quality standards 'Made in China' is a wild concept indeed.

Has anyone else heard of this?

Michael

 

[dexdog]

I have read a theory that early Contaxes marked 'Made for China' were not desitned for that market but were marked thus to separate them from cameras of a higher quality destined for western markets.

Has anyone else heard of this?

Michael

Maybe this is where you saw it;

http://www.zeisscamera.com/articles_china.shtml

 

[sevo]

can it be something like that rooster leica type of production?

The general assumption is that the "for China" branding was intended to make re-export less likely.

 

[breathstealer]

Very pretty. But I thought the Chinese characters at that time are written from right to left?

I'm not sure at what point the change definitively occurred, but for the longest time you were equally likely to see either rendering.

Horizontal right-to-left seems to only appear on things like shopfronts, though - if a paragraph is written in the traditional style, it's up-and-down first, then right-to-left as you write new lines.

 

[sevo]

I know, I know, it sounds crazy but it came from somewhere other than Wikipedia. I cannot remember where.

IIRC that is a bit of Henry Scherer lore - his tall tales often are, well, tall tales...

That Zeiss, like the rest of Germany, was keen to achieve high levels of export sales in currencies stronger than the DM cannot be in doubt but to mark cameras that did not meet quality standards 'Made in China' is a wild concept indeed.

Well, the DM did not even exist back then. As to the likelyhood, their importers will probably have insinuated that to anybody keen on buying off the black market, no matter how much truth there was in it. While Denmark still was a cheap source for grey imports within the EU due to their unusually high tax levels, I heard many a German camera dealer state that Denmark only received flawed photo gear...

 

[KHW]

It means "Made in Germany". It is writtern by traditional Chinese.

It is not a joke. In fact there is a Chinese book in Mainland China on Contax in Mainland China during the 30's to 40's. Some lenses sold in Mainland China would have such mark on them.

I would say, if it is those lenses, then it is highly collectible. Perhaps more photos of this lens could help to identify.

 

[Dralowid]

"IIRC that is a bit of Henry Scherer lore - his tall tales often are, well, tall tales..."

I have had no dealings with Henry Scherer so could not comment in any way save to say that there seem to be hundreds of old Contaxes out there made from bits of myriad cameras from around the globe that are happily clicking away and giving their owners sterling service.

Michael