Contax II from 1943 or 1944 ?...

[Warpierre]

I have a Contax which seems very rare to me with the serial number Q65***. (maybe O. but personally I read Q)
Do you have any information on this model?
Thank you.

Zeiss Ikon serial numbers - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia

camera-wiki.org

 

[1936ContaxII]

Strange. According to Hans-Juergen Kuc, Auf den Spuren der Contax I, 1992, page 141, Contax cameras were produced up to 1942 or 1943. So it could have been produced in 1943.
But Kuc does not list a "Q" series, only an "O" series (page 151). According to page 77, these cameras were produced in 1943.

Maybe it's actually an "O."? Using the dot to make sure that it cannot be misunderstood as a "zero" number?
There might have been a lot of mess already in 1943 Germany...

Michael

 

[Joerg]

I do not think it is a Q as it has the line inside and outside if the O.
My 2 Pfennige

 

[TenEleven]

Yeah I think that's an "O" with a dot after it. I have seen Carl Zeiss Jena sometimes add a dot to the inscriptions lenses and cameras that had gone back for service.

The serial number fits it being an "O" Contax II as well, with the last recorded being 65500 and yours is 130 something cameras before that.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I believe Zeiss stopped making Contax II cameras at the time as it was forced to focus on optical equipment for the military; Tank periscopes, gunnery sights, binocular and such.

 

[Warpierre]

And this blue dot...?

 

[TenEleven]

Most likely a scale focus setting for a certain usage scenario or a lens with a certain fixed aperture to achieve maximum focus coverage.

In according the scale as seen, a 50mm lens set to the blue dot would cover from infinity to ~5meters.