Review of Tenax II

[wes loder]

Mike Eckman has posted a review of the Tenax II. Go to: <https://www.mikeeckman.com/2019/11/zeiss-ikon-tenax-ii-1938/?fbclid=IwAR1YhXFeSZonZIUbWcPEs4nUnwAFu60QwMnnMel61zenmJ0pOwI58G3EFck>
Enjoy, WES

 

[besk]

Very interesting article. Thanks for pointing it out.

Just wish they made a modern 35mm rangefinder in square format with coated lenses and a meter. I have a Robot with no meter and a Minolta 24 Rapid with nonworking meter.

 

[wes loder]

Some of the Tenax II lenses were coated, mainly ones intended for the German armed forces. As for a meter, a metered version was planned but never manufactured. Sorry.

 

[raid]

My Tenax II has a Sonnar 40/2. The lens and the camera are beautiful. My set looks like new to my eyes.

 

[raid]

Thanks for the link. Wes.

 

[markjwyatt]

A little late responding. I have been reading about Zeiss Ikon over the holidays, so the thread just caught my eye. Interesting article. I have been reading the Hove books set on Zeiss Ikon (1926-1939 [Tubbs], and 1939-1972 [Berringer/Small]), and now feel I have a much better feel for what Zeiss Ikon was, how they are related to Carl Zeiss, etc. I have a few Zeiss/Zeiss-Ikon cameras and lenses from that time period, and have been a fan for decades, so it was good to get a bit more educated. This article was very detailed specifically on the Tenax (which I do not own). Thanks for posting.

 

[xayraa33]

I always thought that the Tenax is a cool looking camera....that has a timeless beautiful design like found on the Contax II and the Nikon SP.

 

[markjwyatt]

I always thought that the Tenax is a cool looking camera....that has a timeless beautiful design like found on the Contax II and the Nikon SP.

In terms of appearance as well as some features, two of my favorite Zeiss Ikons (in addition to the Contax series) are the Ermanox (started before Emamann was merged into Zeiss Ikon) and the Contaflex 35mm TLR.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Ermanox
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Contaflex_(TLR)

 

[xayraa33]

I believe there is an element of art-deco design in the pre war Contax and the Tenax cameras that was so popular in the 1930s and holds up very well as a pleasant aesthetic thru the decades....even the Nikon RF cameras copied this cool form and they recognised its timeless chic.

 

[markjwyatt]

I believe there is an element of art-deco design in the pre war Contax and the Tenax cameras that was so popular in the 1930s and holds up very well as a pleasant aesthetic thru the decades....even the Nikon RF cameras copied this cool form and they recognised its timeless chic.

How about the Ihagee Exaktas that also made an impact at that time (mid 30s)? They still have a unique look.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Kine_Exakta

 

[xayraa33]

How about the Ihagee Exaktas that also made an impact at that time (mid 30s)? They still have a unique look.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Kine_Exakta

Yes, they do look kind of cool too, they are not a very practical design handling wise though.

 

[markjwyatt]

Yes, they do look kind of cool too, they are not a very practical design handling wise though.

Some people really like them, especially later models where perhaps some of the bugs got worked out (Varex for example). But I digress from the topic of this forum (Contax)and thread (Tenax).

 

[ranger9]

Enjoyed the article, although I didn't think much of his dismissing high-quality pre-Leica 35s such as the Tourist Multiple and Simplex Special as “ some hobbled together model built with very low quality control standards.”