The Most Technologically Advanced SLRs, Part 1
From pre-war beginnings to the amazing achievements of the ‘50s
By Jason Schneider
The concept of the single-lens reflex camera is a lot older than you think. To quote the first paragraph from the History of the SLR posted on Wikipedia, “The photographic single-lens reflex camera (SLR) was invented in 1861 by Thomas Sutton, a photography author and camera inventor who ran a photography related company together with Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard on the British isle of Jersey. Only a few of his large format SLRs were made. The first production SLR with a brand name was Calvin Rae Smith's Monocular Duplex (USA, 1884). Other early SLR cameras were made by Louis van Neck (Belgium, 1889), Thomas Rudolphus Dallmeyer (England, 1894), and Max Steckelmann (Germany, 1896). Graflex of the United States and Konishi (later Konica) in Japan produced large format SLR cameras as early as 1898 and 1907 respectively.”
Prior to WWII, several companies made medium format roll film SLRs including Exakta, Korelle, KW, Curt Bentzin, Graflex, etc. However, while the 35mm SLRs first appeared prior to WWII, the species really came of age during the ‘50s, and it has proven to be one of the most influential camera designs of all time. Indeed, today’s digital mirrorless marvels would not have been possible without the pioneering work of countless ingenious designers who developed the 35mm SLR over the course of more than half a century. So, let’s give them their due by beginning at the beginning and seeing what they accomplished in the initial phase.
The Exakta I of 1936, shown here with manual diaphragm 5.4cm f/3.5 Exaktar lens, was the first commercially successful 35mm SLR (see text for details).
Kine Exakta I 1936. Made by Ihagee Kamerawerk, Steenbergen & Co. Dresden, Germany it was the first widely distributed 35mm single-lens reflex camera and its basic configuration profoundly influenced the legions of 35mm SLRs that succeeded it, According to some sources, the Russian-made Sport, which was released in 1935 and first sold in 1936 or 1937 edged out the Kine Exakta for the title of “first 35mm SLR.” However, this fascinating machine had an odd shape and control layout, used special cassettes, and had limited distribution, mostly in Russia. The Sport thus had little influence on subsequent SLR design.
Exakta I of 1937 has a larger rectangular magnifier window, bet it doesn't help much because you still have to swing it down over the focusing screen to focus. The problem was finally solved in the postwar Exakta II, which places the hinged magnifier at the top of the viewing hood where it belongs!
The Kine Exakta was called Kine because, unlike previous roll film Exaktas, it used 35mm cine film. It’s also a very distinctive design, with its trapezoidal-shaped body, left-handed single-long-stroke film-advance lever, left-handed shutter release and flip-up waist-level viewfinder, but it still has the unmistakable look and features of a modern 35mm SLR. Its horizontal-travel, cloth, focal-plane shutter has speeds from 12-1/1000 sec, plus B and T, with fast speeds (1/25-1/1000 sec) set via a dial next to the wind lever, and slow speeds (12 to 1/10 sec) set on a second “wind-the-spring” dial atop the camera’s right end. The non-removable waist-level finder has a convex ground-glass screen with round flip-down, critical-focusing magnifier (the second version of c1937 had a rectangular magnifier). Other features: Removable back, self-timer, built-in flash sync with two front -mounted terminals, built-in film-cutting knife (!), shutter-locking safety device on folding finder, and removable take-up spool. The Exakta did not have an automatic diaphragm stop-down mechanism built into the body---early lenses had manual or pre-set diaphragms. Later models added interchangeable waist-level and prism finders (the Exakta Vares of 1950), external auto- and semi-auto diaphragm lenses, and uncoupled meter prisms. The Exakta did not acquire an instant-return mirror until the Exakta VX 1000 of 1967. Widely used by scientists who mounted it on microscopes, telescopes, etc., and supported by an incredible array of lenses by major makers, the Exakta was the first 35mm SLR system and it set the stage for later makers such as Nikon and Canon.
Contax S 1949. The first widely distributed 35mm SLR with an eye-level pentaprism providing laterally correct, right-side-up viewing and focusing, the Contax S, a product of VEB Zeiss-Ikon (generally known as East German Zeiss), was also the first to embody the classic modern SLR shape adopted by virtually all other manufacturers. The Italian Rectaflex and Swiss Alpa Prisma Reflex III, both pentaprism 35mm SLRs introduced in the same year, were of very distinctive design and produced in limited quantities. The pentaprism used in the Contax was most probably developed by Zeiss in the late ‘30s, and its 42mm threaded lens mount appeared simultaneously on Praktica SLRs. The Contax name was changed to Pentacon (a combination of pentaprism and Contax) in 1957, and many versions of the camera, often not as well made or finished, appeared under a variety of names including Hexacon, Consul, and Corbina. The general configuration of the Contax S, and its M-42 screw mount, had a profound influence on SLR design for well over 20 years. Examples include various Rolleis, Voigtlanders, Edixas, and Zeiss-Ikon Icarexes from Germany, and Japanese SLRs of the 60s and 70s, including Pentax, Fuji, Yashica, Ricoh, Chinon, and Cosina, and the short-lived Olympus FTL
Zeiss Contax S of 1949, shown with preset 58mm f/2 Zeiss Biotar lens, was the first widely sold pentaprism SLR and it established the breed's form factor.
,
A straightforward, elegant machine, the Contax S features a cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1 to-1/1000 sec plus B set via a single, rotating, top-mounted dial with speed readouts under a small glass window, knob wind and rewind, a 45-degree angled shutter release, flash sync connection in tripod socket, hinged back and self-timer. It lacks an instant-return mirror and automatic lens diaphragm actuation—later models feature semi-automatic diaphragm operation via an internal stop-down plate in the body, and the Contax E of 1953 was the first SLR with a built-in (selenium) meter. The Contax S is a fine collector’s piece, and a competent picture taker if you can put up with its dim (by modern standards) finder and noisy shutter. Models labeled Contax and bearing the Zeiss-Ikon logo are less common and pretty pricey--$400-500 with pre-set 58mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar lens, a bit less with 50mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar. Later models labeled Pentacon or Hexacon with C.Z. or other lens designations are not as well made, less desirable and sell in the $150-$250 range.
Praktina 1952. Launched by KW (Kamera-Werkstatten, part of the VEB Pentacon consortium), of Dresden, East Germany in 1952, the Praktina was conceived as a 35mm SLR system aimed at professionals, a counterpart to the broad-spectrum M-42 screw mount Praktflex the company had introduced in 1939. It was an audacious undertaking, featuring a unique breech-lock lens mount, an interchangeable pentaprism with interchangeable viewing screens, and a removable back that allowed a 400-exposure bulk film magazine to be fitted. It also provided couplings for an ingenious 20-frame-per-wind spring motor drive, and (later) an electric motor drive with remote control, the first on any production 35mm SLR. It was compatible with a host of lenses by Zeiss, Meyer, Schacht, Steinheil et al, and supported by scads of system accessories. Within a year the original Praktina was replaced with the improved Praktina FX that stopped the lens down to the pre-selected aperture when the shutter fires and has standard PC flash sockets. The last Praktina, The IIa if 1958-1960, offered full auto diaphragm operation with appropriate lenses, but it failed to boost the camera’s lackluster sales. All models feature a built in Newtonian optical finder for 50mm lenses, allegedly to facilitate “fast action and available light photography.”
Praktina FX of 1953 with 59mm f/2 Zeiss Biotar: Successor to the original Praktina, it added auto aperture stop-down. Note signature 50mm optical finder.
While technically very advanced, physically attractive, reasonably well made, and decently finished, Praktinas are hardly paragons of reliability, and few repair people will work on them. That and its well dfesigned but non-standard lens mount, limited its sales potential and the Praktina never became the professionals’ mainstay as its designers had hoped. However, it was a highly influential and you may assured the designers of the Nikon F, Canonflex and other pro-aimed 35mm SLR were inspired by the Praktina’s brilliant feature set. Today Praktina SLRs are coveted collector’s items that fetch prices in the $150-$350 range depending on lens and condition. Fair Warning: If you’re tempted to take the plunge make sure the seller provides full “no questions asked” return privileges.
Zeiss Contaflex I of 1953 is a competent, compact leaf shutter SLR with a fixed 45mm f/2.8 Tessar lens, Later models added interchangeable lens components, built-in meters and even (gasp!) autoexposure.
Zeiss Contaflex I 1953. The first successful 35mm SLR based on the Compur inter-lens leaf shutter, the Contaflex influenced the design of all subsequent leaf-shutter 35mm SLRs, including models the Kodak Retina Reflexes, Kowa, and Mamiya, SLRs, as well as leaf shutter medium-format SLRs, notably the Hasselblad 500 series, Bronica ETR series and Kowaflexes. The Contaflex I features a fixed eye-level pentaprism, auto diaphragm, film-wind knob with inset shutter release, Synchro-Compur 1-1/500 sec plus B shutter, and non-interchangeable 45mm f/2.8 Zeiss Tessar lens. The system evolved to include models with front-component-interchangeable lenses, rapid-wind levers, built-in selenium or CdS meters and autoexposure. All Contaflex 35mm SLRs are very well made and beautifully finished, but hard to repair. The Contaflex I is a good user-collectible valued at about $150-200 in excellent condition. Later models with meters, e.g. the Super BC of 1967-70 and the autoexposure S Automatic of 1970-72 are much more expensive.
Asahiflex IIB 1954. This handsome waist-level-viewing 35mm SLR was the first to combine an instant return-mirror with conventional through-the-lens viewing and focusing, a feature that helped establish Asahi as a major manufacturer and led to the development of the Asahi Pentax line. (The limited distribution, Hungarian-made Gamma Duflex of 1947 had and instant-return mirror, but focusing and viewing were separate operations.)The instant-return mirror, which provides the psychological advantage of nearly continuous viewing, was eventually adopted by every major SLR maker, and was a factor in the vastly expanded popularity of SLRs in the 60s and 70s Like all Asahiflexes prior to the Asahi Pentax of 1957, the IIB also has a small optical finder for the 50mm lens to the left of the focusing hood, primarily to aid in tracking action, which is difficult with the waist-level finder’s laterally reversed viewing image. In other respects. the Asahiflex IIB is a simple, well executed and straightforward machine featuring a horizontal cloth-focal-plane shutter with speeds of 1/25-1/500 sec plus B set via a top-mounted rotating dial, hinged back, film-wind and rewind knobs, and FP and X flash-sync sockets. The threaded lens mount is 36mm in diameter, and there was later a 36-42mm adapter to let you use Asahiflex lenses on the newer Asahi Pentax cameras. The Asahiflex IIB is a fine, competent user-collectible that’s uncommon in the U.S., but usually moderately priced when found. A clean, functional example with pre-set 50mm f/3.5 or 58mm f/2.4 Takumar lens goes for around $300-$350.
Asahiflex IIB was the first widely successful 35mm SLR with an instant-return mirror. It's shown here with its excellent 58mm f/2.4 Takumar normal lens.
Minranda T 1955: The first Japanese SLR with an eyelevel pentaprism finder, the Miranda T was originally presented by the Orion Camera Co. in 1954 as the Phoenix, but the name had to be changed due to a trademark conflict, and the company officially changed its name to Miranda Camera Co. in 1957. Acclaimed for its ingenious camera adapters, Miranda improved on the fixed pentaprism in its predecessors, the Contax S the Italian Rectaflex, and the Swiss Alpa Prisma Reflex, by making it interchangeable by means of a simple slide-on mechanism. It also incorporates a dual lens mount consisting of a large diameter 44mm screw mount and a sturdy external bayonet for mounting longer lenses more securely. The original standard lens was a 5cm f/1.9 Zunow, but later models were fitted with Miranda-Soligor lenses. The Miranda T was the first Japanese SLR to offer interchangeable prism and waist-level finders, and the mount on the thin-bodied Miranda could accommodate a wider variety of lenses than any other SLR of its era, including Exakta, Pentax, Praktica. It even worked with adapted Nikon, Contax, and Leica rangefinder lenses, albeit without being able to focus to infinity. Another signature feature of the Miranda T and its successors was a front-mounted shutter release, said to minimize camera shake, that worked with external auto-diaphragm Exakta lenses mounted upside-down! Other features: manually zeroed frame counter, dual stacked high and low shutter speed dialsa with timed speeds 1-1/500 sec, hinged back, and a plain non-interchangeable viewing screen. The Miranda T was succeeded by the meter-less Miranda A, B, C, and D, each with slight improvements. A range of over 30 models were made, starting with the first prototypes in 1953 through the last production model in 1978. Many had advanced or sophisticated features for their day, including built-in manual metering and autoexposure. Almost all Miranda SLR's shared the same basic lens mount, but the mount complexity increased over the years to accommodate more aperture and metering controls. Miranda cameras make fine and distinctive user collectibles, and they’re often available at bargain prices in the $40-125 range, with or without lens.
Miranda T of 1955 was first Japanese SLR with a pentaprism finder, and it was removable but screen was not. Lens is rare original 50mm f/1.9 Zunow.
Zeiss Contarex 1958: The original “Bullseye” Contarex was presented at Photokina 1958, but it wasn’t generally available until March 1960. Unhappily for Zeiss, by that time Nikon had released the Nikon F, a simpler, better integrated, more affordable pro-level camera that was destined to capture the lion’s share if the emerging professional 35mm SLR market. The original Contarex was certainly an audacious, beautifully made camera with many advanced features, but it was also, despite Zeiss’s brilliant engineering, “too much camera for too much money” and its sales never met expectations. It was also large, heavy (905 grams or about 3 pounds, body only), overly complex, and a bear to repair. Incorporating at least 1,100 parts including 7 main diecast aluminum body sections, it used roller bearings in the aperture control mechanism (!) but required dismantling no less than 43 parts just to remove the top plate and gain access to the internals!
The mighty Zeiss Contarex of 1958: It was beautifully made, exquisitely finished, and optically great, but also humongous, overly complicated, and hard to fix.
What the Contarex did have was impressive. It was the first camera of any kind to provide both aperture- and shutter-based “center the needle” exposure settings using a complex meter coupling system of cords connecting its selenium meter cell to the shutter, aperture, and film speed settings. An aperture simulator in the cyclops window uses an iris in front if the selenium cell and it can be removed to enable incident readings! Its standard split-image and microprism collar screen can be interchanged via the lens mount (the pentaprism is not removable), and a thumb wheel on the camera controls the aperture setting, which is shown in a window atop the external meter cell housing. The Zeiss lenses for the Contarex, including the magnificent 50mm f/2 Planar standard lens, deliver topnotch image quality, and the superb 3-lobed Contarex bayonet mount was said to be individually machined at the factory. On the minus side, while the lenses automatically stop down to the set aperture when you press the shutter release, they reopen to maximum aperture only when you wind the film to the next exposure. Other features: horizonal cloth focal plane shutter with speeds of 1/1000 sec plus B, detachable back, single short stroke non-ratcheted wind lever, and of course that unsurpassed line of Zeiss lenses from 16-4000mm.
Zeiss soldiered on with the Contarex, unveiling the Contarex Special in 1960 (minus the meter, but with a removable pentaprism that made it easier to interchange focusing screens). They finally got their TTL CdS metering act together in 1967 with the Contarex Super that took direct readings of the light passing through lens using a bottom-mounted CdS cell, a beam splitter, and a semi-silvered spot in the middle if the mirror ( a similar system was used in the Leicaflex SL and SL2). A year prior that they unveiled the Contarex Professional, a meter-less model with a fixed eyelevel prism. The final Contarex SE (super electronic) of 1968 included the incorporated the Super’s CdS metering system plus three major upgrades: an electronically controlled cloth focal plane shutter, a bottom-mounted keyway for a motor drive, and finally, a 5-pin socket to the left of the mirror box to connect a remote shutter control device called a Tele-Sensor, thus providing one of the first aperture-priority AE systems in the world. Alas, it was too little and too late. Over the years Zeiss did manage to upgrade the Contarex’s pesky lift-and- set shutter dial with one that turned freely, but they never overcame the infamous “Contarex brown-out” syndrome, which would have required an instant-return diaphragm. All Contarex cameras are now coveted collectibles that fetch prices in the $500-$1500, depending on model, lens, and condition. If you do take the plunge, make sure your treasure comes with an explicit, no-questions-asked, money back guarantee.
The Nikon F, shown here with plain prism and early 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor-S lens, established the 35mm SLR a mainstay.of professional photographers.
Original Nikon F, shown here with its original non-TTL meter prism with CdS eye and original 58mm f/1.4 Nikon lens. It's a historic user-collectible.
Nikon F 1959. The legendary Nikon F was the first truly professional caliber SLR, and was conceived from its inception as the basis for a high quality professional SLR system. The Nikon F remained in production, with relatively minor changes, for nearly 14 years, and during that time it established Nikon as the leading professional 35mm camera, a position not seriously challenged (by Canon) until the autofocus era. A handsome, rugged, and reliable camera of modular design, its removable pentaprism and external meter-coupling system allowed the Nikon F to be retrofitted with the latest advances in metering technology by exchanging the meter prism, and its F mount has endured, with some operational changes, until the present digital era—a remarkable example of non-obsolescence. While the Nikon F is not really a technological landmark (other than its being the first SLR with an electric more drive accessory, and first to offer a perspective-control lens), it is the camera that really marked the coming of age of the 35mm SLR. Its features include: titanium foil focal-plane shutter (early models had cloth shutters) with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B and T, interchangeable finders and screens, and removable back. An extensive range of lenses and specialized accessories was available. The Nikon F is a fine user-collectible, but models in excellent cosmetic condition that have not endured the rigors of professional use are hard to find. Price of a clean, functional Nikon F with original 58mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens, about $400-600; early model with cloth shutter, unmodified to take later meter prism, $3,000 and up.
Canonflex 1959: The original Canonflex, Canon’s first 35mm SLR was introduced in 1959, at almost the same time as the Nikon F. The original Canonflex was discontinued only 5 months later after about 17,000 were made. The Nikon F remained in production with very slight upgrades until 1974 after a production run of about 862,000! Despite its cruel fate the beautifully made Canonflex was and is a nice camera, but it couldn’t compete with the Nikon F in terms of features, system lenses and accessories, marketing, or sales. One of its idiosyncratic features that hampered sales was itsw bottom mounted, left-handed film advance lever with hinged thumb tab. Another was its signature breech-lock mount which is very secure and automatically adjusts for wear, but changing lenses takes extra time and the extended pins and levers are unprotected without installing a rear cap. The Canonflex and its lens provide fully automatic diaphragm action, but stopping down manually to check the depth of field is complicated.
Canonflex of 1959 is robust, beautifully made, and optically excellent, but its feature set couldn't compete with its formidable arch-rival, the Nikon F
On the plus side, sliding off the removable pentaprism is easy compared to the Nikon F, and its mounting system is more secure. A waistlevel finder and 4x magnifier were available but the focusing screen wasn’t interchangeable. Go figure. However, there was a dual range, accessory selenium meter that gear coupled to the 1-1/1000 sec plus B-T shutter speed dial. The original Canonflex was succeeded by the Canonflex R 2000 of 1960, which was similar but had a top shutter speed of 1/2000 sec, the Canonflex RP of 1960, also like the Canonflex but with a fixed eyelevel pentaprism, and the Canonflex RM of 1962, basically an RP with a built-in selenium meter. Despite its excellent build quality, robust construction, and excellent optics, the Canionflex was held back by its unconventional and ultimately less convenient bottom mounted wind lever, lack of interchangeable screens and a mirror lockup, a limited initial range of auto diaphragm lenses, a more limited initially lens lineup (no wide-angles were initially offered), and at the beginning, lackluster marketing by Bell & Howell. In contrast, its archrival the Nikon F had a pro-grade electric motor (an SLR first), a 250-exposure back, an extensive line of interchangeable focusing screens, a 100% viewfinder, a mirror lockup, was supported by a line of high quality Nikkor lenses ranging from 21-1000mm, and benefitted from an aggressive marketing campaign by Ehrehreich Photo Optcal Industries (EPOI). Today you can snag a clean, functional Canonflex (any model) with 50mm f/1.8 Super-Canonmatic R lens for $100-400, with mint models priced toward the upper end if that range.
From pre-war beginnings to the amazing achievements of the ‘50s
By Jason Schneider
The concept of the single-lens reflex camera is a lot older than you think. To quote the first paragraph from the History of the SLR posted on Wikipedia, “The photographic single-lens reflex camera (SLR) was invented in 1861 by Thomas Sutton, a photography author and camera inventor who ran a photography related company together with Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard on the British isle of Jersey. Only a few of his large format SLRs were made. The first production SLR with a brand name was Calvin Rae Smith's Monocular Duplex (USA, 1884). Other early SLR cameras were made by Louis van Neck (Belgium, 1889), Thomas Rudolphus Dallmeyer (England, 1894), and Max Steckelmann (Germany, 1896). Graflex of the United States and Konishi (later Konica) in Japan produced large format SLR cameras as early as 1898 and 1907 respectively.”
Prior to WWII, several companies made medium format roll film SLRs including Exakta, Korelle, KW, Curt Bentzin, Graflex, etc. However, while the 35mm SLRs first appeared prior to WWII, the species really came of age during the ‘50s, and it has proven to be one of the most influential camera designs of all time. Indeed, today’s digital mirrorless marvels would not have been possible without the pioneering work of countless ingenious designers who developed the 35mm SLR over the course of more than half a century. So, let’s give them their due by beginning at the beginning and seeing what they accomplished in the initial phase.
The Exakta I of 1936, shown here with manual diaphragm 5.4cm f/3.5 Exaktar lens, was the first commercially successful 35mm SLR (see text for details).
Kine Exakta I 1936. Made by Ihagee Kamerawerk, Steenbergen & Co. Dresden, Germany it was the first widely distributed 35mm single-lens reflex camera and its basic configuration profoundly influenced the legions of 35mm SLRs that succeeded it, According to some sources, the Russian-made Sport, which was released in 1935 and first sold in 1936 or 1937 edged out the Kine Exakta for the title of “first 35mm SLR.” However, this fascinating machine had an odd shape and control layout, used special cassettes, and had limited distribution, mostly in Russia. The Sport thus had little influence on subsequent SLR design.
Exakta I of 1937 has a larger rectangular magnifier window, bet it doesn't help much because you still have to swing it down over the focusing screen to focus. The problem was finally solved in the postwar Exakta II, which places the hinged magnifier at the top of the viewing hood where it belongs!
The Kine Exakta was called Kine because, unlike previous roll film Exaktas, it used 35mm cine film. It’s also a very distinctive design, with its trapezoidal-shaped body, left-handed single-long-stroke film-advance lever, left-handed shutter release and flip-up waist-level viewfinder, but it still has the unmistakable look and features of a modern 35mm SLR. Its horizontal-travel, cloth, focal-plane shutter has speeds from 12-1/1000 sec, plus B and T, with fast speeds (1/25-1/1000 sec) set via a dial next to the wind lever, and slow speeds (12 to 1/10 sec) set on a second “wind-the-spring” dial atop the camera’s right end. The non-removable waist-level finder has a convex ground-glass screen with round flip-down, critical-focusing magnifier (the second version of c1937 had a rectangular magnifier). Other features: Removable back, self-timer, built-in flash sync with two front -mounted terminals, built-in film-cutting knife (!), shutter-locking safety device on folding finder, and removable take-up spool. The Exakta did not have an automatic diaphragm stop-down mechanism built into the body---early lenses had manual or pre-set diaphragms. Later models added interchangeable waist-level and prism finders (the Exakta Vares of 1950), external auto- and semi-auto diaphragm lenses, and uncoupled meter prisms. The Exakta did not acquire an instant-return mirror until the Exakta VX 1000 of 1967. Widely used by scientists who mounted it on microscopes, telescopes, etc., and supported by an incredible array of lenses by major makers, the Exakta was the first 35mm SLR system and it set the stage for later makers such as Nikon and Canon.
Contax S 1949. The first widely distributed 35mm SLR with an eye-level pentaprism providing laterally correct, right-side-up viewing and focusing, the Contax S, a product of VEB Zeiss-Ikon (generally known as East German Zeiss), was also the first to embody the classic modern SLR shape adopted by virtually all other manufacturers. The Italian Rectaflex and Swiss Alpa Prisma Reflex III, both pentaprism 35mm SLRs introduced in the same year, were of very distinctive design and produced in limited quantities. The pentaprism used in the Contax was most probably developed by Zeiss in the late ‘30s, and its 42mm threaded lens mount appeared simultaneously on Praktica SLRs. The Contax name was changed to Pentacon (a combination of pentaprism and Contax) in 1957, and many versions of the camera, often not as well made or finished, appeared under a variety of names including Hexacon, Consul, and Corbina. The general configuration of the Contax S, and its M-42 screw mount, had a profound influence on SLR design for well over 20 years. Examples include various Rolleis, Voigtlanders, Edixas, and Zeiss-Ikon Icarexes from Germany, and Japanese SLRs of the 60s and 70s, including Pentax, Fuji, Yashica, Ricoh, Chinon, and Cosina, and the short-lived Olympus FTL
Zeiss Contax S of 1949, shown with preset 58mm f/2 Zeiss Biotar lens, was the first widely sold pentaprism SLR and it established the breed's form factor.
,
A straightforward, elegant machine, the Contax S features a cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1 to-1/1000 sec plus B set via a single, rotating, top-mounted dial with speed readouts under a small glass window, knob wind and rewind, a 45-degree angled shutter release, flash sync connection in tripod socket, hinged back and self-timer. It lacks an instant-return mirror and automatic lens diaphragm actuation—later models feature semi-automatic diaphragm operation via an internal stop-down plate in the body, and the Contax E of 1953 was the first SLR with a built-in (selenium) meter. The Contax S is a fine collector’s piece, and a competent picture taker if you can put up with its dim (by modern standards) finder and noisy shutter. Models labeled Contax and bearing the Zeiss-Ikon logo are less common and pretty pricey--$400-500 with pre-set 58mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar lens, a bit less with 50mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar. Later models labeled Pentacon or Hexacon with C.Z. or other lens designations are not as well made, less desirable and sell in the $150-$250 range.
Praktina 1952. Launched by KW (Kamera-Werkstatten, part of the VEB Pentacon consortium), of Dresden, East Germany in 1952, the Praktina was conceived as a 35mm SLR system aimed at professionals, a counterpart to the broad-spectrum M-42 screw mount Praktflex the company had introduced in 1939. It was an audacious undertaking, featuring a unique breech-lock lens mount, an interchangeable pentaprism with interchangeable viewing screens, and a removable back that allowed a 400-exposure bulk film magazine to be fitted. It also provided couplings for an ingenious 20-frame-per-wind spring motor drive, and (later) an electric motor drive with remote control, the first on any production 35mm SLR. It was compatible with a host of lenses by Zeiss, Meyer, Schacht, Steinheil et al, and supported by scads of system accessories. Within a year the original Praktina was replaced with the improved Praktina FX that stopped the lens down to the pre-selected aperture when the shutter fires and has standard PC flash sockets. The last Praktina, The IIa if 1958-1960, offered full auto diaphragm operation with appropriate lenses, but it failed to boost the camera’s lackluster sales. All models feature a built in Newtonian optical finder for 50mm lenses, allegedly to facilitate “fast action and available light photography.”
Praktina FX of 1953 with 59mm f/2 Zeiss Biotar: Successor to the original Praktina, it added auto aperture stop-down. Note signature 50mm optical finder.
While technically very advanced, physically attractive, reasonably well made, and decently finished, Praktinas are hardly paragons of reliability, and few repair people will work on them. That and its well dfesigned but non-standard lens mount, limited its sales potential and the Praktina never became the professionals’ mainstay as its designers had hoped. However, it was a highly influential and you may assured the designers of the Nikon F, Canonflex and other pro-aimed 35mm SLR were inspired by the Praktina’s brilliant feature set. Today Praktina SLRs are coveted collector’s items that fetch prices in the $150-$350 range depending on lens and condition. Fair Warning: If you’re tempted to take the plunge make sure the seller provides full “no questions asked” return privileges.
Zeiss Contaflex I of 1953 is a competent, compact leaf shutter SLR with a fixed 45mm f/2.8 Tessar lens, Later models added interchangeable lens components, built-in meters and even (gasp!) autoexposure.
Zeiss Contaflex I 1953. The first successful 35mm SLR based on the Compur inter-lens leaf shutter, the Contaflex influenced the design of all subsequent leaf-shutter 35mm SLRs, including models the Kodak Retina Reflexes, Kowa, and Mamiya, SLRs, as well as leaf shutter medium-format SLRs, notably the Hasselblad 500 series, Bronica ETR series and Kowaflexes. The Contaflex I features a fixed eye-level pentaprism, auto diaphragm, film-wind knob with inset shutter release, Synchro-Compur 1-1/500 sec plus B shutter, and non-interchangeable 45mm f/2.8 Zeiss Tessar lens. The system evolved to include models with front-component-interchangeable lenses, rapid-wind levers, built-in selenium or CdS meters and autoexposure. All Contaflex 35mm SLRs are very well made and beautifully finished, but hard to repair. The Contaflex I is a good user-collectible valued at about $150-200 in excellent condition. Later models with meters, e.g. the Super BC of 1967-70 and the autoexposure S Automatic of 1970-72 are much more expensive.
Asahiflex IIB 1954. This handsome waist-level-viewing 35mm SLR was the first to combine an instant return-mirror with conventional through-the-lens viewing and focusing, a feature that helped establish Asahi as a major manufacturer and led to the development of the Asahi Pentax line. (The limited distribution, Hungarian-made Gamma Duflex of 1947 had and instant-return mirror, but focusing and viewing were separate operations.)The instant-return mirror, which provides the psychological advantage of nearly continuous viewing, was eventually adopted by every major SLR maker, and was a factor in the vastly expanded popularity of SLRs in the 60s and 70s Like all Asahiflexes prior to the Asahi Pentax of 1957, the IIB also has a small optical finder for the 50mm lens to the left of the focusing hood, primarily to aid in tracking action, which is difficult with the waist-level finder’s laterally reversed viewing image. In other respects. the Asahiflex IIB is a simple, well executed and straightforward machine featuring a horizontal cloth-focal-plane shutter with speeds of 1/25-1/500 sec plus B set via a top-mounted rotating dial, hinged back, film-wind and rewind knobs, and FP and X flash-sync sockets. The threaded lens mount is 36mm in diameter, and there was later a 36-42mm adapter to let you use Asahiflex lenses on the newer Asahi Pentax cameras. The Asahiflex IIB is a fine, competent user-collectible that’s uncommon in the U.S., but usually moderately priced when found. A clean, functional example with pre-set 50mm f/3.5 or 58mm f/2.4 Takumar lens goes for around $300-$350.
Asahiflex IIB was the first widely successful 35mm SLR with an instant-return mirror. It's shown here with its excellent 58mm f/2.4 Takumar normal lens.
Minranda T 1955: The first Japanese SLR with an eyelevel pentaprism finder, the Miranda T was originally presented by the Orion Camera Co. in 1954 as the Phoenix, but the name had to be changed due to a trademark conflict, and the company officially changed its name to Miranda Camera Co. in 1957. Acclaimed for its ingenious camera adapters, Miranda improved on the fixed pentaprism in its predecessors, the Contax S the Italian Rectaflex, and the Swiss Alpa Prisma Reflex, by making it interchangeable by means of a simple slide-on mechanism. It also incorporates a dual lens mount consisting of a large diameter 44mm screw mount and a sturdy external bayonet for mounting longer lenses more securely. The original standard lens was a 5cm f/1.9 Zunow, but later models were fitted with Miranda-Soligor lenses. The Miranda T was the first Japanese SLR to offer interchangeable prism and waist-level finders, and the mount on the thin-bodied Miranda could accommodate a wider variety of lenses than any other SLR of its era, including Exakta, Pentax, Praktica. It even worked with adapted Nikon, Contax, and Leica rangefinder lenses, albeit without being able to focus to infinity. Another signature feature of the Miranda T and its successors was a front-mounted shutter release, said to minimize camera shake, that worked with external auto-diaphragm Exakta lenses mounted upside-down! Other features: manually zeroed frame counter, dual stacked high and low shutter speed dialsa with timed speeds 1-1/500 sec, hinged back, and a plain non-interchangeable viewing screen. The Miranda T was succeeded by the meter-less Miranda A, B, C, and D, each with slight improvements. A range of over 30 models were made, starting with the first prototypes in 1953 through the last production model in 1978. Many had advanced or sophisticated features for their day, including built-in manual metering and autoexposure. Almost all Miranda SLR's shared the same basic lens mount, but the mount complexity increased over the years to accommodate more aperture and metering controls. Miranda cameras make fine and distinctive user collectibles, and they’re often available at bargain prices in the $40-125 range, with or without lens.
Miranda T of 1955 was first Japanese SLR with a pentaprism finder, and it was removable but screen was not. Lens is rare original 50mm f/1.9 Zunow.
Zeiss Contarex 1958: The original “Bullseye” Contarex was presented at Photokina 1958, but it wasn’t generally available until March 1960. Unhappily for Zeiss, by that time Nikon had released the Nikon F, a simpler, better integrated, more affordable pro-level camera that was destined to capture the lion’s share if the emerging professional 35mm SLR market. The original Contarex was certainly an audacious, beautifully made camera with many advanced features, but it was also, despite Zeiss’s brilliant engineering, “too much camera for too much money” and its sales never met expectations. It was also large, heavy (905 grams or about 3 pounds, body only), overly complex, and a bear to repair. Incorporating at least 1,100 parts including 7 main diecast aluminum body sections, it used roller bearings in the aperture control mechanism (!) but required dismantling no less than 43 parts just to remove the top plate and gain access to the internals!
The mighty Zeiss Contarex of 1958: It was beautifully made, exquisitely finished, and optically great, but also humongous, overly complicated, and hard to fix.
What the Contarex did have was impressive. It was the first camera of any kind to provide both aperture- and shutter-based “center the needle” exposure settings using a complex meter coupling system of cords connecting its selenium meter cell to the shutter, aperture, and film speed settings. An aperture simulator in the cyclops window uses an iris in front if the selenium cell and it can be removed to enable incident readings! Its standard split-image and microprism collar screen can be interchanged via the lens mount (the pentaprism is not removable), and a thumb wheel on the camera controls the aperture setting, which is shown in a window atop the external meter cell housing. The Zeiss lenses for the Contarex, including the magnificent 50mm f/2 Planar standard lens, deliver topnotch image quality, and the superb 3-lobed Contarex bayonet mount was said to be individually machined at the factory. On the minus side, while the lenses automatically stop down to the set aperture when you press the shutter release, they reopen to maximum aperture only when you wind the film to the next exposure. Other features: horizonal cloth focal plane shutter with speeds of 1/1000 sec plus B, detachable back, single short stroke non-ratcheted wind lever, and of course that unsurpassed line of Zeiss lenses from 16-4000mm.
Zeiss soldiered on with the Contarex, unveiling the Contarex Special in 1960 (minus the meter, but with a removable pentaprism that made it easier to interchange focusing screens). They finally got their TTL CdS metering act together in 1967 with the Contarex Super that took direct readings of the light passing through lens using a bottom-mounted CdS cell, a beam splitter, and a semi-silvered spot in the middle if the mirror ( a similar system was used in the Leicaflex SL and SL2). A year prior that they unveiled the Contarex Professional, a meter-less model with a fixed eyelevel prism. The final Contarex SE (super electronic) of 1968 included the incorporated the Super’s CdS metering system plus three major upgrades: an electronically controlled cloth focal plane shutter, a bottom-mounted keyway for a motor drive, and finally, a 5-pin socket to the left of the mirror box to connect a remote shutter control device called a Tele-Sensor, thus providing one of the first aperture-priority AE systems in the world. Alas, it was too little and too late. Over the years Zeiss did manage to upgrade the Contarex’s pesky lift-and- set shutter dial with one that turned freely, but they never overcame the infamous “Contarex brown-out” syndrome, which would have required an instant-return diaphragm. All Contarex cameras are now coveted collectibles that fetch prices in the $500-$1500, depending on model, lens, and condition. If you do take the plunge, make sure your treasure comes with an explicit, no-questions-asked, money back guarantee.
The Nikon F, shown here with plain prism and early 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor-S lens, established the 35mm SLR a mainstay.of professional photographers.
Original Nikon F, shown here with its original non-TTL meter prism with CdS eye and original 58mm f/1.4 Nikon lens. It's a historic user-collectible.
Nikon F 1959. The legendary Nikon F was the first truly professional caliber SLR, and was conceived from its inception as the basis for a high quality professional SLR system. The Nikon F remained in production, with relatively minor changes, for nearly 14 years, and during that time it established Nikon as the leading professional 35mm camera, a position not seriously challenged (by Canon) until the autofocus era. A handsome, rugged, and reliable camera of modular design, its removable pentaprism and external meter-coupling system allowed the Nikon F to be retrofitted with the latest advances in metering technology by exchanging the meter prism, and its F mount has endured, with some operational changes, until the present digital era—a remarkable example of non-obsolescence. While the Nikon F is not really a technological landmark (other than its being the first SLR with an electric more drive accessory, and first to offer a perspective-control lens), it is the camera that really marked the coming of age of the 35mm SLR. Its features include: titanium foil focal-plane shutter (early models had cloth shutters) with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B and T, interchangeable finders and screens, and removable back. An extensive range of lenses and specialized accessories was available. The Nikon F is a fine user-collectible, but models in excellent cosmetic condition that have not endured the rigors of professional use are hard to find. Price of a clean, functional Nikon F with original 58mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens, about $400-600; early model with cloth shutter, unmodified to take later meter prism, $3,000 and up.
Canonflex 1959: The original Canonflex, Canon’s first 35mm SLR was introduced in 1959, at almost the same time as the Nikon F. The original Canonflex was discontinued only 5 months later after about 17,000 were made. The Nikon F remained in production with very slight upgrades until 1974 after a production run of about 862,000! Despite its cruel fate the beautifully made Canonflex was and is a nice camera, but it couldn’t compete with the Nikon F in terms of features, system lenses and accessories, marketing, or sales. One of its idiosyncratic features that hampered sales was itsw bottom mounted, left-handed film advance lever with hinged thumb tab. Another was its signature breech-lock mount which is very secure and automatically adjusts for wear, but changing lenses takes extra time and the extended pins and levers are unprotected without installing a rear cap. The Canonflex and its lens provide fully automatic diaphragm action, but stopping down manually to check the depth of field is complicated.
Canonflex of 1959 is robust, beautifully made, and optically excellent, but its feature set couldn't compete with its formidable arch-rival, the Nikon F
On the plus side, sliding off the removable pentaprism is easy compared to the Nikon F, and its mounting system is more secure. A waistlevel finder and 4x magnifier were available but the focusing screen wasn’t interchangeable. Go figure. However, there was a dual range, accessory selenium meter that gear coupled to the 1-1/1000 sec plus B-T shutter speed dial. The original Canonflex was succeeded by the Canonflex R 2000 of 1960, which was similar but had a top shutter speed of 1/2000 sec, the Canonflex RP of 1960, also like the Canonflex but with a fixed eyelevel pentaprism, and the Canonflex RM of 1962, basically an RP with a built-in selenium meter. Despite its excellent build quality, robust construction, and excellent optics, the Canionflex was held back by its unconventional and ultimately less convenient bottom mounted wind lever, lack of interchangeable screens and a mirror lockup, a limited initial range of auto diaphragm lenses, a more limited initially lens lineup (no wide-angles were initially offered), and at the beginning, lackluster marketing by Bell & Howell. In contrast, its archrival the Nikon F had a pro-grade electric motor (an SLR first), a 250-exposure back, an extensive line of interchangeable focusing screens, a 100% viewfinder, a mirror lockup, was supported by a line of high quality Nikkor lenses ranging from 21-1000mm, and benefitted from an aggressive marketing campaign by Ehrehreich Photo Optcal Industries (EPOI). Today you can snag a clean, functional Canonflex (any model) with 50mm f/1.8 Super-Canonmatic R lens for $100-400, with mint models priced toward the upper end if that range.
