Zeiss Jena universal finder question

kttomi

kttomi

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I bought a CZJ universal finder with 25-35-50-85-135 frames. I can't find any information about it on the web. Any idea?

Thanks!

29643351.jpg
 
What exactly do you need to know? As you probably know, these were made for the Zeiss Ikon Contax RFs. If it really has a frame for a 25mm lens, then it is unusual & probably is from the 1950s, as Carl Zeiss Jena made a 25mm lens after WWII, the Topogon 25/4 if I recall correctly (the lens itself is very rare & was pretty much supplanted by the W. German 21/4.5 Biogon).

kttomi said:
I bought a CZJ universal finder with 25-35-50-85-135 frames. I can't find any information about it on the web. Any idea?

Thanks!

29643351.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Interesting -- the postwar turret finders from the West were clearly marked "Stuttgart" below the ZI logo. But it looks like you have one made by the Jena Zeiss folks. Never seen one like yours before. Does it have parallax adjustment and diopter adjustment?
 
KoNickon said:
Interesting -- the postwar turret finders from the West were clearly marked "Stuttgart" below the ZI logo. But it looks like you have one made by the Jena Zeiss folks. Never seen one like yours before. Does it have parallax adjustment and diopter adjustment?
Click to expand...

At first:
Sorry for my english.It is not so good but I try to describe the finder...:)

There is a"feet" inscription on the bottom of the finder's foot and "II" on the back.
The number on the top of the finder is "26693".
Yes, it has parallax adjustment. You can see the distance scales (in "feet") in the finder. It works the same way as the russian finders.The scale is on the left side and the focal lenght is on the right in the frame. There is a small circle in the center of the frame.

The large knob on the back of the finder is the diopter adjustment knob.
 
furcafe said:
What exactly do you need to know? As you probably know, these were made for the Zeiss Ikon Contax RFs. If it really has a frame for a 25mm lens, then it is unusual & probably is from the 1950s, as Carl Zeiss Jena made a 25mm lens after WWII, the Topogon 25/4 if I recall correctly (the lens itself is very rare & was pretty much supplanted by the W. German 21/4.5 Biogon).
Click to expand...


Thank you!

Yes, it has the 25mm frame so I think it's for the Topogon. You can see the focal lenght - 25mm - in the frame.
 
So it is 25mm & not 28mm @ the widest? Then it is unusual. Based on the picture & your description, the design is very similar to the W. German 440 finder; the pre-WWII turret finders & the post-WWII E. German turret finders had a different parallax-adjustment mechanism (the Soviet ones for the Kievs are like those). I know that some of the single-focal length post-WWII W. & E. German finders were very similar. For example, I have an E. German (marked "Jena") "torpedo" finder for the 85mm Sonnar & Triotar that is almost identical to the W. German (marked "Stuttgart" or "Germany") finder, but it is clearly marked "IIa" which indicates that was intended to be sold on both sides of the Iron Curtain. I have never seen an E. German multi-finder that operated like the W. German models or was marked "II." I think your finder must have been made right around 1950, when the Topogon was introduced, but before the Contax IIa or IIIa were produced.

If I remember correctly, the Zeiss Ikon part # would be on the bottom of the finder's foot (something like "436/4").

kttomi said:
At first:
Sorry for my english.It is not so good but I try to describe the finder...:)

There is a"feet" inscription on the bottom of the finder's foot and "II" on the back.
The number on the top of the finder is "26693".
Yes, it has parallax adjustment. You can see the distance scales (in "feet") in the finder. It works the same way as the russian finders.The scale is on the left side and the focal lenght is on the right in the frame. There is a small circle in the center of the frame.

The large knob on the back of the finder is the diopter adjustment knob.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
furcafe said:
So it is 25mm & not 28mm @ the widest? Then it is unusual. Based on the picture & your description, the design is very similar to the W. German 440 finder; the pre-WWII turret finders & the post-WWII E. German turret finders had a different parallax-adjustment mechanism (the Soviet ones for the Kievs are like those). I know that some of the single-focal length post-WWII W. & E. German finders were very similar. For example, I have an E. German (marked "Jena") "torpedo" finder for the 85mm Sonnar & Triotar that is almost identical to the W. German (marked "Stuttgart" or "Germany") finder, but it is clearly marked "IIa" which indicates that was intended to be sold on both sides of the Iron Curtain. I have never seen an E. German multi-finder that operated like the W. German models or was marked "II." I think your finder must have been made right around 1950, when the Topogon was introduced, but before the Contax IIa or IIIa were produced.

If I remember correctly, the Zeiss Ikon part # would be on the bottom of the finder's foot (something like "436/4").
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information!

Yes, I guess there should be a ZI part number on the finder but you can find only the production number on the top.
I try to find something in connection with this finder on the web but ...
 
furcafe said:
So it is 25mm & not 28mm @ the widest? Then it is unusual. Based on the picture & your description, the design is very similar to the W. German 440 finder; the pre-WWII turret finders & the post-WWII E. German turret finders had a different parallax-adjustment mechanism (the Soviet ones for the Kievs are like those). I know that some of the single-focal length post-WWII W. & E. German finders were very similar. For example, I have an E. German (marked "Jena") "torpedo" finder for the 85mm Sonnar & Triotar that is almost identical to the W. German (marked "Stuttgart" or "Germany") finder, but it is clearly marked "IIa" which indicates that was intended to be sold on both sides of the Iron Curtain. I have never seen an E. German multi-finder that operated like the W. German models or was marked "II." I think your finder must have been made right around 1950, when the Topogon was introduced, but before the Contax IIa or IIIa were produced.

If I remember correctly, the Zeiss Ikon part # would be on the bottom of the finder's foot (something like "436/4").
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information!

Yes, there is "25mm" in the frame, not "28mm".

Yes, I guess there should be a ZI part number on the finder but you can find only the production number on the top.
I try to find something in connection with this finder on the web but ...
 
Hi there,

it is the East German version, correpsonding to the Stuttgart 440 viewer (which also was offered as a 21 and 25 mm version). Made in the early 50ties when the 25mm Topogon appeared. The viewer is not often seen. The number on the top is the production number.
 
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