Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa
[1950-1961]

When the Contax Rangefinder was first introduced in 1932, it was one of the most advanced miniature cameras of its time. The Contax II (no meter) and III (with meter) were probably the first cameras to incorporate self timers and had the fastest shutter speed of the day, at 1/1250 of a second. The III was considered a professional 35mm camera, and the first to incorporate a built in exposure meter. The postwar IIa and IIIa (introduced in 1950) are improved versions. Zeiss Ikons invention of coated optics during WWII represented a major advance in optical technology and the Zeiss lenses on the Contax were the first to benefit from the advancement.

At the end of WWII, Zeiss was split; the engineers were moved to Stuttgart by the allied forces, the tooling and machines were taken by the Russians.

Kiev 4 Type I
[Circa 1968]

TThe Kiev Rangefinder is virtually an exact copy of the Contax Rangefinders. They were made during a period of nearly 40 years between 1947 and 1987. Kiev cameras were manufactured and assembled in the Ukraine from tooling taken from the Zeiss Ikon facility in Dresden after WWII. The overall quality of the cameras was much lower than that of the Contax. The Kiev 4 was probably the most mass produced rangefinder ever. Over 1 million were made during a twenty year period. Other models included the Kiev included the 2, and 3 with the 4 with the 4M being the last. In 1963, a consignment of Kiev 4A’s without branding was sent to the US and were sold as Contax camera’s and are known as the "Kiev No Name" and are sought after by collectors.