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*Zeiss-Ikon |
Contessa 35 533/24 (1950
- 1955)
RF It is not without good reason, that the Contessa 35 are regarded as one of the finest 35mm cameras ever made by Zeiss Ikon. Several pages on the internet praises this juwel, but it was not until I required my own beautiful Contessa from Mr. Eigil Sigbrandt that I really realized how magnificent this 35mm folder are. Yes you're right; it is of course another remarkable design by Hubert Nerwin, one of his last achievement before he moved to the U.S. The fact is, that his design for both the Contessa 35 and the equally beautiful, but simpler, Ikonta 35/Contina 35 helped Zeiss Ikon Stuttgart in their struggle to be succesful in the difficult post-war years. The Contessa 35, the Ikonta 35, and also the "Contina II "mess-Cotnina" share many small design details, but the Contessa are so superbly finished and exquisit in every detail, that it just might be the finest of all Zeiss Ikon cameras when it comes to finish and build-quality. Some have even called it "over engineered". I call it "sophisticated" !. Just look at those small details such as the sliding and retractable support tab built in the back cover, the beautiful Zeiss Ikon plaque, fixed with tiny screws onto the frontcover, and the leatherette on the inside of the frontcover !. The viewfinder are big and bright, and focusing fast and easy. The un-coupled selenium lightmeter are easy to use, and it reads out in shutter settings and aperture settings, and luckily my example are still very much alive and accurate too. The Contessa came in 2 versions; the early version from 1950 to 1953 fitted with a Compur Rapid shutter, and the second version from 1953 to 1955 fitted with the Synchro Compur shutter. I'm sorry but it's very hard to find anything bad to say about the Contessa 35. It's simply one of the best 35mm folders ever build, and I can only recommend this camera with all of my heart. Of course You have to be prepared to pay the price for one of these sophisticated ladies, but on the other hand this is one of the cameras that are worth spending money on, even if You'll have to live on bread and water for a month. Hubert Nerwins ideas and design, and the immaculate high level of craftmanship of Zeiss Ikon workers came perfectly together in the Contessa 35. A truly rare symbiosis. Hubert Nerwin, after his relocation to the U.S., didn't design any cameras that comes even close to his "german juwels. I've read that the american industry weren't even capable of manufacturing 35mm cameras that were up to german standards and specifications at that time. Well, that doesn't really matter because I think that Hubert Nerwin achieved so much more during his years in Germany than many other designers and engineers can even dream to achieve in a whole lifetime.
Please click on the
thumbnails below and enjoy the beauty of the Contessa 35
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