This lens was designed for the Contarex system, but the decision to abandon camera manufacture came before the lens went into serial production. Later, when Zeiss was looking for a company to jointly design a camera system with, Zeiss allowed Asahi Pentax to produce the lens for the Pentax K mount system. When negotiations failed, Asahi had to discontinue production. Eventually the project resulted in a joint project with Kyocera that resulted in the Contax SLR system, and this lens was produced for that system as well.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1972 | 2 (Prototypes) | Black | 110 degrees | 13/13 | Internal |
This is a full frame fisheye lens. Like most fisheye lenses, it does not have a provision for front mounted filters, but has a built-in filter wheel with OR57 orange, Y50 yellow, B11 blue and UV filters. The built in shade is barely taller that the apex of the front element, leaving it largely unprotected. The late introduction date, combined with the limited applications for a fisheye lens make it very difficult to find today.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1973 | 150 | Black | 180 degrees | 8/7 | Internal |
The 18/4 Distagon, shown with (left) and without (right) filter adapter and B96 UV filter.
The 18mm Distagon is the widest rectilinear lens to reach serial production for the Contarex system. Because of it's extremely wide angle of view and it's barrel construction, regular thread in filters could vignette, so it requires an adapter to use B96 bayonet mount filters. Although it was available for five years, it is relatively uncommon due to it's high price.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1967-1972 | 1683 | Black | 100 degrees | 10/9 | B96 |
One of the original lenses for the Contarex system, it is designed for use
with the Bullseye and Special only. It is a non-retro focus design requires mirror
lockup, basically the same design produced for the Contax system. Like the
Contax version, it is provided with an auxiliary shoe mounted viewfinder.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1958-62 | 4000 | Chrome | 90 degrees | 8/5 | B56 |
Oddly enough Zeiss did not produce a 28mm lens like virtually every camera manufacturer that they were competing with, and the 25mm Distagon was the only lens available between the 18mm Distagon (or the 21mm Biogon prior to 1967), and the 35mm Distagon.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1963-1973 | 6633 | Black or chrome | 82 degrees | 8/7 | B56 and S49 |
A worn example of the 35/2 Distagon on a worn black Contarex Super, possibly a former photojournalist outfit
The 35/2 Distagon was offered to appeal to many photographers who used the 35mm focal length as their standard lens, and needed the extra speed. It was larger, heavier and more expensive than the 35/4, and as a result, was produced in smaller quantities.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1965-1973 | 3150 | Black | 63 degrees | 10/9 | B56 and S49 |
35/4 Distagon in chrome
The 35/4 Distagon was one of the lenses introduced with the Contarex system. It was considerably slower than the offerings of most of the competitors systems at the time. Although a 35/2 Distagon was offered in 1965, they never filled the gap with a 35/2.8 like the competition.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1958-1973 | 6633 | Black or chrome | 63 degrees | 8/7 | B56 and S49 |
The 35/4 PA-Curtagon with it's box, bubble and cap.
The lens mounted on a black Super
The lens shifted to it's extreme. It rotates to move the shift to any position.
Zeiss offered the Schneider designed and built perspective control lens, manufactured in Contarex mount. The lens was shipped in a Zeiss bubble inside a Schneider blue box. The lens was available in other mounts, most notably Leicaflex. The lens had a provision to shift the optics off center to allow objects outside of the normal field of view to be included without tilting the camera. This is primarily useful in architectural photography to include an entire building in the photo without having parallel lines converge due to tilting the camera. The lens rotates in the mount to allow the shift to run any direction. Because of this feature the diaphragm cannot be linked to the camera, so the lens has a manual diaphragm and cannot couple to the meter.
Years produced | Quantity produced | Black or chrome | Angle of view | Elements/groups | Filter size |
1967-on | Unknown | Black | 63 degrees | Unknown | B56 |