Photographica Pages

An online guide to collectable cameras and related stuff

35/4 Zeiss Stereotar C for Contax

1940 was an odd time for Zeiss to introduce an expensive luxury item to the public, but they did. The 35/4 Stereotar C was designed to take two stereo pictures on a full frame 35mm slide, with a stereo separation of 18mm. It is very similar to the 35/3.5 Stereotar C except that the lens does not have an arm that contains part of the rangefinder. I believe it can be used on any Contax camera. It was supplied with a prism to increase the stereo separation at distances over 2.4 meters, and a separate viewfinder.

I can't think of anyone who had a similar lens on the market at that time. Leitz had designed a Stereo Elmar in 1940, but it never went into production. The Leitz Stemar and the Nikon sterreo lens were both postwar designs.

Known examples fall within a block of 500 numbers, (W26001 to W26500) and this is a very rare lens.