Photographica Pages

An online guide to collectable cameras and related stuff


Zeiss Ikon Contaflex TLR Accessories

The Contaflex was designed as a system camera, although most of the applications they designed accessories for were really not all that practical. For instance, they offered a microscope adapter. The camera has no real advantage over the less expensive Contax on a microscope, an it is bigger, heavier and more awkward. Ditto for the copy stand arm. I suppose Zeiss felt compelled to make them, probably even knbowing they wouldn't sell many, just to flesh out the system of their flagship camera. And I think most of the accessories are really the same as Contax accessries, just a different fit to accomodate the Contaflex. But I could be wrong as there are some I've never even seen, or even seen photos short of a Zeiss catalog.


The most common accessory for the Contaflex TLR would have to be the leather case.


The second most common would probably be the lens cap, which was heavy chrome. This cap is on a camera in a presentation box.


I don't know if all Contaflex TLR cameras were delivered in this leather covered wooden box. I have seen a couple, and would have thought more would have been preserved if they had a sit is really pretty nice.


The single exposure back uses the same film holders as the more common Contax version (and also the Super Nettel/Nettax version) .


Covered on the lenses page, the shade for the Contaflex 50m lenses, which attaches to lugs on the body.


Also covered on the lenses page, the finder for the 35mm lens, which is extremely rare. It mounted on the lugs surrounding the lens mount also used by the lens shade.