Contax I

The Contax I was a 35mm rangefinder camera manufactured by Zeiss Ikon from 1932 to 1936. It was a highly advanced camera for its time, designed to compete directly with the Leica rangefinder system. Its innovative features included a vertically traveling metal focal-plane shutter, a bayonet lens mount, and a coupled rangefinder. The vertically traveling shutter allowed for faster shutter speeds than the horizontally traveling cloth shutters commonly used in competing cameras of the era. The bayonet lens mount provided a more secure and precise connection compared to screw mounts. The Contax I was available with a range of Carl Zeiss lenses, making it a versatile tool for professional photographers. Despite its innovative design, the Contax I suffered from reliability issues, particularly with its complex shutter mechanism. These problems, combined with its relatively high price, contributed to its shorter production run compared to its main competitor, the Leica. The design was the result of a substantial engineering effort by Zeiss Ikon to challenge the established Leica.