Contax

Contax
Contax II, 1936
Product typeFilm cameras
OwnerCarl Zeiss AG
Produced byCarl Zeiss AG, Yashica
CountryGermany
Introduced1932
Discontinued2005
Related brandsZeiss Ikon, Yashica, Kyocera
MarketsWorldwide

Contax (stylised as CONTAX in the Yashica/Kyocera era) began as a German camera model in the Zeiss Ikon line in 1932, and later became a brand name. The early cameras were among the finest in the world, typically featuring high quality Zeiss interchangeable lenses. The final products under the Contax name were a line of 35 mm, medium format, and digital cameras engineered and manufactured by Japanese multinational Kyocera, and featuring modern Zeiss optics. In 2005, Kyocera announced that it would no longer produce Contax cameras. The rights to the brand are currently part of Carl Zeiss AG, but no Contax cameras are currently in production, and the brand is considered dormant.