Carl Zeiss Contarex Super 35mm slr camera body. Serial #P 53666. Made in Germany. Circa 1968. BLACK finish. Classic heavy duty Zeiss Contarex full system professional 35mm slr camera body. Uses Zeiss Contarex interchangeable lenses. Shutter speeds range is 1/1000 to 1 sec., plus B. Good working shutter. Smooth film advance. Working CDS light meter, but perfect accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The light meter in this camera is always on. Keep a lens cap on the lens when not in use to extend the life of the battery. This fairly decent Contarex Super is in Ex/Ex- or 7.5/8 of 10 cosmetic condition. Nice good black finish with some small marks and brassing around. No dings or dents. This camera was recently CLA'D best as possible for a vintage camera in March 2025.
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Design
of the successor to the Zeiss Bullseye (and the Special) must have begun around 1964.
The Bullseye and Special designs were becoming dated. The target for
introduction of the replacements, the Super for the Bullseye, and the
Professional for the Special, became Photokina 1966. But late into the design a
new type of meter became available, the CdS. It's small cell size and high
sensitivity allowed it to be used metering through the lens. Because of the
desire to incorporate the new meter required a major revision to the camera,
including a battery compartment and a metering circuit that measured resistance
rather than voltage, the Professional was introduced, while the Super was
represented by prototypes. The camera
was well worth the wait. Although it broke no real new ground, other than
bringing the improved TTL CdS metering to the Contarex line, it was a logical
improvement in styling and handling over the Bullseye. Shutter speeds and
aperture settings were visible in the viewfinder, and the meter was of the
match needle type. A running
improvement was made during the life of the design. The switch to activate the
light meter started off on the front of the camera on the rewind side, where
the aperture wheel is on the wind side. These early style cameras are known as
"Front Switch" Supers. The newer design had the meter switch under
the advance lever, activated by pulling the advance lever out a bit. These
later cameras are known as "Top Switch" Supers. The Super was available in black finish,
although most were finished in chrome. Production was 9600 units and the order
code was 10.2600. The camera was first available in 1967, and was in production
until Zeiss ceased camera manufacture. The
first batch of cameras was manufactured from April 1967 through January 1968
with serial numbers G33501 through G36000. On these camera the shutter speed
dial had to be lifted to change the speeds. The second batch of cameras,
numbered G37501 through G4000, the shutter speed dial can be turned without
lifting it. The first top switch
cameras were built starting in September 1968, running through September 1969.
Serial numbers were P53001 through P55500. At P54700 the film loading system
was improved. The next block of serial numbers was P97001 through P98500, made
from December 1969 until December 1971. At serial number P98250 the camera was
changed slightly once again with the addition of a coated mirror. The final batch of cameras were assembled
from December 1971 through March 1972, and carry the Carl Zeiss logo. They are
prized by collectors as they are the last 600 built, with numbers running from
P52001 through P52600.
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Includes original take up spool, and a body cap. Also BONUS two(2) extra Contarex 35mm film backs in matching black finish. Don't miss this good shooter Contarex Super camera with extra film magazines, and recent CLA. This Contarex Super camera sell with NO RESERVE at a price of $745. I have LOT more interesting Zeiss Contarex, Contax Rangefinder and Contarex Reflex cameras, Contax lenses and Contax accessories on my other Auctions, eBay Store and web page.