Zeiss Ikon Camera Serial Numbers

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The serial numbers don't quite line up on the chart for Carl Zeiss Jena lenses for 1938, but I think that may be a bit of a typo. However going by the chart and making an assumption on my part, I would say it looks like the date of manufacture might be approximately 1938 +/- a year or two. The camera maybe older than I thought.

  1. Zeiss Ikon Ikonta
  2. See Full List On Camera-wiki.org
  3. Zeiss Ikon Panchrom Film
  4. Zeiss Ikon / Carl Zeiss Jena Cameras

Lens Serial Numbers. All of this information comes from Jason Greenberg Motamedi’s website, he cataloged it from other sources which are no longer available. He lists serial numbers for other old large format lense manufacturers too, so if you want information on non-Zeiss lenses take a look at his site. Pre-war: Carl Zeiss Jena Serial Numbers. After WW2, Carl Zeiss at Oberkochen began a new series of numbers, probably at No1000 or 10,000 and as indicated above, these were normally also marked Opton and coated. The Opton mark lasted for most purposes until about 1953 at No1,100,000 but was used for many more years for items sold in the Comecon. Contax cameras serial numbers Keep in mind the 'one letter five numbers' code was used for all Zeiss-Ikon cameras (not only for Contax) so these codes do not indicate total Contax production. Serial Numbers for Contax I T 1931/32. Published in Zeiss Historica Journal Author: Charles Barringer See Pages 21 – 22. In the years immediately after World War II, many Zeiss Ikon folding cameras had an additional character attached to the serial number impressed onto the leather covering of the camera. The character was an asterisk.

The serial number of a Zeiss Triotar 7.5cm f/4.5
fitted in this Art Deco Rolleicord
image by Dirk HR Spennemann(Image rights)
  • 1Carl Zeiss Jena

Carl Zeiss Jena

Part of the serial number sequence of lenses made by Carl Zeiss Jena [1]

Serial nº Year
137,418-200,520 1912
208,473-249,350 1913
249,886-282,739 1914
282,800-284,500 1915
285,200-288,100 1916
289,087-298,157 1917
298,215-322,748 1918
322,799-351,611 1919
375,194-419,823 1920
433,273-438,361 1921
422,899-498,006 1922
561,270-578,297 1923
578,297–631,501 1924
631,500-648,500 1925
666,790-703,198 1926
722,196-798,251 1927
903,100-908,150 1928
919,794-1,016,885 1929
922,488-1,239,697 1930
1,239,699-1,365,582 1931
1,364,483-1,389,279 1932
1,436,671-1,456,003 1933
1,500,474-1,590,000 1934
1,615,764-1,752,303 1935
1,674,882-1,942,806 1936
1,930,150-2,219,775 1937
2,267,991-2,527,984 1938
2,527,999-2,651,211 1939
2,652,000-c2,678,000 1940
2,678,326-2,790,346 1941
2,800,000- ? 1942

Post-War Production

3,000,000-3,200,000 1945-1949
3,200,000-3,470,000 1949-1952
3,470,000-4,000,000 1952-1955
4,000,000-5,000,000 1955-1958
5,000,000-6,000,000 1958-1961
6,000,000-6,000,000 1961-1964
7,000,000-8,000,000 1964-1967
8,000,000-9,000,000 1967-1970
9,000,000-10,000,000 1970-1975

Carl Zeiss Oberkochen

Part of the serial number sequence of lenses made by Zeiss after World War II at Oberkochen/ West Germany [1]

Serial nº Year
10,000-500,000 1946-1951
500,000-1,100,000 1951-1953
1,100,000-2,600,000 1953-1959
2,600,000-3,000,000 1959-1961
3,000,000-4,000,000 1961-1965
4,000,000-5,000,000 1965-1969
5,000,000-6,000,000 1969-1971
6,000,000-7.300,000 1971-1975


Notes

  1. ↑ 1.01.1Wilkinson, M, and C Glanfield. 2001. A Lens Collector's Vade Mecum, CD-rom Version 3F. Edited by A. N. Wright. Cornwall, UK: David Matthews Associates. Chapter 7, Page 99-101.
Retrieved from 'http://camera-wiki.org/index.php?title=Carl_Zeiss_serial_numbers&oldid=123651'
When Ica Tosca and Ernemann Heag XII had been up
to date, Ica and Ernemann still were concurrents in
Dresden. Both were merged into Zeiss Ikon in 1926.
image by Martin Hilber(Image rights)

Zeiss Ikon is a German company that was formed in 1926 by the merger of four camera makers (Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann, Goerz and Ica), and an infusion of capital by Zeiss[1]. The company formed one part of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, another part being the optical company Carl Zeiss. Logically, most of the Zeiss Ikon cameras were equipped with Carl Zeiss lenses; and the formerly independent companies, in particular Goerz, had to shut down their own lens manufacture.

The merged company was also obliged to use Compur shutters for 80% of its cameras. Thus only the simplest cameras could get cheaper shutters like the Klio. Soon AG Hahn für Optik und Mechanik, Kassel, and Goerz Photochemisches Werk GmbH, Berlin, joined the Zeiss Ikon syndicate. Both companies, Zeiss Ikon and Hahn, were also in the business of producing keys, latches an lock cylinders. This business was more and more concentrated in the former optical factories of Goerz in Berlin.

The group became one of the big companies in the photo technology capital Dresden, with plants in Stuttgart and Berlin. It continued several products of its constituents for a while, but also created new ones like the quality folder Ikonta and the medium format rangefinder camera Super Ikonta. Until WWII Zeiss Ikon was the world's market leading maker of 8mm movie cameras. In addition to cameras and lenses, Zeiss Ikon also produced some optics for medical applications.

  • 435mm
  • 5120 film
  • 8Plate models
  • 9VEB Zeiss Ikon (Zeiss Ikon East)
  • 14Other Optics

West Germany: Zeiss Ikon AG Stuttgart

After World War II Zeiss Ikon was split into a West German and an East German part. It was reformed in West Germany, and trademark disputes followed with the part that was left in East Germany. Stuttgart became the company's domicile. Zeiss Ikon merged in the mid 1960s with Voigtländer, another important German manufacturer, and one that had been controlled by the Zeiss Foundation since 1956.

1938 ad scanned by Nesster(Image rights)
Zeiss Ikon plant, built 1936 at Glashütter Straße in Dresden
by Emil Högg, who was also architect of the Ernemann Tower
image by Danipuntocom(Image rights)

The product lines of Zeiss Ikon Stuttgart were different from the East German company's products. The Ikophot light meters were made in Stuttgart.

Zeiss Ikon ceased the production of cameras in 1972. This was a great shock for the entire German camera industry. Parts of the Zeiss Ikon product line then went to Rollei, and part of the know-how was used to revive the Contax name in collaboration with the Japanese maker Yashica.

Before reunification the whole Zeiss Ikon keys, latches & locking cylinder business was separated into a separate company.

East Germany: VEB Zeiss Ikon Dresden

Distagon
Photo industry in Stuttgart
Contessa Contessa-Nettel Drexler & Nagel Ebner Hauff Kenngott Kodak AG G. A. Krauss Nagel Zeiss Ikon
Camera industry in Dresden
Balda Certo Eho-Altissa Ernemann Feinmess Heyde Hamaphot Huth Hüttig ICA Ihagee Kochmann Kerman KW Eugen Loeber Ludwig Mentor Merkel Meyer Mimosa Pentacon Richter Unger & Hoffmann Werner Wünsche Zeiss Ikon Zeh
Camera distributors in Dresden
Stöckig
Camera industry in Freital
Beier Pouva Thowe Welta

Postwar production, begun early in May 1945, was soon interrupted as several factories were closed for dismantling their production machines. The machines were given as reparation to Soviet camera makers that had suffered demolition during the war. The production of the sophisticated Contax rangefinder cameras was prepared in Dresden and relaunched with new machines in Jena before all the machines were transferred to the Soviet camera maker Kiev. In 1948 the East German part of Zeiss Ikon became state owned. Production and development of Ernemann projectors and movie cameras were continued from 1949. Camera production was continued in 1947 with the Tenax and the Ikonta models. Soon the company's stock of leaf shutters was running out. In 1950 it could produce its own shutters since it took over the shutter production of Balda and the shutter factory of Mimosa. In 1952 the Tempor was Zeiss Ikon's first own leaf shutter development, followed in 1954 by the Prestor, the fastest leaf shutter at this time.

In 1948 the company could introduce its advanced SLR model, the Contax S. Since there were suits about trade mark names with the West German Zeiss Ikon AG, VEB Zeiss Ikon was renamed VEB Kinowerke Dresden in 1958. Later it became the main part of the East German combine Pentacon. User manual pdf download.

After German reunification

Today Carl Zeiss is reviving the Zeiss Ikon name. The new Zeiss Ikon camera, introduced at the 2004 Photokina show, is a rangefinder camera with Leica M-mount, developed in Germany and built by Cosina in Japan. Like the Contax G1 and G2), it has lenses made in both Japan (by Cosina) and Germany.

Zeiss Ikon History Timeline
Image by Eugene Ilchenko(Image rights)
Zeiss Ikon (East) Dresden plant
with Ernemann Tower
image by Danipuntocom(Image rights)

Zeiss Ikon Ikonta

Zeiss Ikon (West) Berlin plant Goerzwerk
image by Danipuntocom(Image rights)


35mm

Zeiss Ikon systematically model-coded its produts with cameras, eever-ready cases, flashes etc all bearing their own codes. [2]

Interchangeable Lens Rangefinder

Dresden

Stuttgart


Contessamat
image by Inspiredphotos(Image rights)

Fixed Lens

  • Contessa 35 (later models 1960-1973)

Folding

Contina II
image by Alf Sigaro(Image rights)
  • Contina I / II
  • Contessa 35 (1950-1955)
  • Ikonta 35

SLR

  • Contaflex I (1953-1958)
  • Contaflex II (1954-1959)
  • Contaflex III (1956-1958)
  • Contaflex IV (1956-1959)
  • Contaflex Alpha (1957-1960)
  • Contaflex Beta (1957-1958)
  • Contaflex Prima (1959-1965)
  • Contaflex Rapid (1958-1960)
  • Contaflex Super (1959-1963)
Contarex Super
image by René Maly(Image rights)
  • Contaflex Super (new) (1964-1966)
  • Contaflex Super B (1962-1965)
  • Contaflex Super BC (1965-1968)
  • Contaflex S (1968-1971)
  • Contaflex 126 (1967-1971)
  • Contarex I ('Bullseye' or the 'Cyclops')(1959-1966)

Together with Voigtländer:

Zeiss Ikon Icarex 35 CS TM
image by Vagn Sloth-Madsen(Image rights)

TLR

120 film

Zeiss Ikon systematically model-coded its produts with cameras, eever-ready cases, flashes etc all bearing their own codes.[2]

Folding

  • Bob 510 (alternative name for Nettar 510)
  • Simplex
  • Ikonta (follow link for all models)
  • Super Ikonta (follow link for all models)

TLR

  • Ikoflex (850/16), first model (coffee can)
  • Ikoflex I (850/16), later model (former Ikoflex II 851/16)
Box Tengor
image by Pinot & Dita(Image rights)
  • Ikoflex Ia (854/16)
  • Ikoflex Ib (856/16)
  • Ikoflex Ic (886/16)
  • Ikoflex II (851/16)
  • Ikoflex IIa (855/16)
  • Ikoflex III (852/16), became Ikoflex II in 1939
  • Ikoflex III (853/16)
  • Ikoflex Favorit (887/16)
  • Tengoflex (85/16), pseudo TLR

Box

  • Baldur (51 and 51/2)
  • Erabox (52 and 52/2)

127 film

See Full List On Camera-wiki.org

Piccolette
image by Dirk HR Spennemann(Image rights)
  • Ikonette (folding, 127, c.1929)

Other film

Plate models

Serial

Folding bed

Tropen Adoro
image by Geoff Harrisson(Image rights)
  • Victrix (4.5x6)
  • Maximar A (6.5×9) & B (9×12)
  • Ideal 250/3 (6.5×9cm)
  • Ideal 250/7 (9×12cm)
  • Ideal 250/9 (10×15cm)
  • Ideal 250/11 (13×18cm)
  • Onito 127/6 (9x12cm)
  • Taxo 122/3 & 126/3 (6.5×9cm)
  • Taxo 122/7 & 126/7 (9x12cm)
  • Trona (9×12)
  • Orix / Trix (10×15)
  • Universal Juwel A (9×12) & B (13×18)
  • Volta (9×12)

Strut folding

  • Miroflex A (6.5×9) & B (9×12)

Box

VEB Zeiss Ikon (Zeiss Ikon East)

35mm SLR

  • Contax D or Pentacon
Pentacon Ercona II
image by Hans Kerensky(Image rights)
  • Contax E or Pentacon E
  • Contax F or Pentacon F
  • Contax FB or Pentacon FB
  • Contax FM or Pentacon FM
  • Contax FBM or Pentacon FBM

35mm Fixed Lens

Zeiss Ikon Panchrom Film

  • Tenax I and Taxona

120 folder


Zeiss Ikon / Cosina

  • Zeiss Ikon (rangefinder camera)
  • Zeiss Ikon SW (viewfinder)

Light Meters

Ikophot 53
image by Anssi Puisto(Image rights)
  • Diaphot (optical meter)
  • Helicon
  • Helicon (large model, combined with rangefinder)
  • Helios
  • Ikophot
  • Ikophot 51
  • Ikophot 53
  • Ikophot CD
  • Ikophot M
  • Ikophot Rapid
  • Ikophot S
  • Ikophot T
  • Kidiaphot (Cine version of Diaphot)


Flash

Zeiss Ikon Ikoblitz LD
image by Hans Kerensky(Image rights)
  • Ikoblitz 5
  • Ikoblitz 6
  • Ikoblitz LD


Movie Cameras

  • Movikon (1930s)[3]
  • Movikon 8 (1952)[4]
  • Movikon 8B (1958)[5]

Other Optics

In addition to cameras and lenses, Zeiss Ikon also produced film and slide projectors, as well selected optics for medical applications

Film Projectors
Zeiss Ikon Blutzucker-Kolorimeter D.
image by Dirk HR Spennemann(Image rights)
  • 16 mm Projector (1943)[6]
  • Kinox B Schmalfilmkoffer Projektor
  • Kinox N375 - 16 mm Projector (1937)[6]
  • Model W26615 - 16 mm Projector (1931)[6]
  • Model W38553 - 16 mm Projector (1935)[6]
  • Movilux 8 mm Projector (1959)[6]
  • Movilux R 8mm Projector[7]
Slide Projectors
  • Perkeo automatic S 150[8]
  • Perkeo 315AF[9]
  • Perkeo 315IR[9]
  • Perkeo 315AV[9]
  • Royal AF Selectiv IR slide projector
Medical applications
  • Blutzucker-Kolorimeter D (blood sugar measuring device) 1928-1950s[10]


Bibliography

  • Barringer, C. and Small, M. Zeiss Compendium East and West. 1940–1972. UK: Hove Books, 2nd edition, 1999. ISBN 1874707243.
  • Dechert, Peter. The Contax Connection. Historical Camera Publications, 2007. Available for download in PDF at Peter Dechert's Corner
  • Tubbs, D. B. Zeiss Ikon Cameras. 1926-39. UK: Hove Books, 1993. 190 pages. ISBN 1874707014.

References

Carl zeiss jena serial number
  1. ↑ Reputedly, the word Ikon came from ICA and Contessa-Nettel, two of the constituents in the merger. Other sources claim that it is derived from the Greek, meaning image/picture.
  2. ↑ 2.02.1The codes are comprised of a two parts, one before and one after the /.
    Back-end codes
    /1 4.5x10.7cm plate (stereo) or 8x10.5cm rollfilm
    /2 6x9cm on 120 (8 exposures)
    /3 6.5x9cm sheet/plate
    /4 13x18mm(?) stereo
    /5 8x10.5cm plate
    /6 5.5x3.25 inch (9x14cm) sheet or 8x14cm rollfilm (Kodak 122/3A)
    /7 9x12cm sheet/plate
    /9 10x15cm sheet/plate
    /11 13x18cm (5x7 inch) sheet/plate, for US/UK market?
    /12 4x6.5cm on 127 (8 exposures)
    /14 5x7.5cm on 129 film
    /15 6.5x11cm on 116
    /16 6x6 on 120 (12 exposures)
    /17 Quarter plate (3.25 x 4.25 inch)
    /18 3x4cm on 127 (16 exposures)
    /20 18x24cm sheet/plate
    /24 24x36mm on 135 (standard 35mm)
    /27 24x24mm on 135
  3. ↑Butowskis Auctions
  4. ↑Movikon 8
  5. ↑Description
  6. ↑ 6.06.16.26.36.4Zeiss Ikon page at Binocuclars and Cine Collectors
  7. ↑Youtube
  8. ↑Seen on eBay 2012
  9. ↑ 9.09.19.2Slide Projector manual by Santa via Flickr.
  10. ↑Zeiss Ikon Blutzucker-Kolorimeter D Dirk HR Spennemann via Flickr

Links

In English:

  • Klaus-Eckard Riess's story, former Zeiss-Ikon (East AND West) employee
  • Zeiss Ikon instruction manuals in butkus.org's Library
  • Zeiss Ikon Price Guide at CollectiBlend

In German:

  • cameras of Zeiss-Ikon's predecessors at Klaus-Eckard Riess homepage
  • Company history at dresdner-kameras.de
  • Story of Zeiss Ikon at phototechnik-online.de by Gerd Jehmlich (archived)
  • Images of Zeiss Ikon cameras at www.amuseum.de

Zeiss Ikon / Carl Zeiss Jena Cameras

In French:

  • Zeiss Ikon page at Collection G. Even's site
Retrieved from 'http://camera-wiki.org/index.php?title=Zeiss_Ikon&oldid=201975'