<p>As Zeiss Ikon took stock of what was left of the company following massive
Allied bombing that demolished its factories, it also had to contend with
the division of Germany. Its camera-making plants were in the East zone,
while much of the rest of the operation was in the West zone. </p>
<p>This was one of the first efforts to come out of the Stuttgart facility:
A small folding camera that first was called the Ikonta and later renamed
the Contina I. It was the platform upon which Zeiss Ikon's Contina II and
Contessa were built. </p>
<p>Because of the scarcity of lenses, some of the early Ikontas used a Schneider-Kreuznach
45mm f/2.8 Xenar lens in a Compur-Rapid shutter. Subsequent models have
the Novar with a Prontor shutter, while others are fitted with one of two
Tessar versions and a Compur shutter. The edge sharpness of photos will
vary according to the lens and the aperture. The Novar often is a bit soft
in the corners, while the Tessar and Xenar will give round out-of-focus
backgrounds when shot wide open.</p>
<p>This camera has a front-mounted shutter release, which needs care when
pushed, because you tend to push the camera down with it. The best way to
hold any of the the Zeiss Ikon folding camera is to support it with the
palm of your left hand while peering through the viewfinder.</p>
<p>The camera is much lighter than the Contina and lighter by several factors
than the Contessa. It uses a simple viewfinder and has neither a meter nor
a rangefinder. Focusing is by "your best guess."</p>
<p>When folded, the camera is highly pocketable. It's an excellent little
camera.</p>
Ikonette & Ikonta