1926
ICA, Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann and Goerz merged under Carl Zeiss Foundation influence to form Zeiss Ikon AG with headquarters in Dresden.
Zeiss Ikon
9 researched events, 1926 to present. Each is dated as its sources date it and carries the references it rests on.
Read the Zeiss Ikon company history →
1940–1944 · 5 years with no research point
1927-1931
Early catalogs retained many predecessor-derived plate and roll-film families while the company developed clearer standardized lines including Box Tengor, Nettar and Ikonta.
1932-1939
The Contax 35mm rangefinder system, Super Ikonta folders, Ikoflex TLRs, Tenax, Contaflex TLR and Movikon cine cameras broadened the portfolio.
Zeiss Ikon 1938 Catalog (ZHS Reprint) · Zeiss Ikon 1939 Catalog · History of camera and cine lenses: How it all began
1945-1959
Dresden works were dismantled, sequestered and nationalized, leading through VEB Zeiss Ikon toward VEB Kamera- und Kinowerke and Pentacon; the western legal seat and camera operation were rebuilt in Stuttgart.
The History of Zeiss Ikon · VEB Pentacon Dresden Kamera- und Kinowerke, Betrieb im Kombinat VEB Carl Zeiss Jena
1949-1961
Stuttgart revived roll-film folders and Ikoflex while introducing the Contessa 35 and revised Contax IIa/IIIa rangefinders.
Zeiss Ikon 1952 Catalog · Zeiss Ikon 1955 Product Catalog 202 0455
1953-1966
The postwar Contaflex leaf-shutter SLR family evolved from fixed-lens bodies to Pantar and Pro-Tessar front-component systems with increasing automation.
Zeiss Ikon 1955 Product Catalog 202 0455 · Zeiss Ikon Cameras: Autumn to Spring 1962-1963
1956-1971
Voigtlander ownership and distribution were coordinated with Zeiss Ikon, contributing Icarex and shared product planning while retaining distinct optical and factory responsibilities.
Zeiss Ikon-Voigtlander 1966 Product Catalog ZI-V 90-1266 · A compendium of the history of ZEISS cameras
1959-1971
Contarex became the flagship 35mm SLR system, later joined by Special, Professional, Super and Electronic bodies and a wide Carl Zeiss lens range.
Zeiss Ikon Cameras: Autumn to Spring 1962-1963 · Zeiss Ikon-Voigtlander 1966 Product Catalog ZI-V 90-1266 · A compendium of the history of ZEISS cameras
1972–present
Historic camera production ceased in 1972. The security branch continued and is now within ASSA ABLOY under IKON; Carl Zeiss later used Contax through Yashica/Kyocera and revived the ZEISS Ikon camera with a Japanese partner from 2004 to 2012.
A compendium of the history of ZEISS cameras · History of IKON · History of camera and cine lenses: How it all began