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Contax Contax IIa

The Contax IIa is a 35mm rangefinder camera produced by Zeiss Ikon in West Germany, introduced in 1950 as a postwar redesign of the prewar Contax II. It uses a coupled rangefinder in a combined finder window and accepts Contax rangefinder bayonet lenses, positioning it as a premium interchangeable-lens rangefinder competing with Leica's screw-mount models of the same era.

At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the Contax IIa have typically fallen between roughly £150 and £850 for standard-condition bodies, with a median around £230 — these are wholesale saleroom results rather than dealer retail. One outlier body sold for £6,000 in 2020, almost certainly a black-dial variant or an exceptional cased set, which shows how much condition and variant drive what a Contax IIa is worth today in 2026. Values have softened from the peaks of the mid-2010s, and scruffy or non-working examples sell for well under £200.

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Sales History

Prices shown are UK auction hammer results — the wholesale level achieved in the saleroom. Neither buyer’s nor seller’s commission is included. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher.

Date Price Source
Jun 2020 EUR 6,000 Leitz Auction
Nov 2016 EUR 850 Leitz Auction
May 2013 EUR 600 Leitz Auction
Nov 2008 EUR 150 Leitz Auction
Nov 2006 EUR 280 Leitz Auction
May 2004 EUR 313 Leitz Auction
Sep 2003 £188 Christie's
May 1998 £138 Christie's

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