On April 12, 2005,Kyocera Corporationannounced that it would be ceasing production of all CONTAX brand cameras, including theContax 645 system, by the end of the year. A translation of that press announcement can be foundhere. This followed a couple of months during which Kyocera badly bungled its press and distributor relations, allowing rumours and speculation to run rampant.

Their definitive announcement is of particular interest to two groups – students of the history of photography, but more particularly those that currently own Contax 645 camera systems.

Sunflowers — Credit Valley, Ontario. August, 2004Contax 645 with Kodak DCS Proback 645C and 120mm Zeiss f/4 Apo-Makro Planar_________________________________________________________________

A Bit of HistoryRather than write a rehash of the history of the Contax brand, I'll simply point to two on-line references – TheHistory of Contax, and  Zeiss Ikon Contax Bodies, Lenses and Photography...