Exakta Contax S (Model C)

The Contax S (Model C), manufactured by Exakta, represents a significant step in the evolution of the single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. Introduced in 1949, it is historically most notable for being the first 35mm SLR camera to incorporate a pentaprism. This critical innovation transformed the viewing experience from the awkward, waist-level finder of earlier SLRs to a correctly oriented, eye-level viewfinder, fundamentally making the SLR format practical and comfortable for professional and advanced amateur photographers. This breakthrough paved the way for the dominance of the SLR design that followed in the subsequent decades. While the camera itself, with its robust but somewhat complex construction and post-war Zeiss lens mount, was part of Exakta's line of SLRs that were influential but not as universally iconic as contemporaries from Leica or Nikon, the Contax S stands as a pivotal model specifically due to its pentaprism integration.