zi nettar question

photographertrainee · Jul 15, 2006

okay people...i really need some help here. i have a zeiss ikon nettar 515/2 in mint condition. it belonged to my grandfather and he kept EVERYTHING he owned in mint conditon.

i have the viewfinder and camera opened, but i don't know where to go from there. any help would be very appreciated.

i was very excited to find out that i could purchase film for this camera. and i'm excited to figure out how it works. i don't know a lot about photography, so give me the idiot's guide, please.

Jerevan · Jul 15, 2006

Uhm... let me see what I can do. It's easier to do than explain in words. This is a camera for 120 roll film and if I understand it correctly it has a lens which on the front says something to effect of "105 mm". So, in that case it makes photos with a size of 6x9 cm.

It's pretty basic, you have a latch on the left or right side of the camera, which opens the back. Now you need a roll of film and you also need an empty spool. On the bottom of the camera you have a winding key. Put the empty spool on that side. On the other side you put the new roll. Open the new rollfilm, thread it across, over to the empty spool. Wind on the roll film (with the winding key) until you can see a marker that says "start" or two big arrows on each side of the film. There should be a small red dot somewhere in the back of the camera which is where the start or arrow markers should be. When that's done, close the back.

On the back there's either a little red window or a little door which you can push aside to see a red window. It's used for winding the film into the right place and to get it ready for a new photograph to be taken. In the window you'll see numbers (1,2,3, etc). These are the frame numbers of each possible photograph that you can make on the roll. Wind it on to see number 1 in the window, click the shutter, and then wind on to number 2 and so on.

This also means you have to remember when you took a photo and wind on to a new frame, otherwise you get what is called a double exposure. I'd say that you need to test it out from from here. Sacrifice a roll of film to learn how to load and use the camera. Get back with questions and I or someone else will help you out.

Hope this helps a bit,
J

eubielicious · Jul 15, 2006

I had one of these for a while. It is simple and basic as others have said, and produces 6x9 negatives which was no good in my case as at the time I had an enlarger which would only do to 6x6, so I wound up giving it away. There's a red window you use to wind the film on, but the best bit is that they fold up to back-pocket size, which is great. I also really like the little mini-waist-level-finder which should be attached to the lens, you can twist it so you can view in landscape or portrait format.

Have fun with it!

Euan

photographertrainee · Jul 15, 2006

Thanks for the help...but my main issue right now is getting the back opened. If I had my digital camera right now, I'd take a pic of it. I'll try to describe it. On the side of the viewfinder there are two knobs that don't move (they look like they are holding the two parts of the back together.) The other side has the winding key and an opened hole where you can see through to metal.

I hope this helps.

kb244 · Jul 15, 2006

If its anything like my Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515 (the 6x4.5 smaller version) , theres a lil latch/knob up on the top that you pull to the left and it snaps open the back. Same when you close it and push the latch to the right til its locked in.

Basically you put the film in the bottom, pull up some of the leader into the empty spool in the top wind it a lil bit til you see the arrows on the bottom. Close up, and wind until you see (1) in the window.

Set your shutter speeds and aperture on the front. Figure the focusing distance and set on the front. Cock the shutter, look thru your viewfinder to compose the shot ( or shoot from the hip ), Fire the shutter, wind the film til the next number shows in the window, and repeat the above. When you've shot the last frame, continue to wind the roll until its all rolled up on the top, take the top spool out and seal as instructed, and move the used spool on the bottom to the top to serve as the new take up spool.

Its really not that hard.

By the way the knobs on the viewfinder side dont hold the back , they are just the peice of metal that holds the spools in. Theres a latch on the top of the camera somewhere as I said.

elekm · Jul 15, 2006

You might want to visit Nelsonfoto discussions, where a number of the participants in that forum have a Nettar or a camera like it.

http://nelsonfoto.com/phpBB2/index.php

titrisol · Jul 16, 2006

Google is your friend.... run a search and there is a couple of manuals available on line
IIRC David Richert website has one.

battra92 · Jul 23, 2006

Ahh, a great camera! As some stated, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Have you ever used MF before?

HeliH · Aug 3, 2006

I just bought a Zeiss Ikon Nettar. It looks like brand new, it's so beautiful, looks like it's never been used. My question is where I could check the year it is manufactured?

Jerevan · Aug 3, 2006

You could find some information in this thread: (there was a url link here which no longer exists). And Pacific Rim Camera has some good general pages, too: http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/zeiss/zeiss.htm

Mike Kovacs · Aug 3, 2006

Heli, what is the serial number on the camera? It should be a letter followed by numbers, perhaps embossed in the leather.

If there is a Zeiss lens, the serial is also useful, though most Nettars came with numberless Novars.

Which 120 format is your Nettar? I think they were made in 6x4.5, 6x6, and finally 6x9 as the original poster's.

Nettars are OK, but Ikonta's are a step above in terms of quality. Super Ikonta's add a coupled rangefinder at the cost of much size and weight.

HeliH · Aug 3, 2006

The serial number is K 41095. Novar as a lens. It's 6x6. I'm going to put this beauty into my vitrine . Of course going to test it first.

Mike Kovacs · Aug 3, 2006

The letters flipped over once - its either about 1938 or about 1956. It should be pretty easy for you to see whether its a prewar camera (uncoated lens, no chrome) vs postwar (coated lens, chrome top).

Jerevan · Aug 3, 2006

Are the letters going from A-Z, and then starts over again at some point in time? I could never figure out how it really works and the information is pretty limited and confusing too.

HeliH · Aug 4, 2006

Mike Kovacs said:
The letters flipped over once - its either about 1938 or about 1956. It should be pretty easy for you to see whether its a prewar camera (uncoated lens, no chrome) vs postwar (coated lens, chrome top).

Ok. Then it's 1956 because of chrome top. Thanks, Mike!

k_jupiter · Aug 4, 2006

HeliH said:
Ok. Then it's 1956 because of chrome top. Thanks, Mike!

It should have 517/16 or 518/16 embossed into the leather too. Be prepared to be amazed. Stop down into the f11 range set your approximate distance, meter and set the speed, then shoot away. Those triplets take wonderfully contrasty photos. My 518 is my everyday carry around camera. It replaced the FM2.

tim in san jose

HeliH · Aug 4, 2006

In the Leather says only Zeiss Ikon, but in the body, I finally found it, is 518/16. What do those numbers mean? And I can't stop wondering the really beautiful condition of this, it really looks that this has never been used. It looks like brand new.

Ian Grant · Aug 4, 2006

Try looking very carefully at the back of the camera, on one edge it's stamped with the model no as well. Camera Serial no is the other end.

The Nettar 516 takes 6x4.5 images on 120 roll film

Ian

Mike Kovacs · Aug 4, 2006

51x are the Nettar model numbers (52x Ikonta, 53x Super Ikonta)

No / = 6x4.5
/16 = 6x6
/2 = 6x9

Ian Grant · Aug 4, 2006

Thanks Mike

My mistake it's so difficult to read the Model & no, close inspection and my camera is an Ikonta 521, which is 6x4.5

Ian

Mike Kovacs · Aug 4, 2006

Ikonta 521 is a nice camera. Tiny, isn't it when you consider its medium format?

The difference between 520 and 521 is addition of double exposure prevention. I have a 521/16 (6x6) sitting in my repair box that needs some shutter service. Its a nice one with an Opton Tessar 75/3.5. Its quite a bit bigger though than the 521.

k_jupiter · Aug 5, 2006

HeliH said:
In the Leather says only Zeiss Ikon, but in the body, I finally found it, is 518/16. What do those numbers mean? And I can't stop wondering the really beautiful condition of this, it really looks that this has never been used. It looks like brand new.

518/16 means you have a signal nettar. There is a hole in the top plate that tells you if you have advanced the film after your last shot. 517/16 means you have to guess or just double expose.

Mike Kovacs said:
51x are the Nettar model numbers (52x Ikonta, 53x Super Ikonta)

No / = 6x4.5
/16 = 6x6
/2 = 6x9

and a "/18"?

*L*

tim in an jose (owner of a 127 Nettar)

Mike Kovacs · Aug 5, 2006

There are more "slash numbers" too for many obsolete formats - my McKeowns is packed at the moment though.

Ian Grant · Aug 5, 2006

Mike you pose an interesting question or rather point.

I've used 6x6 then later (1984 onwardrs) the 6x4.5 format and thought of them as medium format.

But then using AP25 and APX25 in a 6x9 back on my 5x4 I've thought of them as large format.

The 645 format is good but hasn't the quality of 6x9 or larger, and that's the quality I'm after all the time for my landscape work.

Having said that 6x4.5 is excellent for my commercial work, just haven't tried the Ikonta yet, but the lens is very clean and the shutter works perfectly I think it has APX100 loaded

Ian

Mike Kovacs said:
Ikonta 521 is a nice camera. Tiny, isn't it when you consider its medium format?

Mike Kovacs · Aug 5, 2006

6x9 is not without issues though - film flatness can be a real problem, exasperated on folding cameras because unfolding the lens sucks the film out from the pressure plate.

I bet I can make a sharper print from an excellent 6x6 of 6x4.5 camera like a Hassy or Rolleiflex than most 6x9 cameras.

zi nettar question

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