I would be glad to hear of your experiences with old cameras!
This one just became mine at an unlikely second-hand store full of old and dusty things. Clean, incredibly beautiful, fragile and sturdy at the same time, smelling of old-time stories. I have no idea how old this one is, if I would ever even figure out how to use it, and where to get film for it, and what kind of, but it's a pleasure to hold your hands - very beautifully made, together with a hand-sewn leather pouch.
how beautiful i bet it works very well even after all these years. @pickerandagrinner would love it and perhaps could tell you some of what you need to know to use it!
Zeiss Ikon Nettar. I had one in the fifties. Good Zeiss lens, probably Compur shutter. As long as the bellows doesn't leak, it should work well. 120 roll film is still available.
@taffy@vera365@kali66 Very nice. Bellows look good. Assuming it is a Nettar, here is the instruction manual not of your model but operation is largely the same. http://www.cameramanuals.org/zeiss_ikon/zeiss_ikon_nettar_ii.pdf Depending on what model it is it shoots either 6X6 or 6X9 cm images. Either way the negatives are HUGE and the information is massive. Scanned 6X6 images for me are 150 mgbytes! I could be wrong but I believe it is "zone focusing" meaning you focus from the distance scale on the lens. You then figure the depth of field from the scale on the lens and make sure you are standing where your chosen focus points are within that range. You set the aperture and shutter speed then cock the shutter with the small lever on top of the lens. Then press the shutter and be sure to advance the film to the next frame number! Some Nettars have a red alert to remind you you have not yet advanced. The flip up viewfinder will show you the frame lines of the composition only, not focus as this is a "rangefinder". To load the film, open the back. There should be an empty spool in the film loading side. Remove it and install it on the take-up side. You use 120 film, readily available. Remove the adhesive from the film and be sure to get all the shards of paper off - otherwise they may fall into the lens. Then put the film with emulsion into the loading side making sure emulsion side FACES THE LENS. Unspool a small bit of film and load it into the take up spool then wind the take up until you see the arrow appear on the paper backing, let it go about a half inch into the body. Close the back then wind the film until the number 1 appears in the window on the camera back. Shoot the image, then turn take up knob until 2 appears. You will get 12 images at 6X6 or 8 images at 6X9. When the last image is shot, there will be a rewind button probably on left side of the camera. Push it and turn the rewind knob on the film loading side. When you feel no resistance open the back. Be careful to remove the film keeping it tightly wound on the spool, otherwise you will get light leaks. There will be an adhesive strip. Fold the end of the backing paper under itself about an inch then moisten and wrap the adhesive around the backing paper to secure. Done like a donut! Shutter speed is only 200. You are probably best to initially shoot slower film like Ilford Pan F50 or Delta 100. For color, portra 160 or Ektar 100. If you want to use faster film, you can always hold a filter in front of the lens to get the exposure within the limits of the camera, taking the filter's factor into account. Polarizer around 2-3 stops, ND filter will depend on its intensity. Local labs do not develop BW film any more, have to send out, I use the Darkroom, others use Old School Photo Lab. I would probably send them the color negatives too.
Probably best to use a tripod for first tries. There is an old-type receptor for the old fashioned screw in shutter release cords. Readily available on ebay. Enjoy!
@pickerandagrinner Wow! Thank you so much! This definitely takes a lot of intimidation feeling out. I think I will definitely give it a go - it's such a pleasure to operate - even without a film, just trying to figure out things like "how does it open" or "how do I press the shutter" :) ! Thank you for the detailed description. I figured it's 6x9 - so 8 images per roll of film, which is also ... should I say ... very different from the usual unlimited number of clicks one makes. Lots of things to think about - but I think I will have fun figuring it out.
@maggiemae@elkereturns@lesip@habit@dawnee@hiro@ducasrouge Thank you all! I am still excited just from the way it looks and feels. Would be fun to try and figure out how it actually works. Another cool thing was - the kids got really excited in figuring it out as well.
@kali66 Ohhhh that would have been a good one, but I think I won't get a chance to get to it this coming week. Also, I was thinking - as I learned that there are only 8 frames per shot, how do you even argue that something in front of you is worth one of these 8 shots!!!! It might take me a while to actually find 8 frames that I would think are worthy enough to be considered as one of those 8. A complete turnaround from the unlimited clicking on a digital camera. 8 - I think I would be thinking of them like a rare dessert that you saver and not gobble up. :)
i know that feeling too well, i have a rolleiflex that was given to me and i have only taken 10 out of 12 shots with it, nothing seems worthy! i will think on something else for you.
@vera365@kali66 Vera hit the nail on the head. The required "contemplation" before pressing the shutter is the essence of dabbling in film. My advice to both of you is do it fearlessly. Nothing is lost from making a less than "stellar" image. Write down your settings for each shot in a little notebook. Then compare how the shot shows or does not show what you intended. From that, you learn. My mantra is this process makes one a better photographer in film and digital formats. Vera from this camera you should not expect supreme sharpness you've grown accustomed to from digital. Kali's Rollei CAN impart equivalent sharpness. Vera what you can expect is images that have soul and character with unvarnished beauty all their own. Embrace the new challenge!
@vera365@kali66 Vera and Kali, I encourage both of you to visit Emulsive.org and the FilmShooter's Collective websites. Read the interviews of the film photographers. View their work. You will be touched by the latest intereview on Emulsive of a young man who used film to recover from a traumatic brain injury. There is some highly artistic stuff you will cull from these interviews. The most common emotion expressed in all of them is passion....Enjoy, Lou.
@vera365@kali66 Did a bit of research on the camera. The word "KLIO" on the lens is the type of shutter. My recommendation would be for initial shots Vera use a tripod. You may need to go to a photo site (B&H) to get an adapter for the tripod socket making it compatible with your tripod plate. This European camera is likely 3/8" and you need I believe 1/4". The adapter is a small screw that goes into the existing socket. Very inexpensive. You should get 2 since the Nettar has two tripod attachment points for vertical and horizontal shots.
@kali66@vera365 Vera you will also need the old fashioned "plunger" type shutter release cable. Very inexpensive. The Nikon ones are good. I like the ones that have a push button rather than screw in release. Much less chance of inducing shake at slow shutter speeds.
@pickerandagrinner Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments! They make me even more to try it out - and I will keep my eyes open for the shutter release cable. Now that you mention it, I believe my dad had one when I was really little and I remember playing with it thinking it reminded me a bit of a snake tongue :) Thank you!!!!!
Thanks!