Zeiss Ikon Tessar?

I've got an older folding-bellows-type MF camera that I'm wondering

about. I used to take photos with it when I was young, about ten years

ago, but unfortunately don't have them anymore and don't remember

being very discriminate at the time... It's a Zeiss Ikon Tessar 515/2,

with a lens that says Tessar 105mm f/4.5 and also Compur (which I

gather is the shutter?).

 

So my question is if this camera is any good, as I have now taken up

photography again and got an interest for MF... Do you think it is

worth it, putting in energy learning to use it well? It's in great

shape, only a little wear and tear on the outside.

 

I suppose if nothing else it's a good exercise for an amateur like me

to use a camera with no light meter and only my own guesstimate of

distance to use for focussing. :)

 

//jb

Of course it's a good camera. Since you say it has a Compur shutter and not Syncro-Compur I guess it's a pre-war model with uncoated lens. Just take a test roll and see if you like the result. The Tessar is a fine lens, and the Compur shutter is great.

The camera is good and worth the effort. I just did an eBay check on the exact same camera, and the prices were from $25 to $50. If it is in working condition with a good bellows I would buy it from you for the high value of $50. I'm into folders. Otherwise, try it out. A 6x9cm negative is awesome.

Jake

 

With that lens and shutter, it could be a Zeiss Ikonta C, which was

a pretty decent camera.

 

Jerry

Jakob: You have a Zeiss Ikon Nettar (521/2). It is a 6x9 camera that takes 120 film. Among the 521/2 produced, yours was the most expensive. You could find 521/2 with a Nettar lens f6.3, f4.5 and f3.5. The shutters were Derval, Telma, Klio and the expensive Tessar 105mm lens in the Compur series. Take pictures. I have a Super Ikonta C 1934 (530/2U) with a uncoated Tessar 105mm f4.5 that takes wonderful 6x9 BW pictures. Regards, Tito.

I'm buying a roll of 120 film this afternoon and trying it out. Thanks for all the responses!

By the way, does anyone know of a small adapter for the tripod thread, which seems to be slightly larger than that of everything else I own...

a very good camera when it's in a good and functional shape. You will take pleasure to take pictures with it, more pleasure that with modern and cybernetic cameras.

I just bought a similar camera, a Nettar 515/2 6x9, with the Nettar Anastigmat 105mm f/3.5 lens and Compur-Rapid shutter. This camera is really strange, because the lens front is very much like the Ikonta's Tessars, shiny metal front ring, when the standard Nettars came with Black front rings, and lenses no faster than f/4.5 (although all were labelled Nettar), and cheaper shutters as the Prontor-S. I disassembled the front element and it's rear surface is flat, and the second element front is concave. It could be a Tessar, if the rear, third element, the one behind the shutter, was a couple of elements cemented together, but I didn't go that far. I shot a roll previous to the disassembly and cleaning and was shock by the quality of the negs. Now I've cleaned it I would shoot another test roll.

By the way, I have the same city corner shot from the same place with this lens and a Canon FD 100/2.8 (That's a sharp one) and compared under a loupe the 35 neg and the corresponding part of the 6x9 neg and there is a plus in the 35mm lens sharpness, but almost negligible. If you think that the whole 35 neg is 16% the surface of the 6x9 neg, I guess you can say the 6x9 lens sharpness is awesome. That, and all the benefits of MF, greater tonal range, shadow depth, less problems with dust in printing, and you can produce incredibly vivid images. Am I happy with this toy? Yes! it's also very fun to use. And if you shoot people, this cameras tend to produce completely different expressions.

One thing to feel more confident with the camera focus, you can check it with a ground glass and a loupe. I figured an easy way to do the ground glass part. You might happen to have lots of music casette cases lying arround, I do. Well, if you pick a clean one and break all the borders out of the lid of the case, to get a flat plastic piece, then you can trim just one border to get it to be around 6cm in width (a scissor can do that, and the plastic won't break if you do iy slowly). The lenght is perfect for 6x9. Then get the thinest sand paper you can get and sand one side, then clen it from plastic dust. That's it. Open the back of the camera open the lens all the way, put the shutter in T or B and keep it open, then put your "groud casette case lid" on the fil plane, ground side towards lens, and look. You can almost trust your eyes on the focus, since the image is really large, but a neg loupe is perfect. Then you can check if your lens is tilted, look for similar focus plane on both sides of the neg, etc, etc.

Get a handheld light meter, buy a roll or two, go outside and shoot. If you use the proper technique this camera will live all your 35mm pictures eating dust.

PD: don't go disassembling the lens for cleaning if you have a faint hart. Now I know, but I think I grew older in the process.

Jakob wrote:

By the way, does anyone know of a small adapter for the tripod thread, which seems to be slightly larger than that of everything else I own...

-----

Of course there is an adapter for this. A good photo store should have them. I have a couple for my Rollei TLR's.

I made a mistake in my previous answer. Instead of 521/2, should read 515/2.

yes, the mighty Tessar lens! How wonderful!

 

I have used Tessar lenses for various formats and allways had wonderful results.

 

I bit of advice, find a lens shade, especially if you have a prewar not coated lens. Otherwise shoot in the shade!

 

Have fun

Marco

Max, I've got to try the plastic "ground glass" you described. I've been using Scotch tape across the rollers, and I can get sharp naked-eye focus, but I can't use a loupe without deflecting the tape. Neat idea.

Jakob,

 

Definitely, the Tessar is one of the best lenses ever. Check the bellows and make sure there are no tiny holes that will allow light leaks. Clean the lens with optical cleaner.

 

You can buy older handheld rangefinders that you can stick in your pocket. Infinity is easy, right, but for portraits, it can be tough to guess how far the person is from the camera.

 

In any case, these are great cameras, and you'll be extremely impressed with the results.