getting to grips with a Zeiss Ikon Nettar

[brainwood]

I have been thinking for while about medium format but it was a thread here on RFF about a portable MF camera that opened my eyes to the Zeiss ikon. I really like the look the lens gives and the price is on the silly side of cheap. My example was just £10 from the well known auction site.

It looks to be in good condition. Today I put film through it and found the only faults to be with the user!! I'm so used to using my trusty old Rollei 100 stock I forgot this was infact Formapan 100 and over developed by almost twice the time. The 'scans' are done in full sunlight and captured on a Canon DSLR with Macro lens.

My question is how to scan future (correctly developed) negs ? Clearly my dedicated film scanners for 35mm are useless for this ,I have a cheap flat bed scanner but obviously this will not work without a film holder so I can back light the neg. Is there a cheats way to do this with a bog standard scanner or should I just look for a S/H Epson v series .

Your thoughts on this are welcome

Anyway here's the camera

And heres a few shots from my first roll ... albeit overdeveloped

..and this ones over developed and filthy

Chris

 

[roboflick]

You live in a beautiful place!

Nice shots. I have a super ikonta b with opton tessar. It's a favorite of mine. Medium format black and white is a nice improvement in many ways over 35mm.

Enjoy it!

Nik

 

[oftheherd]

I have a nettar but sadly it is missing the winder. I've never been able to use it.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

The Zeiss Ikon range seem to be the best made of the folders. I have a 6x9 Mess Ikonta in good condition, which also has the Novar. As Ivor Matanle says: a much under rated lens.

BTW, that canal doesn't lead to Northamptonshire, does it?

 

[whitecat]

I call this camera a sleeper. Amazing results with it. Great entry level camera to medium format.

 

[FrankS]

I have one of these, with Novar lens that has a max aperture of f6.3.

 

[zuiko85]

Could you cut card stock with a craft knife to make a holder for your flat bed? It would be cheap to try and you wouldn't be out much if it didn't work.

You scored on that one. I paid $25 for mine with the f6.3 Novar. I like the idea of 6X6 in a jacket pocket.

 

[brainwood]

BTW, that canal doesn't lead to Northamptonshire, does it?

It does indeed . It is the Grand Union canal

Could you cut card stock with a craft knife to make a holder for your flat bed? It would be cheap to try and you wouldn't be out much if it didn't work.

I have tried just scanning the neg with my cheapo multifunction scanner/printer but the results are very muddy. I'm not sure how a film holder works - does it just hold the film flat or does it allow the neg to be backlit ? . The 'scans so far have involved taping the neg to my roof window and re photographing with my old 6meg Canon DSLR with a macro lens. they are not as sharp as they could be but the tonality is far better than my cheapo scanner

Chris

 

[brainwood]

I managed to get a shoe mounted rangefinder for the Nettar. It cost me a pound more than the camera but having a means of accurately gauging distance, particularly during this lovely Easter weekend weather we are having, has given a better idea of how sharp the lens really is.

The Medis rangefinder is a nicely made one with a very smooth action and a very solid feel to it. This one is accurate and can be adjusted but turning the centre knob on the distance scale.

My teenage kids think the camera looks cool but but the basic controls seem to baffle the ipod generation. When I explain how too shoot the camera - you first advance the film not forgetting to cock the shutter then set the exposure with the aperture and shutter speed , find a focus point with the rangefinder and then transfer the reading to the lens, pick your moment and take the shot, they start talking about Lomo's... maybe its my explaining ??

All these shots were taken wide open at f4.5.

 

[je2a3]

Beautiful images! I'm on my 2nd roll on my Nettar 518/16 and got inspired to try shooting wide open. 1st roll from f8 and up were tack sharp even on my old Canoscan 8400 and its flimsy film holder.

 

[ianstamatic]

Triplets make wonderful images . The novar is nice.
I have a 6.3.
I also like the vaskar and rollei triotar

 

[emmef2]

beautiful images and the rendition of the Novar lens is one of my favourite

 

[farlymac]

If you want some real fun, you can always flip the second element. Some folks think the look is neat, and every once in a while I can agree. But it's not something I would use all the time. Mine, BTW, was a product of thinking I had the element in backwards after doing an overhaul, only to find out it was right in the first place.


00840012 by br1078phot, on Flickr


Like I said, it's not something that I would do on purpose.

PF