Super Nettel's are like buses...!

[matthew J Shaw]

So, I thought I'd post this hear as contax users will probably be able to give me a better answer...

I was given a Super Nettel the other day (for free!!!!) as it needed a good home, the shutter tapes are broken, no leather, no rewind, very much worse for wear, however, the lens is immaculate and the rarer Tessar 3.5 5cm.

I was going to see about restoring it, but then...

I was out at a camera fair today, came home £95 lighter, but with a fully working Super Nettel, its been restored a little cosmetically, but works absolutely bang on...

So heres my question, I have the good working Nettel with the Triotar 3.5 5cm lens, its a fairly easy change over to put it with the Tessar lens unit... Normally I wouldnt do this, but as its a restored item, I dont think all the parts are original anyway. I'm not a serious collector who will have this as a shelf queen, this will go back out into the real world and be used, so will the difference in quality make it worth swapping out the lens units, and, if anyone has done this before, are there any issues I should look out for?

Thanks

Matt

 

[sevo]

I'd ask over at the yahoogroups Zeiss Ikon Collectors Group - the guys with the lists of rare and important serials (and the background to determine whether it is feasible at all) hang out there.

 

[matthew J Shaw]

Cool Sevo

I may check that out if worse comes to worse, I just want to avoid having to use Yahoo if I can, had an email addy with them once and got nothing but spam for years, try to avoid yahoo if I can, It's probably a bit silly, but thats just me...

I know the lens units can be swapped out, but just dont know if I should, part of me say "No... Never!" but another part of me knows I have this supposedly better lens and is tempted...

 

[Dralowid]

I have elderly Tessars 2.8 and 3.5 in Contax mount. Frankly the 3.5 is the better of the two or so it seems. Both are in similar condition.

My Super Nettel is 2.8 Tessar. I would have preferred the 3.5. I'm told that the Triotar, though originally cheaper is almost as good. Yes, swapping looks fairly straight forward but I'd base the decision on the condition of the lens more than anything else.

I doubt it will have a signifiacnt effect on value. If the serial numbers are roughly contemporary it would help.

The Super Nettel is lovely bit of kit and great fun but the novelty wears off after a while. Seriously squinty!

My advice? Don't bother, use it as it is.

Michael

 

[matthew J Shaw]

Cheers Michael

Thats pretty much what I was thinking, both of the optics are pretty comparable in condition, and although the lens swap is pretty straight forward, it would mean re-covering and probably some alignment, I can do both of these, but only if the final result will be worth it... If the quality is so close, I probably wont bother.

I know what you mean about the squinty RF, it is a bit tricky, but I kinda fancied one and I think at £95 I cant really loose on the deal.

Will post some pics when I get my first roll back...

 

[Dralowid]

By the way, is it all black, black with a few chrome parts or chrome?

Black is most common, black and chrome a wee bit rarer and if it is chrome I wouldn't mess with it all. It is quite a rare and valuable camera.

If you have some serial numbers I can post for you on the Yahoo ZICG group sometime and get some dates. They run a list.

Michael

 

[matthew J Shaw]

Cheers Michael

The woking one is all black, it has been reconditioned, but done pretty well...

The other non worker is black with nickel shoe etc and is earlier...

I think I will go with my gut instinct and leave it as is, the earlier none working one I may disassemble, and see if I can send the shutter to someone to rebuild and I may re finish the body, but it has a few missing parts, (rewind etc) so it may not be financially viable. I have one good one, so I think that may well satisfy my urges for now...

Although if I can find someone who knows how to do the tapes, it will be worth knowing for my other older contax bodies (currently 1 x Contax I and 2 x Contax II)