Zeiss Ikon Super Nettel User manual

speed sha,rp foeus sure aetion
Shutter speeds Rotatiog wedge               Zeiss Ikon
up to t/rooo sec.             ,distance meter              precision work

Taken with Tessar flz.S lens, focal length5 cm. (2") exposure t/uoth second at flT

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super Nettel    meaning something even better than                  - Nettel. The characteristics and potentialities that have
 distinguished the well-known r\ettel as a sporting and
 press camera, and have made it justly famous for many
 years   even these have now been surpassed.        - It  is interesting to notice the new direction in which
 photographic apparatus and its construction has veered
 during the last few years. It happened this way: Formerly
 the enlarging of negatives was a process used as serdom
 as possible, in cases where it could not be avoided; now-
 adays    partly because of refinements in lens produc-
 tion and improved characteristics of the emulsions'ssfl
                                                               - everyone makes small negatives and practically invariably
 enlarges them. ve might almost say that enlarging has
changed from a vice to a virtue. But if every negative
that is made is to be enlarged later to five, ten, or even
twenty diameters, it is clear that in every case they must
be made sharp to the limit of sharpness, and that this
must be done without special difficurty in handling the
camera. This again has made it necessary to construct the
camera extremely accurately, for if sharp focus is to be
attained in every case) the action of the camera must be
precise and rigid.
Thus there is nothing surprising ir the fact that the
super Nettel   which has been constructed to take pic-               -tures of the very popular 24xJ6 mm. (lxlli,   inches)

size   shows the same precision construction and optical
     -refinements           that are characteristics of German scientific
instruments. Some of the men, in fact, who help to build
Zeiss Ikon miniature cameras have been recruited from
workshops making microscopes and other similar instru'
ments. But the older connoisseurs of cameras have also
                                             whosestood godfather to the super Nettel-men in
hearts the tradition of the Nettel, and its focal-plane
shutter, are deeply impressed. This type of camerao fitted
with a large-aperture Zeiss lens, the quality and accuracy
of which can hardly be improved, has been retained,
with the addition of a distance meter to improve its
versatility and accuracy.
Photography with a miniature camera incorporating a
distance meter coupled to the lens has already come as
a revelation to many workers. Using the full lens aperture
is no longer a risky process, for the necessary needle-
sharp focus on the most important subject in the picture
                                                         ne-is done automatically, and no 'ostopping-downo'  is
cessary as a precaution. Not only this-the very lack of
great depth of focus gives a surprisingly effective result
by concentrating attention on the main subject of the
 picture. we might take as an example several groups of
people in an open square. Only one particular group is
 important to the picture: with a camera that focussed
on the ground glass it would not be either an easy or
 short matter to arrange the focus satisfactorily-but with
 the rotating wedge distance meter of the Super Nettel
 focus can be arranged like lightning, and there is no need
 to think about the result at all.
 The distance meter using rotating wedges is only to be
 found in Zeiss Ikon cameras. It has the special property

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of being extremely sensitive optically, though extremely
 insensitive mechanically. Shocks and other external in-
fluences do not affect it at all. The Super l{ettel is thus
the right sort of camera for those who find it impossible
to take much care of their ttaccessories", and sporting
motorists, mountaineers, and pressmen will all find it an
ideal instrument. If you enquire at your photographic
dealer's, they will be very glad to show you the Super
I{ettel camera and let you examine it  personally, for
technical circles all agree that it is a surprising instrurnent.
And your dealer will be able to tell you more about it
than we can.





                  Taken with Tessar fl2.B lens, focal length
                       5"cm. (2") exposure t/uoth second at flS.6

The Cameru Jrnm outsid,e





Fig. l.  Front view of the Super l\ettel    closed                                             -
liumber 1    The light metal body
                                                                                                    t                                                      u/,                                              inches) in               L3.2 x7 x4.2 cm. (5                                                                                                                                l n*Zu  I n- 1
                size, weighiog 600 grams (2L ounces)-so
           small that   it  is no trouble to  carry
            about. The camera can always be taken
          about with one. The slightly flattened
              corners not only give the camera a graceful
             appearance, but also make it easier to hold
              in the hand. The coveritg of black grained
              leather gives a smart finish to the camera.
IYumber 2    The lens baseboard
            This fits tightly against the camera body
          when closed, and keeps dust and dirt from
            the inner mechanisme the leather bellows,
          and the lens itself.

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Number 3    The shutter winding hnob
             Vith  this the shutter speed is adjusted.
                    It  is not possible to expose one section of
             the film twice, for as the shutter is wound
           up the film is wound on to a new section.
            The next time the shutter is opened-which
                  is done by pressing the spring button in the
              centre of the winding knob-a new section
              of film must necessarily be in position.

 Number 4    The picture counter
             Automatically indicates the number of pic-
              tures that have been taken. Gives a total
             of 36 pictures-the number that can be
             taken without reloading the Super Nettel.
Number 5    The fi,nder shoe
             This is a special shoe arranged to accomo-
           date certain extra finders necessary in
               special types of work.
Number 6   The optical aiew-fi,nder
          The view-finder is built into the camera
            body, and gives a very bright upright pic-
               ture, that is also the right way round. -
 Number 7    The f,lrn rewinding knob
                             J.l"' H'.i""T';fi' rl;*               iljt,'"T',                           "::r-;'i
It should specially be noticed that none of the external
knobs of the camera move or turn during the time the
shutter is working, which makes it impossible to touch
one of them by accident and affect th-e working of the
shutter.

Fig. 2. Back view of the Super l\ettel    closed                                       -


IYumber B
   and 9    The eyepieces
           These are for the view-finder and the dis-
           tance meter respectively, and are placed
            near to each other, so that the eye can be
            changed quickly from one to the other.

IYumber 10   The carnera baclt,
           To load and unload the camera conveniently,
            the back is detachable. This makes it pos-
                sible also to clean the interior of the camera
                matter that must always be attended
             to in all instruments using perforated film.
                  It  is also possible to replace the normal                   ^a          back with    special otd taking a plate-
              holder, so that the Super Nettel may also
            be used with plates. (See following pages for
             further information.)

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.                                      c .When the Curneru is opened,





Fig. 3. Front view of the Super l{ettel    open                                        -


IYumber 11   The lens
          The lens fitted to the camera is of the high-
             est quality, being a Zeiss Triotar or Tessar
            with a focal length of 5 cm . (2") and a full
                                                                          .B .  It   is            aperture of either f /3 .5 or f /2             already well enough known what a Zeiss
              lens means to a came t&,, and it is sufficient
            to note here that with the Tessar f l2.B
             pictures can be made in natural colours
             with the Agfacolor process. (Lenticular film.)

IYumber 12  The struts supporting the len s board
           These are made specially strongty and ri-

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gidly, for if the lens board has the least
              pluy, or if     lens position is altered, sharp                            -the            focus would be oul of the question. (See
            next section.) The whole mecLanical u"iioo
            of the struts is essentially of the highest
                        particularly in view of the Jorrp-               ,precisionr             led distanee meter.


Number 13   The rotating wedge distance rneter
           Here is one of                           most important parts of                                .the           the camera. This is true nbt only i""urr."
           the estimation of distances by      is so                                            "v"         much less accurate than distance'meters,
           but also because the meter is built into the
            camera, and is mechanically coupled to the
              lens. This means that to focus, fh"
              is held before the eye-the latter lookins".-""u
            through a small eyepiece, in which the obl
            ject is seen-and the small wheel of the
             distance meter turned according to the de-
               tails given in the instruction bioklet. The
             shutter release is then pressed to take the
             picture. Every movement of the wheel of
            the distance meter is reproduced by r move-
          ment of the lens in its mount, and thus the
           main                     _ object of the picture is  focussecl
              sharply.. In order to make the operation as
            convenient and simple as possible, the me-
              ter has the famous Zeiss Ikon ,.gold mirror,
          which gives extremely bright"pictures in
           the eyepiece, while the u"trril miving parts
           are rotating wedges, with which distinces
           very near the camera can also be measured.
        The question of accurately focussing the
          camera lens is thus a matfer that is iealt
           with at the works, and the name Zeiss fkon

assures that this is done as accurately as is
           humanly possihle. A scale is also provide_d,
         on which the various distances? and the
           depth of focus at various lens apertuT".,
          can be read directltr once the meter has
            been set.

[Yumber 74   The three studs of the bayon'et f,tting,
           on which the tricolour filter is placed when
            taking Agfacolor photographs, and which
               is also used to hold the lens hood.





         Taken with Tessar f 13.5  lens, focal length 5 cm. (2"),           exposure t/rooth second  at ff B, with light yellow filter

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Fig. 4. Rear view of the camera-with back removed


I{umber 75   The shutter
        A focal-plane shutter is provided, of the
                special Zeiss Ikon pattern-completely made
               of metal, and unaffected by temperature or
             other climatic changes, while *orking ac-
              curately under all conditions. fnstantaneous
                                                                                      t            exposures of                                                                                                      l ,th,    ti roth,   t l ,uth, t/roo th,                t/rooth, t/uoo th, and                                                   t/rooo th of a second are
             provided, and time exposures (the shutter
             opens when the release is pressed, and shuts
          when the finger is taken from the release)
               o! any duration are also possible. The range
                of the Super lt[ettel therefore includes atchi-
              tecture and landscape work as well as sport-
               itg pictures involvirg rapid motion.

IYumber 76   The spool-holder
         On the left is the holder for rhe full, un-
             exposed, spool, and on the right the empty
             one, on which the film is wound. The ar-
            rangement is the same as that of an ordinary

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film camera? except for the fact that the
           Super l{ettel uses perforated film. To wind
           the film correctly a toothed sprocket is
              fitted (next to the right-hand spool-holder
             in the picture) into the teeth of which the
              perforations of the film fit. The film is then
              led, accurately in position, to the windins
               spool.
          The question of the film used in the camera
         may be mentioned here. IJsually  it is most
             convenient to use (just as with the Contax
            camera) the normal Contax spool of 36 ex-
            posures, since the camera may then be
            loaded and unloaded in full daylight. Sp*-
               cial cassettes, however, can be bought, and
            loaded from a long strip of film as may be
              necessary. This loading of the cassette must
           be done in the dark-room? but if much film
                  is used it comes very considerably cheaper.
            There are also various film cartridges on the
            market, which can be used in the Super
                I{ettel camera, but with which the film must
           be rewound into the cartridge when it has
                 all been exposed. A rewindiog knob, No. 7,
              is specially provided for this purpose.





                Spool for Super Nettel    Cassette for Super Nettel

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Points not shown in, the Pictures e,re

 The tripod bush, situated in the base of the camera, which
               is used direct for longways pictures. For
           :Tf  '.'" il:T Tn                                            : 1*:l;' ::T l.i;::                                                                     "
 The spring pressure plate in the back of the camera, which
              holds the film true and flat in the focal plane.

 The thread for serewing-on supplernentary lenses and colour
               f,hers (yellow, green, and red filters) in front
              of the lens itself. These accessories are na-
              turally arranged so that supplementary
              lenses and filters may be used simultane-
             ously: i.e. for near work a filter can be
           screwed into the 2  ft.  supplementary
            lsns-1[s  latter itself being screwed into
            the camera lens. The filter mount, in the
              case of the yellow filters, is arranged so that
                 rt rs not necessary to remove the filter be-
             fore closing the camera. The filter is thus
               left on the front of the lens between ex-
              posures.

standard accessories delivered with the camera comprise
           a flexible shutter release, one empty wind-
             ing spool, and a black leather strapr which
               is attached to the rings on the side of the
                  body, and is used in carrying the
               ::ffi:.

tlseful Accesso ries
to suit the Super lflettel . .  .

The camera itself is really the foundation of one's photo-
graphic equipment, and round it are grouped a whole
host of accessories, some of which are intended to simplify
the work, while others widen the range of the camera.

          t,,ii':,,:.i  i-ii,lr,'iiiti                     L. Leather c&ses
                         Although it is a simple mat-
                             ter either to put the camera
                              in a convenient pocket, or to
                    hand it round one's neck
                         with the sling strap, the use
                          of a case is recommended,
                            since it protects the instru-
Ever readv case             ment from accidental injury.

No. l7B4l2 Ever ready case, in which the camera remains during use
I\o. 178415 Soft leather pouch, with ,ipp fastener
I\o. 17B4lI Stiff brown leather case

2. Supplementary lenses fo, close-up objects
The camera itself will focus on all obj ects 3 feet and more
awelr but for shorter distances than this supplementary
lenses should be screwed into the lens mount. The coupled
distance meter can then not be used, and the distance
must he measured and the lens focussed by hand.


                                                                                                                                                                                         :For distances between 3 and Lt  l , feet from the camera
No. 99411 Zeiss Ikon supplementary lens
1><25.5 Zeiss Proxar lens

                                                                                                                                                                                         :For distances between Lt  l , and I feet from the camera
No. 99412 Zeiss Ikon supplementary lens
2x25.5   Zeiss Proxar lenses

                                               L7

In this connection a specially
                           useful accessory should b;
                           mentioned. This is the-
                                       " Conta,rneter"
                            near focussing deaice,
                         a special distance meter that
                              is permanently set for dis-
 Super l\ettel with the Contameter tances of 50 cm. (20 "),
                      30 cm. (L2 "), and 20 cm.
 (8"). This is fitted into the shoe on top of the camera?
and the latter moved toward the object to be photogra-
phed until the correct distance is reached. It is really
impossible to believe what an astonishing range of new
 subjects, in particular such things as plants and insects,
that the "Contameter" brings with it. A special booklet,
with some very unusual pictures? will be sent on request.
No. 1342 ooContameter" near focussing device, for the Super l\ettel
         camera, with focussing prisms set at 50 cm. (20"),
        30 cm. (L2"), and 20 cm. (8"), together with the ne-
               isary supplementary lenses for the camera, in leather case





                              $
                   Taken with Tessar flz.B lens, focal length
1B                5 crn. (2" ), erposure t/rooth second at flS
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3. Filters fo, black-and-ushite, and natural colour pictures
 Although the modern panchromatic films set a new
 standard in the correct reproduction of colours in mono-
 chrome, even with them it is not possible to depress one
 particular colour in a subject without using a filter. This
 is particularly the case where distant views, night effects,
 and other special types of work come into questiorr. The
 particular filters to use on these special occasions may be
 seen from the table below, which also gives details of the
increase of exposure necessitated by the various types.
 For pictures in natural colours with the Agfacolor process
 (this can only be done with the Tessar f /2.8 lens) a specialtricolour filter must be used.
 i\o.536/16 Tricolour filter for the Tessar fl2.B lens of focal length           5 cm. (2"), in mount
No 536/1 5          ff'.:r,t;'*:fn#j;:x;  il.;l,:H:l T#'il*lJ,lll





Taken with Tessar flz.B lens, focal length
5 cm. (2"), exposur" t/rooth second ar f15.6               1g

4. Ahernatiue aiew-finders
 Although the camera has a built-in optical finder, there
 are certain occasions in which a special finder makes the
 work a good deal simpler. These alternative finders are
 pushed into the shoe provided on the top of the camera body.
                   A particularly suitable finder
                              for use with moving objects
                          of all kinds is the Albada
                              finder. This shows the pic-
                           ture the right way up, and
                            right way round, in its na-
                            tural  size, so that moving
                               objects can be observed with
                       both eyes. The field of the
 Super f{ettel with              finder is considerably larger
 Albada view-finder            than that of the real picture,
                            the latter being ringed round
with a sharp white frame so that it cannot possibly be
confused. Moving objects can thus be followed into the
 field of the camera.
 No. 433/24 Albada type vien--finder





The field of view of the Albada finder
                                            2L

The waist-level view-finder
                                for the Super l\ettel is made
                            in two distinct models, and
                                  is specially useful for objects
                      near the ground, such as
                              children and animals.
                        Apart from this, they may
                   be used as angle finders,
                             since one looks at the image
                          at right angles when using
Super l\ettel with telescopic     them. At times it is more use-
waist-level view-fi nder           ful to appear to take the
                          photograph in a direction at
                            right angles to the actual
                             direction of the camera.
                                         I\o. a36l2              waist-rever
                                         l*;#:"
                               No' a36l5
                                         *:'t";"Tfi:1"',"1""i


                         Another type of special fin-
                            der is the aogle finier, whichSuper Nettel with prismview-finder for use from         is a prism arranged in front
waist level                  of the finder and distance
                      meter eyepiece of the  ca-
                        mera. These are seen from
                    an angle of 600. This angle
                            finder is particularly useful
                              for pictures of objects above
                         the photographer  (". g. aero-
                             planes) since it allows a con-
                            venient position for the head
                           without tilting it excessively.
Super I{ettel with ansle finder   No. a36/6 Angle finder (600)

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5. Holder fo, spectacle lenses
                          In quite a number of cases
                            photographers who wear glas-
                           ses have some difficultv in
                             looking through the distance
                        meter, or in  sighting the
                             view-finder, because of the
Super l\ettel                 fact that they cannot getwith holder for spectacle lenses                           the eye properly against rhe
                          eyepieces. F or those who
suffer in this way a holder is available for the Super N"ettel,
yhi+ keeps t^wo spectacle lenses in the         position,just in fr_ont of the t*g eyep_ieces, so that the"otr""iphotographer
can work without his ordinary glasses. The tro'ta"" is
removed quickly for use by other oormal-sighted persons.
No' 536/12                          without renses
           f$*:1,1fi f"r"::'J;* 3H:"
           2 cylindrical lenses for same
No. 536/41 2 spherical lenses in mounts, which mal', be screwed
            direct into the eyepieces (where the *u-"ro is only
           used by one person)





             Taken with Tessar f I 3.5 lens, focal length
             5 crrr. (2"), exposure ,lroo th second at f  l-5.6

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