Robot -Zeiss Ikon-Kodak- Contessa Nettel

Ebay Auctions

2007-11-15T16:39:00.007+01:00

Robot I without case EUR: 418,00

Contax II Elfenbein 1947 ( Westlicht Photographica Auction) EUR: 11.400

Contessa Nettel Tropical Sonnet 6,5 x 9 EUR: 415
Nikon SP Black 1962 EUR: 3.090
Contax I Set ( Westlicht Photographica Auction) EUR: 1680Robot II Luftwaffen-Eigentum, with black Tele Xenar 3.8/7,5 lens. EUR: 356,55

Contessa Nettel Sonnar, double extension folding plate camera EUR: 135,00 Zeiss Ikon Nettel from 1935 EUR: 213,00 Contessa Nettel Tropenkamera Format 4,5 x 6 cm EUR 421,00 Leica model A EUR: 2560,00
Contessa Nettel Sonnet Tropical 6,5 x 9 model : 451,00 Contessa Nettel Deckrullo Tropical model EUR: 417,00 Ica Favorit Tropical early model EUR: 224,00 Super Ikonta 531/2 EUR: 329,50 Contessa Nettel Deckrullo Tropical EUR: 486,00 Robot model I 1935 EUR: 329,00 Exakta 4,5 x 6 Chrom Ihagee EUR: 296,00
Zeiss Ikon Miroflex A 6,5 x 9 plate camera f=2,8 EUR 257,00 Robot I: EUR 338,00 Kodak Medalist II: EUR 185,00 Zeiss Ikon Contaflex: EUR 899,00 Zeiss Ikon Contax I ( Shutter not work): EUR 362,00

Kodak Ektra: EUR 642,00 Contessa Nettel Deckrullo Tropical: 228,00Kodak Medalist II: EUR 142,00

Zeiss Ikon Contarex Bullseyes: EUR 386,00 Contessa Nettel Tropical: EUR 357,00 Carl Zeiss Sonnar 1: 1,5 : EUR 184,00

Ernemann Tropical Camera: EUR 512,00

Zeiss Ikon Contarex Bullseyes: EUR 397,00

Zeiss Ikon Contax I with early Sonnar lens ( problems with the shutter) EUR: 321,00
Zeiss Ikon Tenax II with Sonnar 1:2 lens EUR: 272,00
Ernemann Ermanox 4.5 x 6 cm with Ernostar Anastigmat lens early version EUR: 582,00
Zeiss Ikon Contax I with early Sonnar 1:2 ( problems with the Shutter) EUR: 312,00

Zeiss Ikon Contax II a with Sonnar 1:1,5 EUR: 298,00

Robot I cassette EUR: 61,19
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531 EUR:199,89

Zeiss Ikon Contax II with Tessar lens EUR: 456,00

Zeiss Ikon Contax I with early black-niquel Sonnar lens EUR: 452,00
Luxia, sub miniature, very rare: EUR 621,00 Zeiss Ikon Volta 146/7 : USD 118,49Zeiss Ikon Contax IIa, with opton lens: EUR 236,99 Zeiss Ikon Nettax with Tessar 1:2,8 lens: EUR 453,70
Reina II C, with Xenon Longar lens from Schneider Kreuznach: EUR 211,00 Zeiss Ikon Contarex Professional body : EUR 628,70 Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 523/16 with Tessar 1:2,8 : EUR 277,00 Robot II with Carl Zeiss Biotar lens: EUR 191,00 Robot I with Tessar lens and case: EUR 618,00 Robot Star White: EUR 318,00

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex 35 mm TLR: EUR 1.219,43

Zeiss Ikon Nettax 538/24 with Tessar lens: EUR 453,00

Robot Luftwaffe, with Biotar lens: EUR 524,00

Robot II a with Xenon in color: EUR 257,00

Zeiss Ikon Miroflex with Tessar: EUR 259,00

Zeiss Ikon Tenax II: EUR 176,00

Zeiss Ikon Nettax 538/24 with a Tessar 50mm 1:2.8 lens: EUR 344,69

Contax II with Sonnar: EUR 189,00
Zeiss Ikon Contax I with Pimple early model: EUR 958,86

Zeiss Ikon Bulleye: EUR 322,00

Super Ikonta 530: EUR 124,40

Zeiss Ikon Contax I, made for China: EUR 645,51

Robot I

2007-11-15T11:37:00.000+01:00

Around 1930 Heinz Kilfitt, a trained watchmaker, designed a new 35 mm film compact camera using a 24x24 mm frame format (instead of the Leica 24x36 mm or cine 18x24 mm formats). The 24x24mm square frame provided many advantages including allowing for over 50 exposures per standard roll of Leica film instead of 36. Kodak and Agfa rejected the design and it was sold to Hans Berning who set up the Otto Berning firm.

Otto Berning got its first Robot patent in 1934. This omitted the spring motor drive as it was originally intended to come in two versions: Robot I, without motor, and Robot II with a spring motor. Its release was delayed and already the first camera "Robot I" included its hallmark spring motor. The first production cameras had a spring drive that could turn at a sensational 4 frames per second. The body of the Robot 1 is Stainless steel. Kilfitt designed a rotary shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/500th second. The camera used proprietary "Type K" cartridges, not the standard 35 mm cartridges—introduced in the same year by Kodak's Dr. August Nagel Kamerawerk for the Retina—available today. The camera has no rangefinder. Its does not need one: it was designed for use mostly with short focal length lenses (e.g. 40 mm).

With practice a photographer could take 4 or 5 pictures a second, in the Olympic Games from Berlin in 1936, Robot I did an excellent job of sequence photography.

Small optical viewfinder could be rotated 90 degrees

This knob with the word Germany is not usual.

Robot I with serial Nº 21532

Robot 1, with orange Robot filter

Robot manufactured only 30.000 units from 1934 until 1938. Its hard to find today a Robot I in good conditions.

Very special Robot I with Tewe viewfinder

Robot I without view Finder from an antique brochure.

Robot I N º 20097 with wiew finder and Tessar 1:2,8 Nº 2027905

Robot Guide from Focal Press, printed in 1949 in Great Britain, at the Sign of the Dolphin, by Hunt, Barnard & Co Ltd.:
The Robot is often viewed a degree of wonder. Whilist everybody agrees that is a good camera, it also a model that does not fit into the usual range of instruments.
Yes, it is precision built,it is fited with good lenses of well know reputation, it is a small, well made camera, but it has features to which a conventional photographer is not accustomed, which he cannot place and with which he has no experience. In consequence he just wonders.

Robot I N 20097 with wiew finder and Tessar 1:2,8 Nº 2027905

Price List from the Robot I:
Camera with Meyer - Primotar 1:3,5 f= 3cm. RM 175
Camera with Zeiss - Tessar 1:3,5 f= 3cm. RM 198
Camera with Zeiss - Tessar 1:2,8 f= 3cm. RM 220

Rare Robot I Nº 21097 with Carl Zeiss Tessar 1:3,5 f=3 cm Nº 1722001
Robot I 1936-1937

Robot early leather case

Wakizashi Koshirae Edo Period

2007-11-15T08:57:00.028+01:00

Wakizashi Koshirae Sea Dragon Edo Period (1603-1868)

In the pictures you can find a Wakizashi Koshirae, this type means a secondary sword which paired with the longer main sword. The design, a Sea Dragon, and the steel worked in many layers, can be dated in the era of Genroku, around 300 years Old.

The Edo period or Tokugawa period (1603 to 1868), is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family.

The Tokugawa period brought 250 years of stability to Japan, ended in 1868.

During the Edo period, master of swordsmiths created masterpieces on Samurai swords, and can be divided into 5 periods of development;

Keigen-shinto period (1596-1623)

Kanbun-shinto period (1658-1683)

Genroku-shinto period (1684-1763)
First half of shinshinto (1764-1829)
Second half of shinshinto (1830-1868)

Issaku Menuki

Tsuba detail

Fuchi detail

Kashira detail

Genroku-shinto period, was as a golden period for manufacturing and art, swordsmiths began to add designs to the Tauka, Fuhi, Kashira and Tsuba, one of this design is the Dragon, usually you can find Dragons winding through sand and clouds, and in some special swords, a dragon winding in the Sea, associated to water deities, rainfall and bodies of water.

Kashira detail

Issaku Menuki

Tsuba

Japanese sword is made from a specialized Japanese steel called Tamahagane, which consist of combinations of hard, high carbon steel and tough, low carbon steel.

Swordsmiths put this combination of raw material, in a furnace at 800 degrees.

A normal katana is folded no more than sixteen times, a basic sword shape.

Some special swords, has more than 1.000 folded, in a very slow process where the Swordsmiths and his assistants hit the steel and fueled the fire of the forge.

Another chapter is the edge of the blade of the samurai sword. How they could get it?

To get an idea, the best kitchen knife, carbon alloys, nickel and steel, have perhaps between 9,000 and 12,000 Grit sharpening, however, Japanese natural sharpening stones, especially from the District of Narutaki, just north of Kyoto, can reach up to 30,000 Grit, when combined with a special stone sedimentary of Iyo, which is used to create a paste or slurry on the sharpening stone, and get an extremely fine finish.
This is also possible for the layers in that folded steel, the primary layer is hidden under thousands of other layers of steel.
To prepare the Katana to give the final edge, they used a medium grit stone, it discovered the primary layers, then the fine-grained stone, combined with the slurry stone gave the finishing sharp.

The secret of the strength of steel was the right combination of steel and carbon, and the cooled of the steel, if they cooled slowly, the material will break back down into iron and carbon and the molecular structure will return to its previous state. However, if cooled quickly, the steel's molecular structure is permanently altered.

Years of trial and expertise forged the legendary Katanas, representing the soul of the Samurai.

A mystical creation in an Era where time does not matter.

Tauka

Tsuba detail

Robot II, and Robot II Luftwaffe-Eigentum

2007-11-15T08:57:00.002+01:00

Robot II Luftwaffe Eigentum Black, an outstanding Army Robot Camera.
During the world war II, Otto Berning produced his famous Robot Luftwaffe Eigentum ( Air force property), this was a special production of flight recognized cameras.
This is a beautiful F serial, 4th version of 1942, with Long-long advance knob (48 exposures) and two holes on top. The F serial comes from the german word " Flieger" or " Flyer", with the famous Sonnar 7,5 cm lens ,in aluminium body of 1941, a rare war time lens, the most popular lens was the Tele-Xenar of 7,5 cm, the Biotar 2,0, and the Xenon 1,9 lens. Only a few units of this versión was fited with the Carl Zeiss 7,5 cm Sonnar.
The camera was used in several German fighter planes like the Messerschmitt BF 109 and 110 and the Focke Wulf 190. In the last one the camera was mounted in a cradle in the right wing and was connected with the guns. The camera could also be used handheld by the crew.
This is a very little master piece of collection. Some research say that 20.000 units were made,many of them were lost in air crashes or ruined over time. It is very difficult to get one of those currently running, and in the future the price will be much higher than now.

A very unusual Carl Zeiss Sonnar 1:4 7,5 cm Luftwaffen Eigentum lens. Very hard to find is this War Time lens, made for the Robot II Luftwaffen Eigentum Camera. Most common are the Tele-Xenar and the Biotar lens.

The Robot II introduced in 1938, has all the improvements of Heinz Kilfitt.A 40mm f2.0 Biotar was fitted as the standard lens. The film could now be fed from a standard 35 mm cassette but still required a Robot cassette for take up and the camera was syncronized for flash.
Robot II early and late model with Biotar lens, see the detail of the knob. 80.ooo units of Robot II build were.
Late model

Robot II pre-series with the blue 90º viewfinder, a rare transitional camera between Robot I and the Robot II standard series.
Early model

Robot Star , Star II , Star 50 and Robot Junior

2007-11-15T08:17:00.001+01:00

Robot Vollautomat Star II

Robot Star 50

Robot Junior with Schneider Kreuznach Radionar 1:3,5 / 30 lens

Robot Star post war camera

Robot I Patent and lenses

2007-11-15T08:17:00.000+01:00

Robot I Patent

Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 1:2,8 / 38

Schneider Kreuznach Xenon 1: 1,9 / 40

Carl Zeiss Biotar 1:2 f= 4 cm

Schneider Kreuznach Tele - Xenar 1: 3,8 / 75 mm

Carl Zeiss Tessar 1: 3,5 f= 3 cm early lens for Robot I ( 1935)

Carl Zeiss Tessar 1:2,8 f= 3 1/4 cm from 1937

Schneider Kreuznach Radionar 1: 3,5 / 38

Carl Zeiss Tessar 1:2,8 f = 3 3/4 cm from 1938

Schneider Kreuznach Xenagon 1:3,5 / 30

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 1:4 f = 7,5 cm ,aluminium body, very rare lens ( 1938)

This is my favorite lens for my Robot Cameras; the Sonnar 1:4 f= 7,5 cm Nº 2772905, aluminium body, war time lens from 1941, used with the Robot II Luftwaffe - Eigentum. This is a description of the Robot Guide, from Focal Press:
Focal lenght made by Carl Zeiss, is a long focal length lens, giving about 2X linear magnification as compared with the standard Robot lenses. This lens belongs to the famous Sonnar series, know for ideally fine definition even at full aperture, and great resolwing power.This sonnar is useful for large portrait heads, distance landscape sections, detail study of architecture, nature work, and in particular animal photography at the Zoo, further for sports photography, particulary where the subject cannot be approached very close.

Contessa Nettel History

2007-11-11T21:51:00.000+01:00

The Contessa-Nettel AG Stuttgart was a German company that resulted from a merger of Contessa Camerawerke Drexler & Nagel and Nettel Camerawerk in the year 1919. After a time of cooperation with ICA it became part of Zeiss Ikon in 1926.

Dr. August Nagel ( above) the most important single figure in German camera development, having started out in 1908 in partnership with a Herr Drexler in 1908 to produce cameras under the name of Drexler & Nagel. In 1909 the company changed its name to Contessa KW and in 1919 amalgamated with Nettel KW to form Contessa-Nettel. In 1926 Contessa-Nettel went into partnership with other famed names such as Erneman, Goertz, ICA and Zeiss to form the Zeiss Ikon AG.

One of the company's specialties was its wide range of stereo camera models. Another specialty were cameras with focal plane shutter. Maybe the company's internal name of these shutters was "Deck-Rouleau", a combination of the German words decken=to cover and Rouleau=roller blind (original form of Rollo, derived from French: rouleau=roll). However, some of the cameras with these shutters were marketed under the type name "Deckrullo".

Kodak History

2007-11-11T21:45:00.000+01:00

Eastman was born at/in Waterville, Oneida County, New York. He was the fourth and youngest child of George Washington Eastman and Maria Kilbourn, both from the bordering town of Marshall. His third sister died shortly after her birth. In 1854, his father established the Eastman Commercial College in Rochester and the Eastman family moved to Rochester in 1865. Two years later, his father died and Eastman left high school to support the family. He began working as an office boy by the age of 14.

In 1874, Eastman became intrigued with photography but was frustrated by the awkward process. It required coating a glass plate with a liquid emulsion, that had to be used before it dried. After three years of experimentation with British gelatin emulsions, he developed a dry photographic plate, patented it in both England and the US, and began a photographic business in 1880.
In 1884, he patented a photographic medium that replaced fragile glass plates with a photo-emulsion coated on paper rolls. The invention of roll film greatly speeded up the process of recording multiple images.
Eastman received a patent in 1888 for his roll film camera. He coined the marketing phrase "You press the button, we do the rest."The phrase entered the public consciousness, and was even incorporated into a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta (Utopia, Limited). The camera owner could return it with a processing fee of $10, and the company would develop the film and return 100 pictures, along with a new roll of 100 exposures.

On September 4, 1888 Eastman registered the trademark Kodak. The letter "O" had been a favorite of Eastman's, he is quoted in saying, "it seems a round, endless sort of letter". He and his mother devised the name Kodak with an anagram set. He said that there were three principal concepts he used in creating the name: it must be short, you can not mispronounce it, and it could not resemble anything or be associated with anything but Kodak.

By 1896, 100 Kodak cameras had been sold. The first Kodak had cost USD $15. The pocket camera now cost $0.50. In an effort to bring photography to the masses, Eastman introduced the Brownie in 1900 at a price of just $1. It became a great success.

In 1925, Eastman gave up his daily management of Kodak, to become chairman of the board. He thereafter concentrated on philanthropic activities, to which he had already donated substantial sums. He was one of the major philanthropists of his time, ranking only slightly behind Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and a few others, but did not seek publicity for his activities. He concentrated on institution-building and causes which could help people's health. He donated to the University of Rochester, establishing the Eastman School of Music and School of Dentistry; to Tuskegee Institute; and made major donations to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which helped build several of their first buildings at their second campus along the Charles River.

In his final two years Eastman was in intense pain. He had trouble standing and his walking became a slow shuffle. It was caused by a degenerative disorder affecting his spine. Today it might be diagnosed as spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal caused by calcification in the vertebrae. Eastman grew depressed, as he had seen his mother spend the last two years of her life in a wheelchair from the same condition. On March 14, 1932, Eastman committed suicide using an automatic pistol. He left a suicide note that read, "To my Friends, My work is done. Why wait?" His funeral was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Rochester. Eastman, who never married, is buried on the grounds of the company he founded at Kodak Park in Rochester, New York

During his lifetime, he donated $100 million, mostly to the University of Rochester and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (under the alias "Mr. Smith").[9] The Rochester Institute of Technology has a building dedicated to Mr. Eastman, in recognition of his support and substantial donations. He endowed the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester.

MIT has a plaque of Eastman (the rubbing of which is traditionally considered by students to bring good luck) in recognition of his donation. Eastman also made substantial gifts to the Tuskegee Institute and the Hampton Institute. Upon his death, his entire estate went to the University of Rochester, where his name can be found on the Eastman Quadrangle of the River Campus. His former home at 900 East Avenue in Rochester, New York was opened as the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in 1949. On the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1954, Eastman was honored with a postage stamp from the United States Post Office.

Eastman had a very astute business sense. He focused his company to making film when competition heated in the camera industry. By providing quality and affordable film to every camera manufacturer, Kodak managed to turn all competition into more business.

Zeiss Ikon History

2007-11-11T21:40:00.000+01:00

Zeiss Ikon is a German company that was formed in 1926 by the merger of four camera makers, and indeed the word Ikon came from ICA and Contessa-Nettel, two of the constituents in the merger. The other two companies were Ernemann and Goerz. The company was a part of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, another part being the optical company Carl Zeiss. Logically, most of the Zeiss Ikon cameras were equipped with Carl Zeiss lenses. Soon AG Hahn für Optik und Mechanik, Kassel, and Goerz Photochemisches Werk GmbH, Berlin, joined the Zeiss Ikon syndicate. It became one of the big companies in the phototechnical capital Dresden, with plants in Stuttgart and Berlin. Until WWII Zeiss Ikon was the world's market leading maker of 8mm movie cameras.

Postwar production began early in May 1945. But it was interrupted because several factories were closed for dismantling their production machines. The machines were given as reparation to the soviet camera makers which had suffered demolition during the war. The production of the sophisticated Contax rangefinder cameras was prepared in Dresden and relaunched with new machines in Jena before all the machines were tranfererred to Soviet camera maker Kiev. In 1948 the East German part of Zeiss Ikon became state owned. Production and development of Ernemann projectors and movie cameras were continued since 1949. Camera production was continued in 1947 with the Tenax and the Ikonta models. Soon the company's stock of shutters was running out. In 1950 it decided to produce its own shutters. In 1948 the company could introduce its advanced SLR model, the Contax S. Since there were suits about trade mark names with the West-German Zeiss Ikon AG, VEB Zeiss Ikon was renamed to VEB Kinowerke Dresden in 1958. Later it became the main part of the East German combinate Pentacon.

The Carl Zeiss company is a German manufacturer of optical systems, industrial measurements and medical devices originally founded in Jena in 1846 by Carl Zeiss (Photo above on the right), Ernst Abbe and Otto Schott. Due to the results of World War II there are currently two parts, the Carl Zeiss AG located in Oberkochen with important subsidiaries in Aalen, Göttingen and Hallbergmoos (near Munich) and Carl Zeiss GmbH located in the foundation city Jena.

The organisation is named after one of its founders, the German optician Carl Zeiss (1816–1888).

Carl Zeiss is the premier company of the Zeiss Gruppe, one of the two large divisions of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung. The Zeiss Gruppe is located in Heidenheim and Jena.

The other division of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, the glass manufacturer Schott AG and Jenaer Glaswerk, is located in Mainz and Jena

The history of Carl Zeiss AG begins in Jena before World War II, then the world's largest location of camera production. Zeiss Ikon represented a significant part of the production along with dozens of other brands and factories, and also had major works at Dresden.

The destruction of the war caused many companies to divide into smaller subcompanies and others to merge together. There was great respect for the engineering innovation that came out of Dresden—before the war the world's first 35 mm single-lens reflex camera, the Kine Exakta, and the first miniature camera with good picture quality were developed there

At the end of the war Jena was occupied by the US Army. When Jena and Dresden were incorporated into the Soviet occupation zone, later East Germany, Zeiss Jena was assisted by the US army to relocate to the Contessa manufacturing facility in Stuttgart, West Germany, while the remainder of Zeiss Jena was taken over by the (Eastern) German Democratic Republic as Kombinat VEB Zeiss Jena. The occupying Russians took most of the existing Zeiss factories and tooling back to Russia as the Kiev camera works, which produced low-quality copies of the Contax and other Zeiss Ikon products.

The western business was restarted in Oberkochen (in southwestern Germany) as Opton Optische Werke Oberkochen GmbH in 1946, which became Zeiss-Opton Optische Werke Oberkochen GmbH in 1947, but was soon renamed to Carl Zeiss. Western German Zeiss products were labelled Opton when sold into the Eastern block, whilst Eastern German Zeiss products where labelled "Zeiss Jena" when sold to Western countries.

In 1973, the Western Carl Zeiss AG entered into a licensing agreement with the Japanese camera company Yashica to produce a series of high-quality 35mm film cameras and lenses bearing the Contax and Zeiss brand names. This collaboration continued under Yashica's successor, Kyocera, until the latter ceased all camera production in 2005. Zeiss later produced lenses for the space industry and, more recently, has again produced high-quality 35mm camera lenses.

Following German reunification, VEB Zeiss Jena became Zeiss Jena GmbH, which became JENOPTIC Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH in 1990. In 1991 the company name was shortened to JENOPTIC GmbH. The companies of the Zeiss Gruppe in and around Dresden have branched into new technologies: screens and products for the automotive industry, for example. Zeiss nonetheless still continues to be a camera manufacturer, and still produces the Pentacon, Praktica, and special-use lenses (e.g., Exakta).
Today, there are arguably three companies with primarily Zeiss Ikon heritage: Zeiss Germany, the Finnish/Swedish Ikon (which bought the West German Zeiss Ikon AG), and the independent eastern Zeiss Ikon.

The Zeiss company was responsible for many innovations in optical design and engineering. Early on, Carl Zeiss realised that he needed a competent designer so as to bring the firm beyond just being another optical workshop, so in 1866, the service of Dr Ernst Abbe was enlisted. From then on, novel products appeared in rapid succession, which brought the Zeiss company to the forefront of optical technology.

Abbe was instrumental in the development of the famous Jena optical glass. When he was trying to eliminate astigmatism from microscopes, he realised that the assortment of optical glass available was not sufficient. After some calculations, he found that, if optical glasses of various properties were available, performance of optical instruments would dramatically improve. His challenge to glass manufacturers was finally answered by Dr Otto Schott, who established the famous glassworks at Jena from which new types of optical glass began to appear from 1888, and employed by Zeiss and other makers.

The new Jena optical glass also opened up the possibility of increased performance of photographic lenses. The first use of Jena glass in a photographic lens was by Voigtländer, but as the lens was an old design its performance did not make great improvement. But the point of these new types of optical glass was the possibility of further corrections, especially correction for astigmatism, and the highest level of correction: apochromatic corrections. Abbé started the design of a photographic lens of symmetrical design with five elements, but went no further.

Zeiss' domination of photographic lens innovation was due to Dr Paul Rudolph. In 1890, Rudolph designed an asymmetrical lens with a cemented group at each side of the diaphragm, and appropriately named "Anastigmat". This lens was made in three series: Series III, IV and V, with maximum apertures of f/7.2, f/12.5, and f/18 respectively. This family was constantly developed. In 1891, Series I, II and IIIa appeared with respective maximum apertures of f/4.5, f/6.3, and f/9. 1893 came Series IIa of f/8 maximum aperture. These lenses are now better known by the trademark "Protar", first used in 1900.

At the time, single combination lenses, which occupy one side of the diaphragm only, were still popular. Rudolph designed one with three cemented elements in 1893, with the option of fitting two of them together in a lens barrel as a compound lens, but it was found to be the same as the Dagor by C.P. Goerz, designed by Emil von Hoegh. Rudolph gave the idea a rethink and came up with a single combination with four cemented elements, which can be considered as having all the elements of the Protar stuck together in one piece. Marketed in 1894, it was called the Protarlinse Series VII, the most highly corrected single combination lens with maximum apertures between f/11 and f/12.5, depending on its focal length.

But the important thing about this Protarlinse is that two of these lens units can be mounted in the same lens barrel to form a compound lens of even greater performance and larger aperture, between f/6.3 and f/7.7. In this configuration it was called the Double Protar Series VIIa. An immense range of focal lengths can thus be obtained by the various combination of Protarlinse units.

At about the same time, Rudolph also investigated the Double-Gauss concept of a symmetrical design with thin positive meniscii enclosing negative elements. The result was the Planar Series Ia of 1896, with maximum apertures up to f/3.5, one of the fastest lenses of its time. While it was very sharp, it suffered from coma, thus restricted its popularity. However, further developments of this configuration made it the design of choice for high-speed lenses of standard coverage.

Probably inspired by the Stigmatic lenses designed by Hugh Aldis for Dallmeyer of London, Rudolph designed a new asymmetrical lens with four thin elements, the Unar Series Ib, with apertures up to f/4.5. Due to its high speed it was used extensively on hand cameras.

The most important Zeiss lens by Rudolph was the Tessar, first sold in 1902 in its Series IIb f/6.3 form. It can be said as a combination of the front half of the Unar with the rear half of the Protar. This proved to be a most valuable and flexible design, with tremendous development potential. Its maximum aperture was increased to f/4.7 in 1917, and reached f/2.7 in 1930. It is safe to say that every lens manufacturer has produced lenses after the Tessar configuration.

Rudolph left Zeiss after the First World War, but many other competent designers such as Merté, Wandersleb, etc. kept the firm at the leading edge of photographic lens innovations. One of the most significant designer was the ex-Ernemann man Dr Ludwig Bertele, famed for his Ernostar high-speed lens.

With the advent of the Contax by Zeiss-Ikon, the first serious challenge to the Leica in the field of professional 35mm cameras, both Zeiss-Ikon and Carl Zeiss decided to beat the Leica in every possible way. Bertele's Sonnar series of lenses designed for the Contax can be said to be superior to almost every equivalence for the Leica for at least two decades. Other lenses for the Contax included the Biotar, Biogon, Orthometar, and various Tessars and Triotars.

The last important Zeiss innovation before the Second World War was the technique of applying anti-reflective coating to lens surfaces. A lens so treated was marked with a red "T", short for "Transparent". The technique of applying multiple layers of coating was developed from this basis after the war, and known as "T*" (T-star).

After the partitioning of Germany, a new Carl Zeiss optical company was established in Oberkochen, while the original Zeiss firm in Jena continued to operate. At first both firms produced very similar lines of products, and extensively cooperated in product-sharing, but they drifted apart as time progressed. Jena's new direction was to concentrate on developing lenses for the 35mm single-lens reflex camera, and many achievements were made, especially in ultra-wide angle designs. In addition to that, Oberkochen also worked on designing lenses for large format cameras, interchangeable front element lenses such as for the 35mm single-lens reflex Contaflex, and other types of cameras.

Since the beginning of Zeiss as a photographic lens manufacturer, it has a licensing programme which allows other manufacturers to produce its lenses. Over the years its licensees included Voigtländer, Bausch & Lomb, Ross, Koristka, Krauss, Kodak. etc. In the 1970s, the western operation of Zeiss-Ikon got together with Yashica to produce the new Contax cameras, and many of the Zeiss lenses for this camera, among others, were produced by Yashica's optical arm Tomioka. As Yashica's owner Kyocera terminated camera production in 2006, these lenses are then made by Cosina, who also manufacture most of the new Zeiss designs for the new Zeiss Ikon coupled rangefinder camera. Another licensees active today is Sony who uses the Zeiss name on lenses on its video and digital still cameras.

Now over 100 years old, Zeiss continues to be associated with expensive and high-quality optical lenses. Zeiss lenses are generally thought to be elegant and well-constructed, yielding high-quality images. Even old lens designs such as the Tessar demonstrate engineering elegance and in the modern age of plastic parts, many Zeiss lenses are still made with predominantly metal components.

Zeiss licenses its technology to be manufactured by third-party companies and indeed, many have done so. Notable names include Hasselblad, a famous name in medium format professional cameras. Rollei, Yashica, Sony, Logitech and Alpa amongst others, have used or manufactured lenses under Zeiss license. The Contax line of 35mm cameras, first produced by Yashica and subsequently Kyocera until 2005 are perhaps the most well-known to fit Zeiss lenses. Notably absent from this list are the Japanese companies Canon and Nikon, who by and large produce their own lenses. However on January 18, 2006 Zeiss announced that it plans to independently market a series of fixed focal length lenses designed primarily for Nikon film cameras.

On April 27, 2005 the company announced a collaboration with Nokia in the camera phone market. The first product to emerge out of this collaboration is the Nokia N90. Outside the world of cameras and imaging, Zeiss also produces spectacle lenses, particularly lenses made from high refractive index glass, allowing people whose prescriptions require high-dioptre spectacles to use thinner lenses. These are sold in many countries, though not in the United States.

Robot Cameras History

2007-11-11T21:24:00.002+01:00

Around 1930 Heinz Kilfitt ( photo on the right), a trained watchmaker, designed a new 35 mm film compact camera using a 24x24mm frame format. The 24x24mm square frame provided many advantages including allowing for over 50 exposures per standard roll of Leica film instead of 36. Kodak and Agfa rejected the design and it was sold to Hans Berning who set up the Otto Berning firm. Hans Heinrich Berning, with a little help from his father, founded Otto Berning & Co. in Schwelm (Westphalia), with production in Duesseldorf from about 1934.

Otto Berning ( photo on the right)got its first Robot patent in 1934. This omitted the spring motor drive as it was originally intended to come in two versions: Robot I, without motor, and Robot II with a spring motor. Its release was delayed and already the first camera "Robot I" included its hallmark spring motor. The first production cameras had a spring drive that could turn at a sensational 4 frame/s. The body of the Robot 1 is Stainless steel. Kilfitt designed a rotary shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/500th second. The camera used proprietary "Type K" cartridges, not the standard 35 mm cartridges introduced in the same year by Kodak's Dr. August Ángel Kamerawerk for the Retina available today. The camera has no rangefinder. Its does not need one: it was designed for use mostly with short focal length lenses.

The stainless steel body was made by WMF in Geislingen a.d. Steigen; the spring film wind by clock manufacturers Bauerle from the Schwarzwald; the shutter by Gauthier of Calmbach; and lenses came mostly from Schneider and Zeiss. Two particularly unusual features of the original Robot I, of which about 30,000 were made up to 1938, were the swivelling viewfinder, which could be turned to allow shooting at right angles to the line of sight, and a built-in yellow/green filter that could be switched in and out.

The Robot I was quite small, the body measuring only 4.25 inches long, 2.5 inches high, and 1.25 inches deep. A razor sharp, zone focusing f2.8, 3.25 cm Zeiss Tessar lens added only 1/2 inch to the camera depth. It was about the size of an Olympus Stylus although it weighed about 20 ounces, approximately the weight of a modern SLR. The die cast zinc and stamped stainless steel body was crammed with clockwork. A spring motor on the top plate provided the driving force for a rotary behind the lens shutter and a sprocket film drive. The film was loaded into cassettes in a darkroom or changing bag. The cassettes appear to be based on the Agfa Memo cassette design, the now-standard Kodak 35 mm cassette not yet being popular in Germany. In place of the velvet light trap on modern cassettes, the Robot cassette used spring pressure and felt pads to close the film passage. When the camera back was shut, the compression opened the passage and the film could travel freely from one cassette to another.

The rotary shutter and the film drive are like those used in cine cameras. When the photographer's finger pressed the shutter release, a light blocking shield lifted and the shutter disc rotated a full turn exposing the film through its open sector. When the finger was raised, the light blocking shield returned to its position behind the lens, the spring motor advanced the film and recocked the shutter. The action was almost instantaneous. With practice a photographer could take 4 or 5 pictures a second. Each winding of the spring motor was good for about 25 pictures or half a roll of film. Shutter speed was determined by spring tension and mechanical delay since the exposure sector was fixed. The Robot I had an exposure range of 1 to 1/500 s plus the usual provision for time exposures.

The camera had other features not specifically related to action photography. The small optical viewfinder could be rotated 90 degrees to permit pictures to be taken in one direction while the photographer was facing in another. When the viewfinder was rotated, the scene was viewed through a deep purple filter similar to those used by cinematographers to judge the black and white contrast of an image. The camera had a built in deep yellow filter which could be positioned behind the lens.

Nikon S Nippon Kogaku

2007-11-10T21:54:00.001+01:00

In 1946, Masahiko Fuketa design the Nikon One. The design was taken from the model Contax II ( 1936 ) from Zeiss Ikon. The Nikon One was produced from 1948 to 1949, then to add improvments, was named Nikon M, until 1951, when he made this model, the Nikon S, which was exported to the U.S. market.

This model belonged to the EE.UU Armed Forces, carries a fast 1:1,4 5cm coated lens, with a UV filter manufactured for Nikkor by Walz. The total production was 35.127 cameras, from 1951 to 1954, a beautifull example of Japan tecnology.The lens is immaculate, the original filter was very hard screwd in the 1,4 lens. No signs of clean, no dust, amazing well preserved.

Leica III pre war wonder

2007-11-10T21:51:00.000+01:00

Leica III or F model , with Summar f= 5cm 1:2 Nº 481680 colapsable lens.( 1934)

Zeiss Ikon Tenax I and Volta 295

2007-11-10T21:25:00.000+01:00

Tenax I Nº H 89928 ( 1938) with Novar 1:3,5 f= 3,5 cm manufactured until 1941 Price in GBP: 11,00 ( 30.000 units was manufactured of this model)

Zeiss Ikon Volta 295, with Ica Akt-Ges. Extra - Rapid - Aplanat _Helios 1:8 f=16,5 cm lens.
This singular camera is a lower end folding plate camera, with single extension bellows.The Volta had been listed in the Ica catalog since around 1910, and this camera is a 13 x 18 cm model, manufactured until 1927. You can see the difference of sizes with the Piccolette of Contessa Nettel.

Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta

2007-11-10T19:40:00.001+01:00

Super Ikonta 531, from 1938 with Tessar 1:3,5 f=7,5 cm Nº 2326735, camera Nº G 68807

Super Ikonta 530, very early model, the Tessar lens is from 1933.

Take care about this Super Ikonta, do you see something diferent? Super Ikonta 1933-1934 high speed 300 , with diferent Zeiss logo, a curiosity. Compur Nº 1218417 Super Ikonta 1934 High speed 500, Compur Nº 4005318

As Klaus-Eckard Riess( a great expert in Zeiss Ikon cameras and history) says: The oldest is equipped with a Compur S shutter which does have 3 shutter blades, and the newest has a Compur Rapid with 5 shutter blades. http://www.kl-riess.dk/story.html
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 533/16 of 1938 with Tessar 1:2,8 Nº 2302098 Compur Rapid Nº 4282480 lens

Super Ikonta B 532/16, 1937 with rigid albanda finder and Tessar 1:2,8 f=8 cm lens Nº 2103918 Compur Rapid Nº 4209190

Super ikonta 532/16 with Contessa Nettel Piccolette

Super Ikonta B 530/16 ,1936 with Tessar 1:2,8 f=8 cm Nº1762830 Compur Rapid Nº 4080224
Price list in 1936: With Tessar 1:2,8 GBP 28,00 / With Tessar 1:3,5 GBP 25,00

Super Ikonta 531/2 with unusual Novar 1:3,5 f= 10,5 cm, Compur Nº 1444831. Manufactured between 1937 and 1956 ( this model is from 1940). Some model were sold with Novar lenses.

Super Ikonta in original Box

Super Ikomat C 530/2 , 1935 - 1937 with Tessar 1: 4,5 f=10,5 cm Nº 1621180 Compur Rapid Nº 4021406, this is an early model of 1935.

Super Ikomat 530/2 with Super Ikomat 530

Super Ikomat 530/2 with Contessa Nettel Piccolette

Super Ikomat 530, from 1934 with Tessar 1:3,5 f=7cm lens Nº 1581777. A few units from SuperIkonta 530, was named Super Ikomat. Compur Nº 4005318

Zeiss Ikon Maximar

2007-11-10T19:20:00.000+01:00

Zeiss Ikon Maximar: Quality folding plate camera (manufactured until 1937 ) Merged from Ica, this model has a Tessar 1:4,5 f= 10,5 cm Nº 789919 Compur Nº 193403 ( 1927)

A Maximar 107/1 with a Contessa Nettel Piccolette
Maximar 207/3 with Tessar 1:4,5 f= 10,5 cm Nº 2098938 Compur Nº 4039194 ( 1937)

A Maximar 207/7 with Tessar 1:4,5 f= 15 cm Nº 1130418 Compur Nº1048609 ( 1930)

Maximar 207/1 with Tessar 1:4,5 f=13,5 cm Nº 788307 Compur Nº 143978 ( 1927)

Zeiss Ikon Super Nettel I

2007-11-10T19:17:00.000+01:00

Zeiss Ikon Super Nettel I , manufactured from 1934-1937 with Tessar 1:3,5 f= 5 cm Nº 1409808 early model Nº C.20937.This serie started on C. 20001 to C. 21000. Based on informations of Zeiss Ikon research, the body is from 1936, and if we considered the serial number of the lens, this lens appears to have been built in 1934, one of the first edition. Only 12.000 units was made of this camera.

This camera had been discontinued in 1938 eclipsed by the success of the Contax and Super Ikonta designs.

Price in 1934:

With Tessar 1:2,8 GBP: 23,00

With Tessar 1:3,5 GBP: 21,00
With Triotar GBP: 18,00( GBP 900 today)

Vintage Advertising

2007-11-10T19:05:00.000+01:00

Zeiss Ikon Contax III

2007-11-10T19:02:00.000+01:00

The Contax III, in production from 1936 to 1945 sported a built-in light meter on top of the camera body. Otherwise all of the features of the Contax II are included.

Contax III Nº G 11319 (1938) with Sonnar 1:1,5 f= 50 mm lens number Nº 2269628 from 1938

Price list of 1936:
With Tessar 1:3,5 GBP: 53,00
With Tessar 1:2,8 GBP: 55,00
With Sonnar 1:2 GBP: 63,00
With Sonnar 1:1,5 GBP: 78,00

Zeiss Ikon Contax II

2007-11-10T18:54:00.001+01:00

The Contax II began production in 1936 and added the world's first range / viewfinder. Shutter speeds ranged up to 1/1250 second. The Contax II also had a self-timer and a chromium plated body. The Contax II was produced until 1945.
Zeiss Ikon Contax II with Zeiss Opton 1:2 Sonnar f=50 cm Nº 582375

Price list in 1936
With Tessar 1:3,5 GBP: 40,00
With Tessar 1:2,8 GBP: 43,00
With Sonnar 1:2 GBP: 50,00
With Sonnar 1:1,5 GBP: 65,00

In this model, you can see a flash syncro.

Contessa Nettel Tropical Sonnet

2007-11-10T18:36:00.001+01:00

Sonnet Tropical from Contessa Nettel

This beauty was original from Contessa Camerawerk, after Contessa merged with Nettel in 1919, it was in the Zeiss catalog until 1930.

This camera probably is from 1917, and is the 303/3 model, wide 6,5 cm and 9 cm high, with a Tessar lens.

Zeiss Ikon Contax I

2007-11-10T18:16:00.000+01:00

The Contax of 1932 exhibited a feature set very little different from what we would find today in a top rangefinder camera, including a black body. It had the longest rangefinder base (100mm) ever. The first Contax had a vertical travel, eleven blade, metal, focal plane shutter. Shutter speeds could be set, all from the same dial, up to 1/1000 second.

An extraordinary bayonet mount for attachment of interchangeable lenses. Interchangeable lenses were available with speeds up to fl.5. The Contax also had a detachable back to accommodate the changing of film.

Early Contax I ( Serie V )

The Contax I was in production from 1932 to 1938( 41.000 units manufactured) and by 1934 there were 12 lenses from 28mm to 500mm in the Carl Zeiss lens line.

Zeiss Ikon Contax I with Contameter 1343 accessories
Zeiss Ikon Contax I with the rare torpedo viewfinder for 135 mm

Zeiss Ikon Contax I f with early Tessar colapsable lens 1:3,5 f= 5 cm Nº 1270936, a very early Tessar lens from 1931-1932

Four screws in the accesory shoes identifies the Contax f model, this model is considereded to be the most reliable variant of the early Contax cameras, because of the improved of Hubert Nerwin, chief designer at Zeiss Ikon, and his newly designed rotating prism rangefinder.

Contax I e, with Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 1:2 f= 5 cm rare transitional lens number 1629576 from 1935

Contax I with Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 1:3,5 f= 5 cm serial number 2080031 from 1937

Zeiss Ikon Contax I latest model Nº Z 69057 with Sonnar Carl Zeiss lens
manufactured in 1935

Sonnar 1:2 f= 5 cm Nº 1660121
transitional lens from 1935

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIa

2007-11-10T18:04:00.003+01:00

Zeiss Contax IIa 563/24

In 1950, Zeiss Ikon introduced the famous Contax IIa. With a completely re-engineered shutter mechanism, this camera is one of the best Zeiss Ikon creation, discontinued in 1961. Here with the fast Sonnar 1.5 from 1938, a combination of excellence.

Ernemann Heagh II Ser II Luxus Serial Num 252813

2007-11-10T18:01:00.019+01:00

Erneman Heag II Ser II Luxus Special model

This is a beautiful rare special camera, made by Ernemann around 1913. This beauty is equipped with the Ernemann Bob Model I shutter, and a Detectiv Aplanat 1=6,8 Nº 1 Ernemann lens. This is the first photo on Internet, and in the Ernemann books, there no mention about this rare example. Probably is a special order for a luxury Heag II camera, the shutter is the Bob model I, but it has a black enameled front standard and rectangular finger grips like the second Heag II camera. ( See fotocopy down )

Size: 15 cm x 4 cm x 11 cm

Kodak Bantam Special

2007-11-10T17:55:00.000+01:00

Kodak's Bantam Special 1936-1948

Taking 828 roll film with 8 exposures,Kodak Bantam Special with f2 45mm Ektar lens in a Kodak Supermatic Shutter (1941-1948) With a production run of less than 8,000 units, this version of the Kodak Bantam Special is one of the rarest Kodak models.

This Kodak Bantam Special Camera was made from 1936 to 1940, this version has a Compur Rapid Shutter,with f2 45mm Ektar lens. 19.000 units of this beauty went on sale.

Difference between the knob for the two models, first Compur Shutter, second Supermatic Shutter.

Ica Maximar 207/1, Nixe 595, Ideal 111 and Toska 215

2007-11-10T17:52:00.000+01:00

In 1909, the four camera makers Hüttig AG in Dresden, Kamerawerk Dr. Krügener in Frankfurt/M, Wünsche AG in Reick near Dresden and Carl Zeiss Palmos AG in Jena joined forces to become the Internationale Camera A.-G. (ICA) in Dresden. Hüttig, one of the oldest camera makers was founded in 1862. Originally, the company logo was a five-pointed star. Later this was changed to a light-bearing angel. ICA produced a variety of cameras. Of course some camera lines of the founding companies were continued. The plate cameras Sirene 135 and Ideal are common.

In 1926, ICA was one of the name-giving partners in Zeiss-Ikon. The others were Ernemann, also in Dresden, Goerz and Contessa-Nettel.

Ika Toska 215 from 1921

Ica Nixe model 595, high quality large rollfilm camera, was the deluxe version of the Lloyd and the Halloh. Here, with Hekla 1:6,8 Foc 15 cm Nº 252335 lens.

Ica Nixe 595 with Ica Ideal 111

Ica Ideal model 111, with Rodenstock Trinar !:4,5 f= 10,5 cm Nº 434393 lens.

Zeiss Ikon Ica Maximar 207/1 with Preminar 1:4,5 f=13,5 cm Nº 741699 and Deltalinse 13,5 x 1,6 Nº 4308 Ica Akt.- Ges. Dresden lens.Compur Nº 100699 , D.R.P. Nº 258646 D.R.G.M. ( 1926) transitional Zeiss Ikon merged camera.

Kodak Vest Pocket Soldier Camera and Art Deco

2007-11-10T17:45:00.000+01:00

Kodak Vest Pocket the most popular Camera in the World War I, introduced in 1912.

Kodak Art Deco Camera manufactured between 1933 and 1937 pre war beauty

Kodak Medalist II, Kodak Retina I - II c

2007-11-10T17:34:00.000+01:00

The Kodak Medalist was an unusual design for a medium format camera when it was introduced in 1941.The Medalist, however, was a rigid cast-aluminum body design with a unique double helical lens tube in place of the conventional cloth bellows. This design was stronger, protected internal mechanisms better and was nearly as compact when the lens was retracted. The Medalist was used extensively during WWII by the American services.

Because the design of the 100mm Ektar on the Medalist was so successful and because so many of these were produced, it is not uncommon to find the occassional unmounted Medalist lens at auction or camera shows.

The Medalist is often described as a large, heavy camera. For storage, the double helical tube retreats into the body, for a total depth of 3.75 inches; fully extended it is 5 inches deep.

Medalist II, from 1946 to 1953

Kodak Medallist II with lens hood

Kodak Retina I or 141 type,manufactured between 1937 and 1939, with Xenar f:3,5 F=5 cm Schneider Kreuznach lens Nº 1631105. Kodak reportedly had sold 31,749.

Camera Kodak Retina II-c 1958 with Heligon C f:2,8/50mm Rodenstock lens Nº 624157
my father's camera

Ihagee Exakta VX, VX IIa an Butcher's watch pocket carbine

2007-11-10T17:29:00.000+01:00

The Ihagee company was founded in Dresden, Germany in 1912 by Johan Steenbergen, a young man from Meppel, The Netherlands. Originally, the company was named Industrie- und Handelsgesellschaft; later, the abbreviation IHG was written as it is pronounced (in German): eehahgay and incorporated in the official name. Actually, the company has changed its name and structure several times; here with Ihagee I mean all these companies.
Ihagee has produced many camera types, some rather common but also some interesting models. In particular the Patent Klappreflex was unusual. It was a single lens bellows reflex that folded (the klapp) in a special way (the patent). It also produced bellows and macro extension rings, microscope adapters, flash equipment and enlargers. Lenses were always supplied by other companies.
World fame came with the Exakta. In 1933 it was a compact single lens reflex for roll film; this model is now called the Standard-Exakta (Vest Pocket Exakta in English speaking countries). In 1936 the Kine-Exakta was the world's first single lens reflex that used the now standard cine film and the 24x36 mm picture size.
Steenbergen had a Jewish wife and, although she was an American citizen, he considered it wise to leave Germany and go to the USA in 1942. He never saw Dresden and his company again.
In february 1945 Dresden, a very beautiful city, was heavily bombed because it was so beautiful. The allies hoped this would demoralise the Germans so much that they would end the war. That didn't happen but the Ihagee factory was destroyed. Only a few machines and some parts, stored elsewhere, were recovered a few months later.
After the war, Ihagee produced only Exakta and later Exa models. The 1950 Exakta was the world's first miniature camera with exchangeable viewfinders. The Exakta has been produced, in many upgraded models, from 1936 till 1969. The oldest lenses fit the newest model and vice versa.East Germany could not keep up with the technological development in the western world and Japan. Besides that, the East German gouvernment was unhappy with a company that had a foreign owner and could not be nationalised. So they let it decline; in the end it was just a sign on the wall of Pentacon, the Praktica factory.

Exakta VX II a with Carl Zeiss Biotar 1:2 f=58 mm lens

Exakta VX
Exakta VX II a

BUTCHER (W.Butcher & Sons, London, England)
William Butcher set up in business as a chemist in Blackheath, South London in 1860. However it was not until c1894 that the Butchers began manufacturing photographic goods under the "Primus trademark. The photographic business was run by Mr. WE Butcher and Mr FE. Butcher sons of founder William Butcher.

The business grew very rapidly. By February 1902 it moved to Camera House, Farringdon Avenue, London EC. Some cameras and accessories continued to be made at Blackheath and much was bought from other manufacturers, notably German firms. In fact, before WW1 the firm was primarily an importer Before 1909, most of its cameras were made by Huttig, thereafter by Ica.

Butcher's Watch Pocket square carbine, manufactured in 1912
Small folding camera with tapered bellows taking pictures 23 inches (57 mm) square, with a f7.7 aldis uno anastigmat lens of 76 mm focal length, this is an early model before the model who has the Lukos II rotary sector shutter model.

Ihagee Model Exakta VX with Meyer Primoplan Optik, Serie 2 before 1954 Nº 717754

Zeiss Ikon Contarex and Contessa

2007-11-10T17:24:00.000+01:00

Zeiss Ikon Contarex Bullseye( Nº T 93451), with Planar 1:2 f= 50mm Nº 2374939 outstanding camera from 1959 to 1966, here with a Robot I from 1935
Contarex with Sonnar 1:4 f= 135 mm Carl Zeiss lens
Contarex and Super Ikonta 533/16, two heavy horses

Zeiss Ikon Contessa 35 ( 533/24) manufactured from 1950 to 1955 with Tessar 1:2,8 Opton lens

Kodak Nº4 / Nº 3A Model B / Nº 1A/ Nº 2

2007-11-10T16:59:00.000+01:00

Kodak No.4 Cartridge Camera for 5 x 4 inch. Kodack manufacturing 90.000 units between 1897 and 1907. This model is one of the earliest with nickel plated, from 1899.

Cámera Nº 3A Folding Pocket Kodak model B 3 from 1907 with two piston, Rapid Rectilinear Bauch & Lomb Optical

No.1A Model D Folding Pocket Kodak camera with red bellows for 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch exposures on 116 rollfilm made between 1905 and 1912

Kodak Nº2 Folding Pocket Brownie, 6,5 cm x 11 cm red bellows. This is a early model, with wooden lens board. This example is from before 1912, when Kodak use black leather for all bellows. Probably it was made from april 1904 to May 1905, during wich time about 26.000 units were sold.

Contessa Nettel Tessco, Sonnar, Cocarette Luxus and Cocarette

2007-11-10T16:35:00.001+01:00

Contessa Nettel Tessco, medium quality folding plate camera, the design dates back to 1913 when Contessa brought the Tessco to the market. It was continued after they merged with Nettel in 1919 to form Contessa Nettel, but was discontinued after Contessa Nettel merged with Ica, Goerz and Ernemann to form Zeiss Ikon in 1926.

Contessa Nettel Sonnar with 1:4,s f=12 cm Nº 151855 Sonnar lens.D.R.P Nº258646 D.R.G.M. Compur Nº 803237. Unusual folding plate camera with double extension bellow. Manufactured between 1919 and 1926.

Diference between the Zeiss Ikon Maximar 107/1( Right) and the Contessa Nettel Sonnar(Left)

Contessa Nettel Cocarette Luxus III 522/17, manufactured from 1919 until 1926 with Tessar 1:4,5 f= 12 cm lens, Nº 635417, Compur Nº 895555, D.R.P. Nº 256646 D.R.G.M.

Contessa Nettel Cocarette model 207 with Zeiss Ikon Logo, manufactured from 1919 until 1927, a transitional camera.

Contessa Nettel Tropen Adoro,Deckrullo and Deckrullo Tropical

2007-11-10T16:13:00.000+01:00

Contessa Nettel Tropen Adoro, 6,5 x 9 cm, very rare and unusual folding plate camera, with body of Teakwood, and brown Russian leather bellows, a early beauty manufactured in 1921. Tessar lens 1:4,5 f=12 cm Nº 566228, Compur 733656, D.R.P Nº 258646 D.R.G.M

Contessa Nettel Deckrullo from the early 1919, this large model has a Tessar lens 1:4,5 f= 15 cm Nº 381227. In this photo can see the diference of size with a Contessa Nettel Piccolette.

This is a beautifull example of a Contessa Nettel Deckrullo Tropical from the early 1920. This model is a strut folding plate camera with a focal plane shutter.It was made of Teakwood, with a brown Russian leather resistant bellows. This camera has a rare Hugo Meyer rangefinder.The camera has the Nº S 10701 and has a Tessar lens 1:4,5 f= 12 cm Nº 546778.

Contessa Nettel Alino ,Fiduca ,Piccolette and Onito

2007-11-10T16:07:00.000+01:00

Contessa Nettel (Alino) 1922 folding plate camera, Nettar Anastigmat 1:6,8 f=105 mm Meyer -Goerlits Nº 216124 Derval lens

Contessa Nettel Fiduca manufactured from 1919 until 1926,with Tessar 1:6,3 f=13,5 cm Nº 372115 C0mpur 424078 D.R.P. Nº 258646 D.R.G.M.
Here with one vintage Contessa Nettel Alino model

Early Piccolette model, manufactured from 1919 to 1926, this model maybe is from 1919, one of the first model, with a Meyer Goerlitz 1:6,3 f=75 mm lens Nº 2050860. This is a prototype factory model, without viewfinder, extremly rare to find.

Contessa Nettel Onito,10 x 15 cm, simple folding wood-bodied plate camera, manufactured in 1926, with Citonar 1:6,3 f=13,5 cm Nº 404678 lens