Near Mint! 1955 Zeiss-Ikon 6x6 Folder, CLA’d FRESHLY SERVICED!

Cleaned, Lubricated & Adjusted. Ready for immediate use

This is a Zeiss-Ikon model 513/16 Nettax folding camera. Designed to take 6x6 cm exposures on 120 roll film. This model is somewhat hard to find because it was only produced from 1955 to 1957. The camera is in excellent condition. It’s a lovely camera that slips into a jacket pocket or a back pack and yet folds out to take 12 big 6 x 6 cm exposures on a 120 roll film. When it comes to photography, bigger is better and with this camera you can create a negative that is about 4 times larger than the average 35mm snap shot. It’s a negative that will allow large enlargements with very fine grain.

The camera is in near mint condition (Please see photos). The cosmetics is very lovely. The leather bellows are supple and light tight. As usual, the uncoupled selenium light meter does not work. (Selenium light meters rarely work after 50 years and are never accurate even if they do.) So we’d recommend using a modern hand held meter. Naturally all settings on this camera are easily adjusted manually.

This camera has been carefully cleaned, lubricated and adjusted. It works well and should continue to do so for many years to come. The shutter works smoothly and all the speeds (B,1/25th - 1/200th) are appropriate. The camera is flash synched and it’s been adjusted to work with a normal electronic flash. It’s been tested and a flash will fire correctly at any desired shutter speed. (A very handy feature for flash fill.)

The quality 4.5/75mm coated lens is a classic three element design based on the classic Cooke triplet. A design that’s very popular lens because of the lovely sharpness, rendering and bokeh. The lens is looks like new. There are no scratches or cleaning marks. There is no haze, crystallization, separated elements or other problems and it’s capable of producing lovely photos with modern color and B&W films.

All in all, a fine useable classic camera. Load it with your favorite film and keep it handy for that perfect shot you’ve been looking for. You know the one... the one with the perfect Ansel Adams light breaking through the dark storm clouds that leaves you wishing that you had a classic medium format camera with you...

 A 6x6 Users Guide

With all the vacations and the colorful autumn scenes, a lot of you are considering shooting landscapes with a 6x6. In any event I’ve certainly noticed an increase in personal questions about them. So I thought it might be a good idea to post some of my 6x6 recommendations for you.

Generally you won’t need a built in rangefinder if you’re shooting landscapes because much of your work will be shot at infinity or medium distances with hyper-focal settings. This is especially true if you’re using a tripod and settings that tend to maximize quality and depth of field. A coupled range finder camera is very useful at closer ranges in conjunction with larger f stops and narrow depth of field. If you’re not in a rush you can achieve similar results with a classic folder. An interesting alternative is to use an accessory range-finder (that can be mounted in an accessory shoe) and use the information to set your lens. On some cameras you might have to mount an accessory shoe. But you can just as easily just hand hold it. Needless to say this approach will save you quite a bit of cash and the photos can be as good a classic medium format rangefinder camera.

Obviously I can’t supply cameras to all of you but I hope this helps you find one that performs well. Good luck and good shooting.