Zeiss Ikon Nettar1934

History

Zeiss Ikon launched the Nettar in 1934 to compete in the growing market for folding 120-roll cameras without the complexity — or price — of the rangefinder Ikonta and Super Ikonta models. The name "Nettar" was applied to a loose family sharing a similar strut-body folding design but using simpler lenses and no rangefinder. Model numbers shifted across the prewar and postwar periods: the Nettar 515 (1934–1942) covered the prewar 6×9 and 6×4.5 variants; postwar production resumed around 1949 with refined models running to 1957, by which point the 6×6 format dominated. The Vario shutter (found on cheaper examples) lacks Bulb and has only three speeds; Compur-equipped bodies are strongly preferred. Late-period examples gained X-sync flash contacts.

Why It Matters

The Nettar defines the "budget Zeiss folder" archetype. For its era, a Novar-equipped Nettar was the accessible entry point to Zeiss Ikon quality — the company name and the legendary Zeiss optical heritage at a fraction of the Tessar/Compur price. For modern buyers, a Tessar-equipped Nettar in clean condition is a remarkably capable 6×6 or 6×9 folder: the Tessar resolves well stopped to f/8, the bellows folding mechanism stores flat, and a roll of 120 yields 12 sharp square negatives. The 6×9 format (8 frames per 120 roll) produces enormous negatives that enlarge beautifully.

Novar-equipped examples are less sharp wide open but still satisfactory stopped down. The trade-off vs. the Zeiss Super Ikonta: no rangefinder means zone-focus guessing, which is the primary limitation for street and portrait use.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• The Nettar line was a mass-market consumer item; no specific fine-art photographer association.
• Used as a general-purpose travel camera throughout the 1940s–1950s in Europe.
• Documented in pre-war and post-war photojournalism as a secondary or backup body.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Zeiss Ikon Nettar
• Wikipedia: Zeiss Ikon