From 1909 ICA used a serial number system for all its camera production (not extra for single models!), which was adopted by Zeiss Ikon after the merger in 1926. It is based on a letter followed by a 5 digit number. Whenever 99,999 was reached they switched to the next letter and started counting from 00,001. Not all letters from the alphabet have been used. In 1936 they reached the "Z" and started over again with "A". In some cases there are extra letters, as seen with many Contax. This means, that the camera was sent back to the factory for repair or modification. After WW2 and the German separation the system was not used in a consistent way anymore. At least the West-German part of Zeiss Ikon in Stuttgart kept using it for some time.
I've recently acquired a Zeiss Ikon Nettar and I'm trying to establish its year of manufacture but cannot find any sign of a serial number on it. Is the serial number hidden away on it somewhere? TIA.
Zeiss Ikon Nettar 517 16 Serial Number
On my Nettar the serial number is stamped into the leatherette on the side of the back door near the hinge. On the opposite side of the back door, the model number is stamped - 517/16. There's no lens serial number on mine.
Nettar is the name given to a series of cameras that proved to be one of the most successful among Zeiss-Ikon's catalog, initially designed as a low cost alternative to the Ikonta series of cameras (also from Zeiss). Most of these cameras have the name engraved in the external leatherette covering, and all of them have a serial number to identify it. This number is also engraved in the leatherette, and is sometimes a bit difficult to read.
Hello -I inherited from my father a Zeiss Ikon 520/2 camera. I has the serial number 1187910. The lens is a Tessar 1:4.4 10.5 cm. Can anyone tell me more about it, like when it was produced and how much it cost then?Thanks,Andi Andreae7:46AM, 16 August 2015 PST(permalink)
Hello Andi,Your fathers camera is the first Ikonta. It was produced from 1929 to 1937, so quite a long time. The film it uses is still available today.Have a look at this page for further information :camera-wiki.org/wiki/Ikonta_520/2Still a question about that serial number. Did you mention the one on the lens or the one on the camera body ?Furthermore, is that Tessar really a 1:4.4 or is it a 1:4.5 ?Originally posted 91 months ago. (permalink) Hans Kerensky edited this topic 91 months ago.
Sorry, the Tessar is a 4.5. That was a typo.The serial number is on the side of the shutter mechanism, between the cocking lever and the release lever, next to where the remote release screws in.There is also a number on the lens: 1244577AndiOriginally posted 91 months ago. (permalink) TitusLucretiusCarus edited this topic 91 months ago.
Would be good if you could locate the Zeiss Ikon body serial number. It should start with a letter.This is sometimes located on the back, sometimes on the upper lip of the back (you have to open the back then)91 months ago(permalink)
According to information of the ZICG the letter X was used in 1933.This is an approximate indication and the serial numbers of lens and shutter would rather indicate for the 1930/1931 period.However, I have seen a 1932 ZI brochure for the USA were a "new addition" to the 520/2 series is called an "Ikomat C Special". There is written that it is "Special" because it is the only Ikomat C fitted with the well-known Carl Zeiss Tessar F/4.5 lens.So my guess for your camera is 1932/1933.The price (advised by Zeiss Ikon) of a 520/2 with Tessar in a 1932 German brochure is 99,-- Reichsmark.Originally posted 91 months ago. (permalink) Hans Kerensky edited this topic 91 months ago.
One note - what you suggested above (that the lens may be made in one year and installed on a camera made later) can frequently be true. It's more of a common problem in post-WWII German cameras when parts were scarce. For example, my 1950's Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/16 has the "wrong" combination of lens and shutter for that model. But my 1937(ish) Voigtländer Brillant TLR also has a lens with a serial number suggesting it's from a couple of years earlier than the body. I think this is fairly typical, that lenses were probably bought in batches, warehoused, and used as needed. So you might get different answers from the serial numbers on the lens, shutter, and camera. Doesn't really matter though, you should be able to get into the right ballpark, but there may be no one "right" year.As to which film is best I'd say don't worry about it, stick something in it and go out and shoot! If you're worried about whether it will work well, use the cheapest film you can find, which will likely be colour. If you feel like being a purist, go for black and white if you can find someone to develop it (or you know how to do it yourself). Or try some Ilford XP2 Super, which is black and white film that is developed in regular colour (C41) chemicals, and should therefore be easier to find a lab that will do it. But as noted above, beware faster film (400 ISO) in bright daylight with that shutter.10.5 cm is an interesting focal length, more of a short telephoto on medium format. Normal lenses are usually 7.5 cm or so.Enjoy!91 months ago(permalink)
I use both black and white and color film in my 1937 Ikonta. The Tessar lens is still an uncoated one so it can flare up sometimes but the colors are lovely, I especially like Portra in it. Even the flares are lovely sometimes;)I have e-mailed serial numbers of my camera and lens to Zeiss and they got back to me with the production years. Try contacting photoapplication@zeiss.de90 months ago(permalink)
You noted that the 515 was built from 1937 to 1940. Is there a serial number list anywhere to tell when mine was built? Perhaps the year of manufacture is coded in the first two digits of the s/n? F37649 might be a hybrid serial number code for Year+serial, and might confirm 1937.
Detail of the Compur dialset shutter. Unlike the later rimset Compur models, which had a speedring to set shutter speeds, the dialset had a small wheel to select shutter speedsor, as well as a sepearate dial to select T and B modes. The number on the front of the shutter plate (D.R.P. No 258646) was not the shutter serial (which was engraved on the side) or model number, but a German patent number.
The Super Ikonta was most commonly found with Tessar lens in Compur shutter, although cheaper Triotar lens and Klio shutter were also found. Early production had an Art Deco style shutter face, which was later (from around lens nr. 1,520,000) replaced with a black shutter face. From around lens nr. 1,550,000 the Compur shutters were upgraded to Compur-Rapids with a top speed of 1/400s instead of 1/250s. Although the shutter face still showed 'Compur', the speed ring was engraved with Compur-Rapid. The very latest production before model 531/2 was introduced had sliding covers for the red spy windows at the back as well as reflective frame lines in the viewfinder.As a side note, the serial# of the Compur-Rapids on the Super Ikontas were in the 4,000,000 range and were as far as I am aware the first Compur-Rapids produced. On all other camera brands with early Compur-Rapid shutters the serial# were in the 5,000,000 range. Interestingly, after the Compur shutter reached the end of the 3,000,000 range, their numbering continued as A,000,000 (so A instead of 4), presumably because the 4,000,000 range had already been used for Compur-Rapids on the (Super) Ikontas.
A Contax III with collapsible Carl Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f/2 lens. The body serial number indicates it was made in the first half of 1939, whereas the lens was made in spring 1939, so quite likely it is the original lens that came with the camera.
The rarity of the camera is the serial number: V21. Normally Zeiss used the V numbers for test lenses (Versuchsobjektive). However some cameras were also engraved with a V or VK number and were also test cameras. 2ff7e9595c
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