The Camera Site

Zeiss Ikon Cocarette

The Cocarette was originally a Contessa-Nettel model which Zeiss Ikon inherited in the merger. A medium quality rolfilm camera, that was available with Zeiss markings from 1926 until 1929. 

It can be found with Frontar, Dominar, Periskop, Nostar and Tessar lenses in Compur, Klio and Derval shutters. There are 64 known lens and shutter combinations. This particular camera is has a Nostar 1:6,8,  f10,5cm lens and a still working Derval shutter.

The backs of these cameras  (Cocarette and Piccolette) do not open, they load from the side by releasing a catch and then the entire film holding mechanism slides out of the camera. Obviously this construction makes the body more steady. As you can see this one is almost in mint condition. The only marks of use are a slight blemish on the handle and a little brassing on the opening lever. You may also take a look at an older version of Cocarette, which was bought in Tradera.com, a great Swedish online auction house.

Zeiss Ikon is the merger of Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann, Goerz and lca, contemporary largest and best known European camera makers.

Contessa Nettel Cocarette

A 120 6x9cm roll film folding camera made in 1920's by Contessa Nettel Stuttgart. The lens is Nettel Conastigmat F6.3 105mm and the shutter is Derval, B, T, 1/25-1/100sec. Very common with Zeiss Ikon models. In some details you can notice a use of older and not so strict quality standards. This might also be a consequence of smaller production volumes and a rising competition between companies.

Contessa Nettel is one of the German camera manufacturing companies in a row of mergers which at the end lead to Zeiss-Ikon/Voigtländer. The lenses were made in Braunschweig and the cameras in Stuttgart. The plant in Stuttgart was finally closed in 1972.

Contessa Nettel Piccolette

"For Perfect Vest Pocket Pictures. New model, made entirely of aluminum with removable loading device. Lacquered finish."

Piccolette was introduced five years before than Cocarette and was apparently inspired by Kodak Vest Pocket cameras. Just like Cocarette, Manufacturing of Piccolette was also continued after the merge of Nettel and Zeiss.

For some years I have hunted a decent Piccolette for my collection. Here it is now. A 95% success. The right side plate is missing (you see the left one) it is almost similar only the screw holes are on the different places. If someone happens to have one Piccolette wreck , please contact me, I will be preciated. My interest in Piccolette comes from the fact, that we had one many years ago but it has disappeared in the shadows of history.
This is not similar because the lens and perhaps also the shutter is different. Piccolette has been sold, as usual in those days, in several combinations of lens and shutter.
It was offered at least with a 75/4.5 Tessar, 75/6,3 Teronar and a Compur shutter (Carl Zeiss Ic), a 75/6.3 Novar, Nettar and Citonar and a Derval shutter and as in this case with a single lens f/11 Achromat. The shutter is Acro 1/25, 1/50, 1/75, B, T.

Piccolette is ~300g in weight and W63 x H120 x D30 in size. It takes eight 4 x 6,5 cm exposures on 127 film.

Contessa Nettel Piccolette
(with Compur and Contessa Nettel Doppel Anastigmat)

Thanks to "Mogge" Olsson, that I now have this lost baby back in my collection. It has a correct lens, Contessa Nettel Doppel Anastigmat Taronar 5,4 F:75 (the long name had advertising value as early as in the thirties).

Exactly identical to that Piccolette, that was my "panzer" toy in the late fourties. Perhaps I lost it in some sandbox, but who cares here it is now. Of course somebody has made changes to the serial numbers. Compur shutter has a serial No:258646 and Taronar serial is No:2241198 Btw. Taronar is also a name used by Taron (Taron Co. Ltd, Japan (Nihon Kosokki Kogyo Co.)

Shutter speeds are 1/1, 1/2, 1/5, 1/10, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/300sec and sound to be working. I don't know the body serial yet, because there is a film inside and I have to decide either to take it away and develop or continue shooting because there seems to be three or four exposures left. The owerall condition is also perfect, Bellows are in excellent condition and there is only modest splits in the paint.

"Vest Pocket Piccolette is a small, compact camera, conveniently carried in one's pocket. Being a fixed focus model, the Piccolette, when open, is immediately ready to make snapshots. The Iconometer as well as the brilliant finder show the actual composition of the view. The trellis supports insure rigidity and, thereby, parallelism of the lens with the film."