Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 14, 2013 15:05:20 GMT -5
Bought tonight on Ebay, what looks like a quite reasonable condition Zeiss Tenax, and a modern pouch case with it. This is an example of an early type Tenax 1, but not as early as the Ebay listing and Campedia state "made from 1930", which is a mistake. These German Zeiss cameras were made from mid 1938, manufacture ceasing during the war in 1941, although some production was done with existing parts. Zeiss (West Germany) resumed manufacture of the camera in the late 1940's with the Tenax 1, and the East German Zeiss also made them after the war, later making it in a modernised and renamed Taxona version, still with the 24x24 format. The Zeiss Tenax camera has a curious press down "rapid" wind on, with no wind on knob on the camera top. The wind on design was an odd layout and Zeiss did prototypes of them with a Robot style clockwork wind, but these never reached production. Zeiss called the press down a rapid system, claiming 4 shots per second. The chrome finish on the brass base is a bit shot on this example, it may need a re-plate with new nickel chrome. The folding wind on lever tip is present, they often go missing. The frame format is square, 24x24, the same format as the Bering Robot, giving 50 frames on a normal 135 cassette 36 exposure film. This film format allowed a shorter than usual standard focal length for 35mm film to be fitted, keeping the front of the camera quite shallow for a 35mm camera, making it fit pockets easily. The lens is a Zeiss Novar 35mm F3.5, fitted in a Compur Shutter 1/300th to 1sec + B. Some Tenax cameras have a Zeiss Tessar lens fitted, and a Compur Rapid Shutter which gave 1/500th. The viewfinder is a simple fold down design, and when closed the film wind on lever tip folds back to save space. Stephen.
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Post by Peltigera on Jul 14, 2013 18:03:59 GMT -5
I have one of these that has been 'well loved' - there is virtually no plating left. Mine has a 'J' body number that Hans tells me was the third batch to be made (so during the war at some point).
Once I lubricated under the top plate, I could manage about two shots a second but that speed precluded any aiming of the camera. I find it a great camera to use but, alas, mine has a whiteish lens that causes flare.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 15, 2013 7:58:11 GMT -5
I think it was the wartime conditions that lead to poorer plating, after all it was barely a year till the war started when introduced, and Zeiss already had done preparation for full war production from about 1934, producing bomb sights, periscope optics, and optical rangefinders. They had turned over consumer items like binoculars to military specification by then as well.
They certainly cut back civilian production in quality and quantity, allowing a bit lower standards in glass etc., found out when the Russians got the glass stocks and even they found the glass quality a bit below par, more inclusions and bubbles etc. The first grade glass went into the Military items.
Looking at some German plating from the period, I think they short changed the copper and nickel coats under the chrome, only flashing on a thin copper coat, then a thin coat plate of chrome. The earlier Tenax 11 (Zeiss could not count!) had much better plating, but was a more expensive type of camera, in the Contax class.
Of course the wartime camera production was very patchy, Zeiss moved their production plant around ahead of bombing etc., much surviving because of hiding in farms etc., around Dresden.
A friend, who has since passed away, was the British liaison Officer given the task of searching the farming areas for the Zeiss equipment, and although a lot of major stuff from Dresden went to Russia, the British, via the RAF, brought back many precision machine tools, such as the large reference Lorch Lathes, used by Zeiss for ultra precision work. One is still in the Science Museum collection.
Although a magnificent machine, it was near useless to British industry at the time, as it was found most UK toolrooms had just as good a lathe, and more experienced operators.
It's lathe bed was earth curvature corrected, and stabilised at a constant temperature, and all slide and tool movements were mechanised via precision hydraulic gearboxes with anti-backlash gears. It's only real job was making test gauges, Zeiss made their own, but my friend was very surprised to find Zeiss used UK made slip gauges, micrometers etc. Zeiss made micrometers, but they were super inspection standard, not for the factory floor.
Most Tenax lenses are rather low contrast, they were not supplied with a coated lens till well after the war, and being small diameter, any inclusions, or flaws, were magnified. Colour film is not too kind to the Novar lens fitted on the Tenax, they work well on higher contrast black and white, especially with yellow or orange filters. The Tessar lens fitted versions are definitely of better quality. Tessars came on both the Zeiss Ikon, and East German made Tenax 1, made in the late 1940's.
I will keep my fingers crossed that this example will not need repolishing etc.
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 15, 2013 8:09:12 GMT -5
I should add the Tenax was not available officially at any point in it's production in the UK, although I was told a UK manufacturer assembled some from spares, that were sold off at the end of the war.
The massive post war tax on imports stopped any more German cameras till the early 1950's, along with a strict ban at first, only Leica got a by on that restriction.
Some later 1950's East German Tenax models were imported by Photopia.
Most Zeiss cameras in the UK were brought back by servicemen, or sold over here by tourists to gain British currency at a time when it was all so closely restricted and controlled. They were the days of smuggling a couple of rolex watches, and the sale here paying for the holiday trip!
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 16, 2013 14:34:30 GMT -5
I have one of these that has been 'well loved' - there is virtually no plating left. Mine has a 'J' body number that Hans tells me was the third batch to be made (so during the war at some point). Once I lubricated under the top plate, I could manage about two shots a second but that speed precluded any aiming of the camera. I find it a great camera to use but, alas, mine has a whiteish lens that causes flare. Belts and Braces time, I have been told by the seller the take up is possibly missing, as he has found a take up spool on his table after sending the camera off to me.
He is sending it on, and I will confirm it is missing or not with him tomorrow after it arrives, but in case the spool is still missing, are you able to photograph clearly in digital, the take up spool on yours?
I can machine one from scratch in the workshop, but it would be nice to see an original, I need no dimensions really, but need to see the top end and the bottom end to see how it fits correctly to the Tenax.
I suspect the missing one is with him, and it will sort itself out without any bother. I honestly could not remember whether the spool came out on the Tenax, but as he has found the spool it must be the cameras original. Many thanks in advance, Stephen.
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Post by Peltigera on Jul 16, 2013 14:39:10 GMT -5
Mine has a Contax take-up spool and it looks very much like the inside of a standard cassette. In fact, the inside of a standard cassette fits in place nicely.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 16, 2013 14:51:55 GMT -5
Many thanks, I understand from the net that a standard spool will fit, a relief, sometimes the ends are made a little different to make a firm fit, or add a bottom bearing. I seemed to remember it came with an "auto eject" spool! Some makes like the Altissa delight in auto expelling the spool as it is opened!! I noted your blog on the camera!!... and nowhere on the net has anybody else got a shot of the interior of a Tenax.
I used to have a Tenax, but it got sold a few years ago, I hope it is not mine I have bought back!
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 17, 2013 5:22:38 GMT -5
Thankfully the seller has found the right lost spool and is forwarding it with the camera, so it should all be there OK, many thanks for the help. Stephen.
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melek
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Post by melek on Jul 17, 2013 7:50:53 GMT -5
I have a nice collection of these little cameras, including the East German Tenax and Taxona with both Novar and Tessar. The Tenax II with the Sonnar is the best of the bunch, while the East German Tenax with its Tessar is a fine performer.
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Jul 17, 2013 8:01:54 GMT -5
As I understand Tenax history the Tenax I is really the Tenax II and the Tenax II is really the Tenax I.
So which is which???
Mickey
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 17, 2013 9:46:55 GMT -5
Zeiss Ikon called the bigger Tenax with interchangeable lenses the Tenax ll, probably because there had been unrelated Tenax before from Geortz, who were absorbed into Zeiss Ikon.
When the little Tenax was made in 1938, they called it the Tenax 1, as presumably by then the Geortz Tenax was forgotten. So the 11 came before the 1........It may appear odd, but I am sure that Zeiss applied logic and good reasons to the names!
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 17, 2013 9:58:36 GMT -5
I have a nice collection of these little cameras, including the East German Tenax and Taxona with both Novar and Tessar. The Tenax II with the Sonnar is the best of the bunch, while the East German Tenax with its Tessar is a fine performer. I too love the Tenax with the Sonnar, but one sold for over £999 on ebay, a bit too expensive!! I could get a good Bering Robot Royal for less. I do like the format, I have two Robots, and a couple of early Japanese with 24x24, and Practica with 24x24, yes, it was from Dresden, and a Practika 1/2 frame, made in the UK for the British Police. The Practica LTL design with the vertical shutter was easy to alter the format, it only needed masking and new transport gears. Dozens were made for Police use in the 1970's. I got the 24x24 Practica from a friend at the importers CZ Instruments, he said they were made in East Germany for the Stasi, the East German security Police. It came with a 35mm F 1.8 Meyer lens, without markings, bar Meyer, no numbers etc. Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 18, 2013 13:11:09 GMT -5
The Zeiss Ikon Tenax has arrived safely from Ebay, in better overall condition than I expected, the satin chrome is a bit rubbed, but made to look worse by some long forgotten efforts to paint over with silver paint on the bottom edge, which had turned black with age and dirt. A run over with strong solvent and some paint restorer has perked up the chrome no end. The brassed areas reveal that Zeiss were only flashing the brass with chrome, I cannot make out a copper layer, under a microscope.
Perhaps the serial number may give an indication of it's age. Body Number is H91011 and the Novar lens is un-numbered.
It has no wartime markings, or signs of removal, but the lower plate of the removable back and bottom, has a faintly scratched in instruction, in English, about how to release the back lock!!
The zipped case is more modern, I think, but basically sound old semi soft quality leather and it appears tailor made to the Tenax. One strap end needs riveting as it promptly broke!.
The lens is clear and clean, no dust, but the front element is pretty much scratched, under magnification, and may need re-polishing, if used seriously. Being uncoated, a hand polish with a soft leather formed "charger" using fine cerium oxide would restore the finish. I will put that off till it is tested and I can see the photographic results.
The Compur shutter is pretty good, all works, and quite accurate, and the transport works, but needs lubrication at this age. The film take up spool is a Kodak cassette type, but is not quite standard dimensions, the cast metal ends are the diameter of the cassette exterior, not the internal size. This was often done to make the camera run with cassette to cassette film, two canisters, no rewinding.
The spool ends are oversized to prevent any play and wobble. If a plastic modern one is fitted it might drag the film out of line a bit. The Zeiss Ikon original spool is a cast metal Mazak type, but no deterioration due to metal oxide disease, it just needs a re-spray with satin black paint.
The Tenax pressure plate is bright polished Nickel Silver!, Zeiss Ikon might as well have used a mirror, and might help explain why some Tenax give poor contrast and ghosting of highlights in the images. It would greatly benefit from covering with self adhesive matt black tape or a spray paint job with tough satin black car paint. Anti Halation layers in the film can deal with a few reflections, but this pressure plate is the worst idea for a suitable finish I have seen for a while. Slide film would have been OK, but ordinary B/W film, or colour neg film would suffer from some ghosting.
The aperture ring turns quite freely, and the focus is entirely accurate to a ground glass. the viewfinder is flip up type, very clear, and there is no rangefinder shoe etc, so any checking would be off camera. It has no flash sync fitted to the Compur shutter, but it has a standard cable release socket.
No wind on knob, of course, due to the plunger wind. The tab on the end is original, they often broke away on Tenax with any heavier handling. 50 shot capacity at "24x24 on 3.5cm", engraved on the viewfinder frame.
A lot is said that the Tenax is awkward to hold, but if the camera is used upright, with the wind on the bottom, it all works as designed! The square format permits this and it just apes the use of a folding camera in upright position. The left finger presses sideways to wind and cock, and the right finger fires the shutter.
I will take some photos of it, before a service clean, and then get an Agfa(fuji),colour neg film through it to test it, and then deeply annoy the processors with the 24x24 format!!, I may send the film to a mail order specialist and get high definition scans done as well.
I will make a new lens cover in aluminium, and a special small lens hood, as it is such a small diameter lens. filters in such a small size are rare, it would need a push on converter to take say 20/28mm screw in filters.
Filters can be vital with old uncoated lens, a yellow or orange will increase the contrast, and red will overcome some of the scratches!! A polariser can help with colour film, the polarised light disregards the scratches to an extent, not much but it helps. A hood is vital!!!
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 18, 2013 16:44:59 GMT -5
Zeiss Ikon Tenax as received. Front with viewfinder up and tip of winder forward. Body number on the interior matches the number on the removable back. No number is visible for the Zeiss Novar Lens. Interior before cleaning up begins. The removable back with shiny pressure plate, and cast metal take up spool. Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jul 18, 2013 17:04:05 GMT -5
As this one has an "H" number and "J" were the third batch, then is this an early 1938 first series?
Stephen
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