Contessa Nettel Piccolette
The Piccolette was first introduced in 1915 by Contessa Nettel Stuttgart,Germany under the influence of best seller of Vest Pocket Kodak(U.S.) introduced since 1912. The film required of this camera is 127 type and takes 8 exposures of 4x6.5cm so called Vest size. The camera is compact that you can really put it in your pocket. Some Pocket cameras were so big that I would wonder what kinds of pocket all about.
The Piccolette of the right photo was also from the collection of Mr.Ed Romney. It is a very high grade model that has a Tessar 7.5cm f4.5 in Dial set Compur which speed are T,B,1 to 1/300. It works well even now. The aperture numbers of this Compur are in the old series of F4.5, 6.3, 9, 12, 18, 25. The focus is fixed in 15 feet, it is not possible to adjust. A small reflect finder was only buit in the lens board. It had no frame finder yet on this early model.
When the Zeiss Ikon was formed in 1926, The Piccolette was continued as a standard product. This company united the Contessa Nettel and other different optical companies under the direction of the government of Germany.
It is hard to get the 127 films today. There is a black and white 127 film(ISO100 or ISO200) made in Croatia (X-Yugoslavia). It is also possible to re-spool by cutting 120 films if you have an empty reel and backing-paper. The Sample Photo 1 used the Yugoslavia's old 127 ISO 100 film but it had been expired six years ago. Other Samples were taken with Croatia R200, TMax100 and Fuji 100, which I cut and re-spooled from 120 films. It was not troublesome cutting and re-spooling it.
Its great fun to take photographs with such an old cameras.
Sample Photo 1 by Contessa Nettel Piccolette
Tessar 75mm F4.5 f9 1/50 sec. ISO100 (127 film made in Yugoslavia,expired)
