Ferrania Zeta Duplex

The happiest camera in the collection! This lovely Italian box camera dates from the early 1940s. Sadly, when it arrived it was clear it hadn't been loved for quite some time. The first clue was the wooden Kodak spool still inside, but also its cloth covering was filthy, as were all of its lenses.

The taking lens is a fixed-focus, 105mm meniscus lens with two apertures: f/11 and f/16. It will focus down to 3 metres.  There are two tiny waist-level viewfinders, one on top for portraits and one on the side for landscapes. It is viewfinders like these that make you appreciate the "brilliant" viewfinders on the Ensign Ful-Vue cameras.

This is unique among our box cameras as it is a dual format camera, shooting either eight 6x9 or sixteen 6x4.5 frames on 120 film. To shoot sixteen frames you swing a hinged mask into place, but ours is missing one of its flaps so we can only shoot 6x9 (for now, until we make a fresh flap).

There is a single shutter speed of about 1/50. We can't find anything to confirm the shutter speed online. The closest we found was the instruction manual for the Zeta Duplex II, which states that the shutter speed was 1/50. The manual for this model doesn't state the shutter speed. For now we are assuming the speed in our earlier model is the same. It certainly seems faster than the Ensign Ful Vue box cameras, which have a shutter speed of 1/30. We will have to work on our assumptions and test the results.

There is also a Bulb setting and remote shutter socket. Some models of this camera have an "F" setting, which swings a yellow filter into place for use with the aperture of f/11. Alas, this one does not.

The camera originally had a leather handle on top. Ours has long since gone.

According to its user manual, the dual format capabilities were the unique selling point of this camera, as they were usually reserved for more expensive models. The manual also offers some tips for successful snapshots. It recommends using f/11 in good light, and f/16 in intense light, such as the sea, brightly lit snow, or glaciers. It advises not to face the lens directly into the sun's rays.

There are also recommendations in the manual for long exposures. In the summer, on bright sunny days, subjects in the shade need half a second to one second. Double the exposure length if it is cloudy. In the Winter, snapshots need one to two seconds, or double if it is cloudy. For indoor shots, if the subject is by a well lit window on a sunny day, allow four to five seconds. On a cloudy day, double this. The final recommendation is to experiment to find the correct exposure times for your desired subjects.

Here we have another prime candidate for recovering. At least then its appearance will live up to its cheerful demeanour. 

Isn't it just adorable.