Duchessa (strut-folding)

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The Duchessa is a strut-folding camera for 4.5x6cm plates (in single metal holders) or film-packs, made by Contessa-Nettel from 1913-25. It is of the same general strut-folding type as the Nettel and Deckrullo-Nettel, with the degree of extension of crossed struts being employed as a focus mechanism, the focus control being a wide disc with a scale marked on it, on top of the rear body. It has a dial-set Compur shutter. McKeown lists the camera with a 7.5cm f/6.8 Citonar lens and shutter speeds 1 - 1/100 second, plus 'B'; an example has also been seen with an f/4.5 CZJ Series 19 anastigmat and shutter speeds to 1/300. The camera has a brilliant finder, mounted in the front board (i.e. it looks through the board); there is also a ground-glass screen with folding hood at the rear, exchangeable for the plate holder.

There is another model also named Duchessa in which the front standard moves out on a folding bed, on 'lazy tongs' struts (that is, two pairs of crossed struts end-to-end). That folding-bed model was retained by Zeiss Ikon in 1926, whereas this one was not. The strut-folding Duchessa is rather similar to the Nettix, which has 'lazy-tongs' struts but no folding bed, and cheaper Derval shutter.