History: This is a fantastic example of the optical masterwork made by the famous Contessa Camera company and Carl Zeiss in Germany. The Contessa Deckrullo Tropenkamera was made only in the years 1919-1926. This was the peak of the large format cameras in those time. Only the finest period materials were used for the production: exotic Teak wood, leather and nickel plated brass. The most interesting part about the Deckrullo was the slitshutter which was able to reach up to 1/2800 sec exposure times. As another highlight in this setup is also the lens. Most of the very few Deckrullo cameras come with pretty common F4.5 Tessar and Donar lenses. But this specimen comes with the very rare Carl Zeiss 165mm F2.7 Tessar! Im sure this setup did cost quite a fortune back then.



Condition: The complete setup comes in an absolute collectors condition! Not only does the camer feature all the small parts (even the lenscap is attached by a string), but it also features 5 fitting 4x5 plateholders, the authentic leather case and even one exposed glass negative. I rarely see time capsules like that. Its almost to nice to use it, but i guess if you really wanted to, you could.

Camera: camera movements work smoothly, even the original leather bellows look good to me. It seems this camera was more of a museum piece as a working setup. I wont guarantee if the shutter is still working properly, since i dont have no experience with those. But it looks good and it wouldnt surprise me if it still would be working.

Lens: the lens is in fully working condition. The iris moves smoothly from F2.7 up to F36. Even the original leather lenscap is there.

The lens used on its own will work perfectly for 4x5 up to 5x7 formats.

Insured and tracked shipping cost:


EU* - 50 eur
Worldwide - 90 eur

*(the site offers only 2 shipping variations, DE and worldwide. buyers from EU please either contact me beforehand for a reduced EU cost, or after buying so i can send a refund over the difference)

Importent Note: This item comes from my private collection and is around 100 years old (antique). I try my best to describe all the faults and major damage which are relevant for the function of this item. But the actuall item can show signs of wear and also some cosmetic blemishes/damage which is not described in the auction text! When buying this item the buyer agrees to this terms.