Folding camera options

wjlapier · Nov 2, 2019

I'd check with Jurgen of certo6 on ebay. Sometimes he has folders with new bellows--let him do the work and get one with new bellows and a CLA.

I have one of his cameras he CLA'd and installed new bellows. Zeiss Ikonta 521 with a Tessar lens. Tiny 6x4.5.

StepheKoontz · Nov 2, 2019

M-88 said:
Thank you, I know Iskra and they are sold for 50-ish Euros here, but as a guy from FSU country, having dealt with plenty of Soviet tech, I'd rather keep away from that kind of headache.

The Iskra works well if you get one converted to "red window" film advance. The factory film counter mechanism was a joke on these and what causes all the problems.

wyofilm · Nov 2, 2019

wjlapier said:
I'd check with Jurgen of certo6 on ebay. Sometimes he has folders with new bellows--let him do the work and get one with new bellows and a CLA.

I have one of his cameras he CLA'd and installed new bellows. Zeiss Ikonta 521 with a Tessar lens. Tiny 6x4.5.

I bought an Agfa Isolette II from him about a year ago. Works great. He happens to have a version III for sale right now: new bellows and cla'd. If you enjoy square, this is a great folder.

Huss · Nov 2, 2019

StepheKoontz said:
The Iskra works well if you get one converted to "red window" film advance. The factory film counter mechanism was a joke on these and what causes all the problems.

I just bought an Iskra that was serviced and ready to go. Sent it back the moment it showed up as it obviously was not. Everything was wrong with it.
Once I get my money back I'll mention who the seller is..

I was really surprised as to how heavy the Iskra is. And how lousy the focus mechanism is.

M-88 · Nov 3, 2019

SalveSlog said:
I think the first number was kind of random? But the last one was not. "2" is 120-film to a 6x9 frame. "16" was 6x6 frame. I'm not sure about 6x4.5 and 127-film etc..

macfred said:
You don't want to get into ...

For Ikonta :
520/18 was for 3x4 cm = Baby Ikonta; A stands for Ikonta 6x4.5cm, 520/14 was Ikonta 5x7.5cm; 520, 521, 523/16 was Ikonta 6x6cm; 524/16 was 'Mess-Ikonta' 6x6.
520, 521, 523/2 was Ikonta C - 6x9cm, 524/2 was 'Mess Ikonta 6x9cm.
520/15 was Ikonta D = 6,5x11cm

For Super Ikonta :
A 530 and 531 was 6x4.5cm.
Super Ikonta B 530/16; 532/16; 533/16 (Super Ikonta BX); 531/16 (= Super Ikonta III) and 534/16 (= Super Ikonta IV) were all 6x6cm.
Super Ikonta C 530/2 and 531/2 were 6x9cm.

In other words ...

The first series of Ikonta (around 1930) were labeled the 520 series, A,B,C and D-models. A,B,C used 120 film for 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x9 negative format size. D-models used 116 or 616 format film for bigger negative size.
Around 1940, the 520 series became the 521 series; A, B and C-models.
In the early 50’s the 523 series came (B and C models).
The 524 series camera was the ‘Mess Ikonta’ (uncoupled rangefinder).

The Super Ikonta cameras (1934 to 1960) were 530 and 531 series.
The Super Ikonta A was 4.5 x 6cm, the Super Ikonta B was 6 x 6cm and the Super Ikonta C was 6 x 9cm, all on 120 film. There was also a Super Ikonta D for 6.5 x 11cm on 616 film.

In the mid 50’s the naming changed : The Super Ikonta A became the Super Ikonta I, the Super Ikonta became the Super Ikonta II, and models III and IV were added.
The Super Ikonta C and the Super Ikonta D were discontinued.

It is beyond my comprehension as to why is 6x6 called "/16" and 6x9 - "/2". Must be some German secret code to mess with my mind

Huss said:
I just bought an Iskra that was serviced and ready to go. Sent it back the moment it showed up as it obviously was not. Everything was wrong with it.
Once I get my money back I'll mention who the seller is..

I was really surprised as to how heavy the Iskra is. And how lousy the focus mechanism is.

Come on, as a regular reader of Casualphotophile, you of all people should know that Glorious Soviet Metal is twice as heavy as feeble capitalistic metal

xya · Nov 4, 2019

Huss said:
I just bought an Iskra that was serviced and ready to go. Sent it back the moment it showed up as it obviously was not. Everything was wrong with it.
Once I get my money back I'll mention who the seller is..

I was really surprised as to how heavy the Iskra is. And how lousy the focus mechanism is.

I had and I still have several Iskras. they are very nice cameras if they have been serviced. they were professiomal cameras, heavily used. so finding a good one is not easy. they feel heavier than they are. the famous certo 6 has the same weight, 880 gr., the rest of the full featured 6x6 just weigh about 100 gr. less. if you are interested, I made a comparison page here http://www.120folder.com/compa.htm

xya · Nov 4, 2019

Huss said:
I just bought an Iskra that was serviced and ready to go. Sent it back the moment it showed up as it obviously was not. Everything was wrong with it.
Once I get my money back I'll mention who the seller is..

I was really surprised as to how heavy the Iskra is. And how lousy the focus mechanism is.

I have and I had several Iskras. they are nice cameras if the were serviced regularly. they were professional cameras, heavily used. so finding a good one is not so easy. the famous certo 6 has the same weight, 880 gr, the rest of the fully featured 6x6 just weight about 100 gr less. if you are interested, I made a comparison page here http://www.120folder.com/compa.htm

xya · Nov 4, 2019

M-88 said:
It is beyond my comprehension as to why is 6x6 called "/16" and 6x9 - "/2". Must be some German secret code to mess with my mind

in the beginnings of roll film, zeiss started with the 520 series and numbered the formats successively. the started with 4.5x6, just plain 520, no suffix and continued with 6x9, suffix /2. they continued numbering, there was for instance 520/14 (5 x 7.5cm), 520/15 (6.5 x 11cm), 520/16 (6 x 6cm) and 520/18 (3 x 4cm).

when they realized that their internal numbering led to confusion, they added capital letters, 3 for 120 film, A, B, and C (and D for 116/616 film), A=4.5x6 or 520, B=6x6 or 520/16 and C=6x9 or 520/2. By 1938 the 521 series was launched, a 523 series in the early 1950s and a 524 series added an uncoupled rangefinder, it was called Mess-Ikonta.

Models with coupled rangefinder were called Super Ikonta. The series started with the number 530. Then the numbers get a bit mixed up. There was a 532 series, a 533 series had a selenium meter added. The last models, built from 1956 to 1960, were the 531/16 (Super Ikonta III) and the 534/16 (Super Ikonta IV) with a non-coupled selenium meter. Why this new design got an inferior number (531/16), I don't know.

M-88 · Nov 15, 2019

xya said:
in the beginnings of roll film, zeiss started with the 520 series and numbered the formats successively. the started with 4.5x6, just plain 520, no suffix and continued with 6x9, suffix /2. they continued numbering, there was for instance 520/14 (5 x 7.5cm), 520/15 (6.5 x 11cm), 520/16 (6 x 6cm) and 520/18 (3 x 4cm).

when they realized that their internal numbering led to confusion, they added capital letters, 3 for 120 film, A, B, and C (and D for 116/616 film), A=4.5x6 or 520, B=6x6 or 520/16 and C=6x9 or 520/2. By 1938 the 521 series was launched, a 523 series in the early 1950s and a 524 series added an uncoupled rangefinder, it was called Mess-Ikonta.

Models with coupled rangefinder were called Super Ikonta. The series started with the number 530. Then the numbers get a bit mixed up. There was a 532 series, a 533 series had a selenium meter added. The last models, built from 1956 to 1960, were the 531/16 (Super Ikonta III) and the 534/16 (Super Ikonta IV) with a non-coupled selenium meter. Why this new design got an inferior number (531/16), I don't know.

Then I think it's better if I don't dig into the matter too much, for it is still confusing.

On a Zeiss note: I had a chance to interact with Nettar 518/16 and I must say that although it's supposed to be of lower level than Ikonta, it still screams "quality". Bellows were remarkably intact, glass with no fungus, adequate shutter, you can even see if shutter is cocked through the viewfinder and you can also do double exposure f you trip the shutter from front (not via the release button on the body). I wish modern amateur cameras were that well built.

Folding camera options

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