This is one of the first 6x4.5 Super Ikontas from Zeiss and is in very good condition (i.e. ebay's MINTY!!!). Clean body, rangefinder working extremely well and accurately, bellows in good shape, no light leaks, etc.
Lens is a Tessar 7cm f/3.5. Shutter is Compur, with a 1/500 speed (is that a Compur-Rapid that was swapped in?). Shutter speeds are consistent but all are about 3/4 marked speed. If the rangefinder wasn't so dialed in I would have taken the shutter out and cleaned it, but a little naphtha flushing did help on the slow speeds.
The lens had some haze that I cleaned off. One of the sample shots is going into the sun (although the sun isn't in the frame). The way these 1930s uncoated Tessars deal with shadows in such lighting always impresses me. The lens is not 'perfect'- put a flashlight to it and you'll see little marks and such. Reminds me of my grandfather at 80, eh? But sight straight through and it looks clean, and it shoots clean. The flip-up rangefinder prism window has a piece of dirt or something in it, but it doesn't affect the working and I didn't want to risk losing accuracy for a simple cosmetic problem. The body paint has small dots and scratches all along but nothing huge; all in all paint is clean and worn. One minor Zeiss bump on the back, the leather is overall very good.
It even has a second shutter release knob!! When you use it in horizontal format, a second knob around the shutter falls to your finger. And it's a kick to push that button on top and have the viewfinder and the lens come flying out at the same time.
It may be simple, but if you want a nice (AND WORKING!!) example of Zeiss's workmanship back when things were made to last, this is it. It's been my pocket camera for a couple of weeks, but I need to get it out of my hands before I get too attached to it.
Oh, there is also a yellow filter along with it. Zeiss Gelbglas, 32mm, with original (?) plastic case. Fits the lens like it was made for it. You can't close up the camera with it in place, but the whole camera is so small even when open it's no big deal. With Arista EDU 400 (Fomapan, yes?) it gives a great look.
$220 plus shipping- $15 in US; other inquire.
Lens is a Tessar 7cm f/3.5. Shutter is Compur, with a 1/500 speed (is that a Compur-Rapid that was swapped in?). Shutter speeds are consistent but all are about 3/4 marked speed. If the rangefinder wasn't so dialed in I would have taken the shutter out and cleaned it, but a little naphtha flushing did help on the slow speeds.
The lens had some haze that I cleaned off. One of the sample shots is going into the sun (although the sun isn't in the frame). The way these 1930s uncoated Tessars deal with shadows in such lighting always impresses me. The lens is not 'perfect'- put a flashlight to it and you'll see little marks and such. Reminds me of my grandfather at 80, eh? But sight straight through and it looks clean, and it shoots clean. The flip-up rangefinder prism window has a piece of dirt or something in it, but it doesn't affect the working and I didn't want to risk losing accuracy for a simple cosmetic problem. The body paint has small dots and scratches all along but nothing huge; all in all paint is clean and worn. One minor Zeiss bump on the back, the leather is overall very good.
It even has a second shutter release knob!! When you use it in horizontal format, a second knob around the shutter falls to your finger. And it's a kick to push that button on top and have the viewfinder and the lens come flying out at the same time.
It may be simple, but if you want a nice (AND WORKING!!) example of Zeiss's workmanship back when things were made to last, this is it. It's been my pocket camera for a couple of weeks, but I need to get it out of my hands before I get too attached to it.
Oh, there is also a yellow filter along with it. Zeiss Gelbglas, 32mm, with original (?) plastic case. Fits the lens like it was made for it. You can't close up the camera with it in place, but the whole camera is so small even when open it's no big deal. With Arista EDU 400 (Fomapan, yes?) it gives a great look.
$220 plus shipping- $15 in US; other inquire.
