IKOFLEX

anthonym3 · Jun 4, 2019

I have purchased an IKOFLEX that is somewhat of a mystery. The seller did not know the model nor do I. It has a 75 mm 3.5 OPTON TESSAR T with a 5 digit serial number.21499. I have checked ZEISS serial number lists but this number indicated 1907 or thereabouts. It can not be for this camera. Can someone help with the model? Any assistance will be appreciated.

GRHazelton · Jun 4, 2019

anthonym3 said:
I have purchased an IKOFLEX that is somewhat of a mystery. The seller did not know the model nor do I. It has a 75 mm 3.5 OPTON TESSAR T with a 5 digit serial number.21499. I have checked ZEISS serial number lists but this number indicated 1907 or thereabouts. It can not be for this camera. Can someone help with the model? Any assistance will be appreciated.

Can you post a picture? Is the serial number on the lens or the body?

anthonym3 · Jun 4, 2019

GRHazelton said:
Can you post a picture? Is the serial number on the lens or the body?

GRHazelton · Jun 4, 2019

Have a look at https://www.butkus.org/chinon/zeiss_ikon.htm Mike Butkus is a national treasure! If you peruse the various Ikoflex manuals you might find yours there, and also learn how to operate it. I have an Ikoflex, its operation is NOT intuitive, as are some cameras.

anthonym3 · Jun 4, 2019

GRHazelton said:
Can you post a picture? Is the serial number on the lens or the body?

I am trying to post a photo but not successful so far. The serial #is on the lens

anthonym3 · Jun 4, 2019

GRHazelton said:
Have a look at https://www.butkus.org/chinon/zeiss_ikon.htm Mike Butkus is a national treasure! If you peruse the various Ikoflex manuals you might find yours there, and also learn how to operate it. I have an Ikoflex, its operation is NOT intuitive, as are some cameras.

anthonym3 · Jun 4, 2019

I know BUTKUS.ORG. The only photo that looks similar is of model 1 which to my understanding was produced until the 1950's.The camera has not arrived yet so it is not possible to know the body serial number.The photo that I posted came from sellers photos.

JPD · Jun 5, 2019

anthonym3 said:
The seller did not know the model nor do I. It has a 75 mm 3.5 OPTON TESSAR T with a 5 digit serial number.21499. I have checked ZEISS serial number lists but this number indicated 1907 or thereabouts. It can not be for this camera.

Carl Zeiss split after WWII. The West German Carl Zeiss in Oberkocken (with lenses marked ZEISS-OPTON) used their own new serial numbers, while Carl Zeiss in Jena, East Germany, continued the "old" serial numbers. The Tessar on your camera is from the early post-war period, 1946-47.

anthonym3 · Jun 5, 2019

JPD thank you,I was at a loss for information. I had read of the ZEISS split but the sites that I visited made no mention of the new serial number system. I have an IKOFLEX ll/lll transition model with a 75mm 3.5 TESSAR,is the OPTON TESSAR T appreciably better or the same quality?Also do you know if my transition model is a rare one?

JPD · Jun 5, 2019

It seems to me to be a late Ikoflex I 850/16: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Zeiss_Ikon_Ikoflex_II

anthonym3 said:
JPD thank you,I was at a loss for information. I had read of the ZEISS split but the sites that I visited made no mention of the new serial number system. I have an IKOFLEX ll/lll transition model with a 75mm 3.5 TESSAR,is the OPTON TESSAR T appreciably better or the same quality?Also do you know if my transition model is a rare one?

What is the serial number on your Ikoflex II/III Tessar? I suspect it to be pre-war, and in that case the Opton Tessar should have better contrast since it's coated.

anthonym3 · Jun 5, 2019

JPD said:
It seems to me to be a late Ikoflex I 850/16: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Zeiss_Ikon_Ikoflex_II

What is the serial number on your Ikoflex II/III Tessar? I suspect it to be pre-war, and in that case the Opton Tessar should have better contrast since it's coated.

JPD, serial number 1855612

anthonym3 · Jun 5, 2019

JPD lens serial number1855612

Ian Grant · Jun 5, 2019

I have the same lens on a Rolleiflex Automat MXV and it's excellent. My gut feeling with such a low early serial number is it's an Ikoflex 1 850/16 Lps with a Prontor-S shutter. The Compur factory was badly damaged during the war and it was sometime before volume production resumed.

Ian

JPD · Jun 5, 2019

anthonym3 said:
JPD lens serial number1855612

It was made in 1936. The Opton Tessar is coated so it has better contrast. They should in principle have equal sharpness, but there is some sample variation so you'll have to compare them. I have pre- and post-war 3,5/75 Tessars and they are excellent.

anthonym3 · Jun 5, 2019

Ian Grant said:
I have the same lens on a Rolleiflex Automat MXV and it's excellent. My gut feeling with such a low early serial number is it's an Ikoflex 1 850/16 Lps with a Prontor-S shutter. The Compur factory was badly damaged during the war and it was sometime before volume production resumed.

Ian

anthonym3 · Jun 5, 2019

IAN ,thank you.It has not yet arrived and I have seen only photos.I am in hopes that is in good condition. It should be as the case is included.

JPD · Jun 5, 2019

Ian Grant said:
I have the same lens on a Rolleiflex Automat MXV and it's excellent. My gut feeling with such a low early serial number is it's an Ikoflex 1 850/16 Lps with a Prontor-S shutter. The Compur factory was badly damaged during the war and it was sometime before volume production resumed.

Yes, it says Ikoflex I 850/16 Lps and Prontor-S in the link I provided. The Ikoflex I (a, b and c) continued to use Prontor-S and Prontor-SVS shutters till 1960 to keep the cost down on these cheaper models.
This particular camera may have a flash contact, since it's a late 850/16. Earlier ones looked the same except for the flash contact.

Your Rolleiflex, Ian, is a 3,5 A if it has the stand-alone lever for the M/X sync. At least Franke & Heidecke got the needed Compur-Rapid shutters from F. Deckel for their cameras. Zeiss owned a bigger part of the stocks of the A. Gauthier company than of the F. Deckel ones, so perhaps it was easier for Zeiss Ikon to obtain a larger quantity of Prontor shutters for their early post-war production.

Ian Grant · Jun 7, 2019

JPD said:
Your Rolleiflex, Ian, is a 3,5 A if it has the stand-alone lever for the M/X sync. At least Franke & Heidecke got the needed Compur-Rapid shutters from F. Deckel for their cameras. Zeiss owned a bigger part of the stocks of the A. Gauthier company than of the F. Deckel ones, so perhaps it was easier for Zeiss Ikon to obtain a larger quantity of Prontor shutters for their early post-war production.

My Rolleiflex is the Automat Model 4, also known oas the Rolleiflex A or Rolleiflex MX (type 1), not quite sure why I slipped in a V to say MXV

Ian

absalom1951 · Jun 7, 2019

After reading these posts I want to my Ikoflex loaded and create some photos. Its the model with the side focus lever. The lens isn't the best but it still takes some great pictures..It has the Carl Zeiss Jena Nr.179638 Tessar 1:3.5 lens .

JPD · Jun 7, 2019

Ian Grant said:
My Rolleiflex is the Automat Model 4, also known oas the Rolleiflex A or Rolleiflex MX (type 1), not quite sure why I slipped in a V to say MXV

I think "MX" makes the most sense, and the americans used that designation."Automat Model 4" makes me think of the fourth model of the pre-war Automat. The one with bayonets on both lenses and black wheels for the speed and aperture. After that one came the first post-war model with the sturdier focusing hood, the shutter release with cable release thread and X sync contact. About the same time came the 2,8A, and during the production of the 2,8A came the 3,5A with the MX lever. The late 2,8A also got the MX lever. The 2,8 models got improved too quickly for the letter designations for the 3,5 models to keep up for a while.

absalom1951 said:
After reading these posts I want to my Ikoflex loaded and create some photos. Its the model with the side focus lever. The lens isn't the best but it still takes some great pictures..It has the Carl Zeiss Jena Nr.179638 Tessar 1:3.5 lens .

I have only seen that type with the focus lever on pictures. How is it to use?

anthonym3 · Jun 7, 2019

absalom1951 said:
After reading these posts I want to my Ikoflex loaded and create some photos. Its the model with the side focus lever. The lens isn't the best but it still takes some great pictures..It has the Carl Zeiss Jena Nr.179638 Tessar 1:3.5 lens .

anthonym3 · Jun 7, 2019

I am of the opinion that it isn't necessarily the lens but the person behind the lens. Is the lens a NOVAR ANASTIGMAT or a TRIOTAR? I have read that both can produce fine photos.

anthonym3 · Jun 7, 2019

anthonym3 said:
I am of the opinion that it isn't necessarily the lens but the person behind the lens. Is the lens a NOVAR ANASTIGMAT or a TRIOTAR? I have read that both can produce fine photos.

anthonym3 · Jun 7, 2019

Sorry.my computer hiccuped. Upon getting back to your post in it's entirety I see the lens is a TESSAR. My ll/lll has the same lens.I have run a roll through it and it's on the way to thedarkroom.com.

JPD · Jun 7, 2019

anthonym3 said:
I am of the opinion that it isn't necessarily the lens but the person behind the lens. Is the lens a NOVAR ANASTIGMAT or a TRIOTAR? I have read that both can produce fine photos.

I saw that you followed up with that you read again and saw that it was Tessar, but you probably read Carl Zeiss Jena the first time so it's worth to mention that the Novar wasn't a Carl Zeiss lens. Novar was originally a Hüttig trademark, and Hüttig was later absorbed into ICA, and ICA together with other camera makers later merged into Zeiss Ikon on the initiative of Carl Zeiss. Zeiss Ikon was an independent company, but of course related to Carl Zeiss. Novar and Nettar lenses were bought in from various lens makers, so they are not marked Zeiss. A few Zeiss Ikon cameras in the years after the war even used lenses from the Zeiss rival Schneider-Kreuznach.

IKOFLEX

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