Ikonta 521/2 manufacture date?

Kyle M. · May 21, 2022

I just picked up the cleanest example of a Zeiss Ikon Ikonta I have ever seen for a good price. It's an Ikonta C 521/2 with the 1/250 Compur shutter and 105/4.5 Tessar. I had one of these with a Novar about 8 years ago and I've regretted selling it ever since. I'm trying to find an approximate year of manufacture on this camera, from what I can find it seems this model came out in 1938. The lens serial number 2113022 seems to date it to 1937 one year before this model was introduced. So I just kind of figured it was an early production camera made in 1938. But the serial number on the Compur shutter 1294762 points to the shutter being made in 1931. The body serial number is F22459. I can see Zeiss having made enough lenses that a 1937 lens would end up in a 1938 camera, but would Compur really have been making so many shutters that a shutter from 1931 wouldn't end up being used until 7 years later?

Thanks in advance for any info.

gone · May 21, 2022

According to this site, production was halted during the war years, picked back up again in 1946, then ended for good a year later. It would make sense that they were using up their pre war stock of stuff, and I'm guessing that when it was all gone, they stopped making what had become an older camera design.

Zeiss Ikon: Ikonta 521/2 (Ikonta C) Price Guide: estimate a camera value

Zeiss Ikon: Ikonta 521/2 (Ikonta C) - 1938-1947. Folding rollfilm camera.

collectiblend.com

Kyle M. · May 21, 2022

momus said:
According to this site, production was halted during the war years, picked back up again in 1946, then ended for good a year later. It would make sense that they were using up their pre war stock of stuff, and I'm guessing that when it was all gone, they stopped making what had become an older camera design.

Zeiss Ikon: Ikonta 521/2 (Ikonta C) Price Guide: estimate a camera value

Zeiss Ikon: Ikonta 521/2 (Ikonta C) - 1938-1947. Folding rollfilm camera.

collectiblend.com

Yes I had read that several places as well. It also seems pre war cameras didn't have coated lenses or flash sync. Yet my coated lens dates to before the war as does my shutter with flash sync. Would they have coated early uncoated Tessars and modified early Compur shutters to have flash sync?

Too bad there are no serial number charts for Ikonta bodies.

Dan Daniel · May 21, 2022

Kyle M. said:
Yes I had read that several places as well. It also seems pre war cameras didn't have coated lenses or flash sync. Yet my coated lens dates to before the war as does my shutter with flash sync. Would they have coated early uncoated Tessars and modified early Compur shutters to have flash sync?

Yes, they did coating of pre-war lenses after the war. I don't know the details of all the developments. But I do know that the first 2.8 Rolleiflexes had Tessar lenses that were supposedly made before the war. In coating them after the war, they didn't keep matched sets together, leading to some lesser quality lenses being sent out. They stopped that, went t othe Biometer (sp), then the Xenotar and Planar.

And yes, there is a drop-in piece that replaces the cable release socket and adds flash sync. I am not certain if you could have both a cable release and a flash sync. I've seen Compurs and Copur Rapids with the added sync in the place of the cable release.

Kyle M. · May 21, 2022

Dan Daniel said:
Yes, they did coating of pre-war lenses after the war. I don't know the details of all the developments. But I do know that the first 2.8 Rolleiflexes had Tessar lenses that were supposedly made before the war. In coating them after the war, they didn't keep matched sets together, leading to some lesser quality lenses being sent out. They stopped that, went t othe Biometer (sp), then the Xenotar and Planar.

And yes, there is a drop-in piece that replaces the cable release socket and adds flash sync. I am not certain if you could have both a cable release and a flash sync. I've seen Compurs and Copur Rapids with the added sync in the place of the cable release.

Thanks for the info. That’s all very interesting. The unmatched lens info especially. I’ve personally never had a Jena Tessar that wasn’t top notch. But I’ve only owned maybe a dozen.

greg zinselmeier · May 21, 2022

Can you send a pic of the lens/shutter?

Kyle M. · May 22, 2022

Here’s a pic

Dan Daniel · May 22, 2022

Are you thinking that the lens in your photo is coated? I don't see the red T mark.

Kyle M. · May 22, 2022

Dan Daniel said:
Are you thinking that the lens in your photo is coated? I don't see the red T mark.

Upon closer inspection in good light it is definitely an uncoated lens. Although the shutter has flash sync which from what I'm reading didn't appear until after the war. So perhaps as Dan Daniel mentioned it was assembled from left over parts after the war?

takilmaboxer · May 22, 2022

In my experience those 4.5 Tessars are very sharp. Don't be put off by the lack of coating, just shade the lens, and you will be happy with the performance. I personally prefer the Compur shutters to the Synchro Compurs, they are simpler and more reliable.

Dan Daniel · May 22, 2022

Kyle M. said:
Upon closer inspection in good light it is definitely an uncoated lens. Although the shutter has flash sync which from what I'm reading didn't appear until after the war. So perhaps as Dan Daniel mentioned it was assembled from left over parts after the war?

I would actually think that it was assembled before the war. I've seen pre-war Compurs and Compur-Rapids with flash syncs installed in place of the cable release socket; I don't know if the sync was changed at a later date or if it was an original option. Zeiss was out of commission for a while after the war, longer than companies like Rollei and Schneider, for example.

I'm with takilmaboxer- those uncoated Tessars can be amazing lenses. Prone to flare if it gets too much direct light, but other than that very sharp and beautiful tones in B&W (I simply haven't shot color film with them so cannot comment).

Kyle M. · May 22, 2022

Dan Daniel said:
I would actually think that it was assembled before the war. I've seen pre-war Compurs and Compur-Rapids with flash syncs installed in place of the cable release socket; I don't know if the sync was changed at a later date or if it was an original option. Zeiss was out of commission for a while after the war, longer than companies like Rollei and Schneider, for example.

I'm with takilmaboxer- those uncoated Tessars can be amazing lenses. Prone to flare if it gets too much direct light, but other than that very sharp and beautiful tones in B&W (I simply haven't shot color film with them so cannot comment).

I'm leaning towards pre war as well now. I found some info elsewhere that most if not all post war Ikontas had a star after the serial number whereas mine does not.

takilmaboxer · May 24, 2022

I've shot plenty of color with uncoated lenses. Works great! Just be aware that if there is a large area of brightly illuminated single color in the frame, it can cause flare like any bright object, except it will be a colored flare.
No need for off beat color films from Freestyle. Just use an uncoated lens, don't shade it, an unload the camera in bright sunlight.

MattKing · Jun 1, 2024

I've just acquired one of these as well, and it appears to be in great condition. The body serial number is G64892, the lens serial number is 2545077 - A Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 105mm f/4.5 - and the Compur shutter is serial number 1407563. There is a cable release connection but no flash sync.
It even has a matching case!

Ikonta 521/2 manufacture date?

Kyle M.

gone

Zeiss Ikon: Ikonta 521/2 (Ikonta C) Price Guide: estimate a camera value

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Zeiss Ikon: Ikonta 521/2 (Ikonta C) Price Guide: estimate a camera value

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