Anyone with experience on the Icarex 35 CS? (Tessar 2.8/50)
New Camera--Icarex 35 CS
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What do you want to know?
I had one briefly. Essentially a Voigtländer design (Bessaflex project for a focal plane shutter SLR - as opposed to their between the lens shuttered Bessamatic), before the company was bought out by Zeiss-Ikon (and later Rollei).
Also the lens isn't a Tessar, but a Skopar, made in the Voigtländer works in Braunschweig (not a bad thing as the Skopar has the reputation as being one of the best Tessar variants).
All or most of the other lenses for it were also re-branded Voigtländer lenses.
The camera itself is a matter of taste: if you like it, it'll definitely do its job. Some hate it, some love it.
The basic design was kept through various names and models, some with M42 mount and later some branded as Rolleiflex with Rolleiflex mounts.
I had one briefly. Essentially a Voigtländer design (Bessaflex project for a focal plane shutter SLR - as opposed to their between the lens shuttered Bessamatic), before the company was bought out by Zeiss-Ikon (and later Rollei).
Also the lens isn't a Tessar, but a Skopar, made in the Voigtländer works in Braunschweig (not a bad thing as the Skopar has the reputation as being one of the best Tessar variants).
All or most of the other lenses for it were also re-branded Voigtländer lenses.
The camera itself is a matter of taste: if you like it, it'll definitely do its job. Some hate it, some love it.
The basic design was kept through various names and models, some with M42 mount and later some branded as Rolleiflex with Rolleiflex mounts.
P.S. If you like 50mm lenses, the Ultron with the concave front element is supposed to be one of the greatest ever...
I'll just add a few comments:
- It's a full-size SLR with a good bit of heft to it. It lends to a very stable shooting platform.
- The frame counter never moves unless the film is loaded properly. It prevents you from shooting a roll of blanks.
- The shutter release is a bit low and benefits from one of those little mini-releases.
- The viewfinder has a diagonally split center spot, which I really like.
- This camera later returned as the Zeiss Ikon SL 706 before resurfacing one more time nearly unchanged (mechanically) as the Voigtlander VSL 1 and Rolleiflex SL 35 M with a final variant that added aperture-priority autoexposure.
- I can confirm that the Tessar lens on this is excellent. It takes two-lobe B50 filters and close-up lenses. But this B50 is different from the Hasselblad Bay 50 -- they aren't interchangeable.
- It's a very nice camera (old school) and had Zeiss Ikon survived would have been the basis for a new line of consumer SLRs.
I posted a review of the Zeiss Ikon SL 706 on another forum. Here's the link, which includes some photo samples.
- It's a full-size SLR with a good bit of heft to it. It lends to a very stable shooting platform.
- The frame counter never moves unless the film is loaded properly. It prevents you from shooting a roll of blanks.
- The shutter release is a bit low and benefits from one of those little mini-releases.
- The viewfinder has a diagonally split center spot, which I really like.
- This camera later returned as the Zeiss Ikon SL 706 before resurfacing one more time nearly unchanged (mechanically) as the Voigtlander VSL 1 and Rolleiflex SL 35 M with a final variant that added aperture-priority autoexposure.
- I can confirm that the Tessar lens on this is excellent. It takes two-lobe B50 filters and close-up lenses. But this B50 is different from the Hasselblad Bay 50 -- they aren't interchangeable.
- It's a very nice camera (old school) and had Zeiss Ikon survived would have been the basis for a new line of consumer SLRs.
I posted a review of the Zeiss Ikon SL 706 on another forum. Here's the link, which includes some photo samples.
Let me add to what I wrote before. There were several Icarex models. The CS is the one with the large metering viewfinder. I have one of these cameras. However, the meter doesn't work.
I probably could disassemble it, but I decided instead to replace it with a plain non-metering prism.
The metered prism head of the CS model is large and sort of unattractive. It adds to the height of the camera.
With this Icarex model, you press a small silver stud, and the CS head slides off the camera.
Incidentally, if the prism in the non-metering head is bad, you can replace it with the prism from an older Voigtlander Bessamatic SLR.
I probably could disassemble it, but I decided instead to replace it with a plain non-metering prism.
The metered prism head of the CS model is large and sort of unattractive. It adds to the height of the camera.
With this Icarex model, you press a small silver stud, and the CS head slides off the camera.
Incidentally, if the prism in the non-metering head is bad, you can replace it with the prism from an older Voigtlander Bessamatic SLR.
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Here's the Icarex with the non-metering prism and the CS metering head:
And here are the top decks of the Icarex 35 (top), Zeiss Ikon SL 706 (middle) and Rolleiflex SL 35 M (bottom). I set all three shutter speed dials to 1/30, so you can see how similar they are. Also, notice that the self-timer levers are identical on the Icarex and Zeiss Ikon -- and the Rolleiflex self-timer looks different but works identically.
And here are the top decks of the Icarex 35 (top), Zeiss Ikon SL 706 (middle) and Rolleiflex SL 35 M (bottom). I set all three shutter speed dials to 1/30, so you can see how similar they are. Also, notice that the self-timer levers are identical on the Icarex and Zeiss Ikon -- and the Rolleiflex self-timer looks different but works identically.
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OP
OP
Thanks a lot elekm; you covered it all. I got the body first and then I got the lens. I got a guy fixing me a 35mm Scoparex
I don't know the full history of the Icarex, but I know that while most are a bayonet breech-lock mount, some also are M42 thread mount. When the thread mount cameras were released, the bodies were then marked either "BM" or "TM."
I think that if the body isn't marked, then it's a bayonet mount.
Make sure that you get the correct lens for your body.
I think that if the body isn't marked, then it's a bayonet mount.
Make sure that you get the correct lens for your body.
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OP
OP
It's bayonet
OP
OP
I don't think I have the money for an Ultron right now, but the idea is great
This is my Icarex TM with M42 Ultron 50/1.8
It's a beautifully made camera -- IMO the best-made M42 ever. A bit hefty but I
like to shoot a hefty 35 at times. The meter is accurate and I love the viewfinder.
It's a beautifully made camera -- IMO the best-made M42 ever. A bit hefty but I
like to shoot a hefty 35 at times. The meter is accurate and I love the viewfinder.
That's a beauty! How do you like the Ultron? Been looking for a reasonably priced one for a while.
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