Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta ... anyone have or use one ? thanks!

[StepheKoontz]

Not sure if I'm just unlucky, I have two opton tessar 75mm f3.5 Ikontas that ended up with a nasty fogged coating on an internal element that required polishing/removal of the coating to resolve.

 

[RauschenOderKorn]

Not sure if I'm just unlucky, I have two opton tessar 75mm f3.5 Ikontas that ended up with a nasty fogged coating on an internal element that required polishing/removal of the coating to resolve.

I got two (532/16 and 533/16) with uncoated lenses, and (except for the long times) they work like a charm. According to the lens serial #, both are pre-war an in wonderful condition. The previous owners had not idea what they were giving away.

 

[John51]

To add: There is a 645 mask available for the 6x9 Ikontas. The camera has a little pop up viewfinder mask for 645.

A 645 Ikonta can be found easier and probably cheaper than the mask alone. However, a 105mm lens on 645 format isn't that far off being a good portrait length.

 

[pbromaghin]

There are 2 kinds of people on APUG, those who can resist a folding camera thread and those who can't.

 

[Agulliver]

In the 70s, I learned photography on my dad's Zeiss-Ikon 520/16 which is dated 1937. I still use it regularly, it's never let me down, never needed any kind of repairs...works just as well as the day it left the factory. Recently a friend and partner in photography bought a 1933 Zeiss-Ikon folder and similarly it performs flawlessly.

Lovely cameras, not difficult to use...I've used mine anywhere from the summit of Mount Etna to a dark jazz club.

 

[cooltouch]

Wasn't there a recent current thread on this or a similar topic?

OK, well, since this one seems to have been revived, I'll go ahead and chip in. I've been a big fan of the Super Ikontas ever since the first one I owned about 30 years ago. I've owned a couple since. Currently I own a Super Ikonta BX, which is the "B" with the selenium meter. The meter works, but I don't trust it. The camera, however, works very well.

I love the performance one can get from a Super Ikonta. Because of this, I call mine a "pocket Hasselblad" because, basically, that's what it is. The BX fits easily enough in a halfway-roomy jacket pocket, ready for action.

I also own a Russian knockoff of the "C" model. Mine's a 6x9 Moskva V. It's sort of crude in places, but the lens is very good. The pix it produces are excellent.

 

[Bill Burk]

Not sure if I'm just unlucky, I have two opton tessar 75mm f3.5 Ikontas that ended up with a nasty fogged coating on an internal element that required polishing/removal of the coating to resolve.

My repairman didn’t completely remove the haze from mine, but I use it anyway. Gotta get the bellows pinholes plugged before I use it next time. I pasted a sticker in the film well to remind me to check for pinholes every time I load film. I don’t mind the occasional artifact but once in a while I would like to get a good picture.

 

[Bill Burk]

https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/old-faithful.37781/

 

[cooltouch]

My repairman didn’t completely remove the haze from mine, but I use it anyway. Gotta get the bellows pinholes plugged before I use it next time. I pasted a sticker in the film well to remind me to check for pinholes every time I load film. I don’t mind the occasional artifact but once in a while I would like to get a good picture.

You can find a product called Plasti-Dip at the big box stores, which was originally used to insulate metal-handled tools from electric current. It comes in liquid cans and aerosol cans. It also comes in different colors. I picked up a spray can of black Plast-Dip at Home Depot a while back to repair the pinholes in the shutter of one of my Canon rangefinders. It works very well for this when applied correctly. But I have also used it to repair bellows pinholes. It works so well because it adheres readily to the bellows material, plus it is a rubber-like product, so it stays flexible. It was very easy covering the bellows pinholes. Spray and check, spray and check until you don't see light anymore. It's pretty much a permanent repair, as near as I can tell.

 

[xya]

I have owned quite a number of these. I would recommend the III. the selenuim meter of the IV is unreliable, it took me 4 purchases to find a working one, and still... the IV works with coupled LV values, you would have to cope with this. the III is a plain, modern camera. don't go with the older ones, they are heavier and more complicated to use. this is just my 2c. you can find more information on my 120folder site.

 

[Ces1um]

i think i might have found the solution to my problem!

after scouring ebay listings for a few days, i came across a mf camera i had forgotten about - the Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta!

i won't be fumbling around looking down instead of up, old-glass ( my favorite!) and maybe within my budget, plus i don't have to sell it afterwards, cause it looks so cool

anyone have experience with this puppy ? or have a "user" to sell ?

- john

I don't have a super ikonta but I have got a nettar. I find the distance scale along with the non-standard shutter speeds (like 1/50th) and apertures make it a little trickier to nail the exposure using my light meter. It's a thing of beauty though.

 

[Bill Burk]

Thanks for the tips cooltouch.
I found liquid electrical tape (they had the spray too) and used that yesterday. We’ll see how it goes.

 

[Magnus919]

I've got a 533/16. It's beautiful. But I regret, also, that it sits on my shelf unused. Why? Because the film advance on this camera is based on film thickness, not on rotations of the takeup spool. There are goofy hacks to get around this, but I'm too lazy to engage in such shenanigans and there are too many other good cameras at-hand that don't require such tricks. So the first few frames come spaced out fine but then they increasingly overlap as you get deeper into the roll. IIRC, the last time I tried to use it, it seemed like the lens elements were coming delaminated as well.

 

[Alan9940]

Because the film advance on this camera is based on film thickness, not on rotations of the takeup spool.

There are a number of ways to resolve this issue, but the easiest I've used is to tape about 2.5" of old backing paper to the beginning of a new roll. I use removable scotch tape which allows me to re-use the "spacer" piece of backing paper. Works great in my Super Ikonta III.

 

[xya]

There are a number of ways to resolve this issue, but the easiest I've used is to tape about 2.5" of old backing paper to the beginning of a new roll. I use removable scotch tape which allows me to re-use the "spacer" piece of backing paper. Works great in my Super Ikonta III.

I can confirm. it works fine. as I'm lazy, I have another solution: the roll is held together by a strip of paper. I open this cautiously and start enrolling this strip to the spool. as it is connected to the film leader. the leader will follow. now your spool has the right thickness that spacing will be fine. works like a charm.

 

[AndyH]

I can confirm. it works fine. as I'm lazy, I have another solution: the roll is held together by a strip of paper. I open this cautiously and start enrolling this strip to the spool. as it is connected to the film leader. the leader will follow. now your spool has the right thickness that spacing will be fine. works like a charm.

I've only had this happen with a couple types of film - Fomapan IIRC. I'll save that trick for the next time I use it.

Thanks!
Andy

 

[Alan9940]

I can confirm. it works fine. as I'm lazy, I have another solution: the roll is held together by a strip of paper. I open this cautiously and start enrolling this strip to the spool. as it is connected to the film leader. the leader will follow. now your spool has the right thickness that spacing will be fine. works like a charm.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that next time.