Ask help before choosing Zeiss ikon

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zjx2585

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Hi,
I am using a D200 with a ZF25mm lens (equal to about 35mm in film). Now I feel this set is too heavy to carry around all day in spite of the good pics I got from this set.

So I try to find a light weight (but "serious") solution, a body plus a 35mm lens. First I decide to buy a RF rather than bulky SLR. However, except crazy expensive M8, or old RD-1s, there seems no many chooses. Then I turn to film and feel zeiss ikon could be a chance (great lens+light weight).

My two questions are:

1) Could anyone tell me if ZI's 35mm/2 lens will block the right corner of viewfinder when it's mounted? how about with hood? I know it will not make any impact on pics, just feel annoying when trying a Bassa R2+35mm/1.7+adaptor

2) I am used to use manual and spot meter on my DSLR with fine 1/3 steps on shutter speed, but ZI seems has no "spot" meter and only provide 1EV step shutter in manual mode.

Is there any difficulty when shooting print film? I heard print/chrome film needs a 1/2 step on exposure adjustment, and hope I don't need an extra spot meter...

Thanks lot!
 
zjx2585 said:
Is there any difficulty when shooting print film? I heard print/chrome film needs a 1/2 step on exposure adjustment, and hope I don't need an extra spot meter...
Click to expand...

Maybe you should start here for an introduction to print vs slide film
http://www.vividlight.com/Articles/216.htm

Concerning the camera, you should consider the Voigtländer Bessa line as well (best value for money and comes from the same factory your Zeiss lens is from...)
 
Well true that the D200 and prime isn't much bigger than the ZI, the SLR feels like a Hasselblad in comparison to it.
I have a D300 that I hardly use anymore since I acquired the ZI because it feels huge and just doesn't work for me for Street photography.
I just weighed my D300 with a 35/2 Nikkor and it weighed 2Lb 11.5 Oz and the ZI with a Luigi case and 50/2 Planar weighed 1Lb 12.6 Oz.
I hardly notice it when I carry it now, wonderful camera.
 
1) Could anyone tell me if ZI's 35mm/2 lens will block the right corner of viewfinder when it's mounted? how about with hood? I know it will not make any impact on pics, just feel annoying when trying a Bassa R2+35mm/1.7+adaptor
Click to expand...


I think this is an important question because all current M mount rangefinder cameras have this issue and I still have the occasional problem with it. Sometimes I just plain don't want to see anything else in the viewfinder except what I'm shooting and consequently use an OM for those times. Even if your lens is not actually intruding into the frame lines it's still lurking there in the corner of the viewfinder waiting to do so ... I suspect it's the one thing that makes a rangefinder a definite compromise and causes a few first timers to go back to their SLR's!

That said it's a small price to pay ... particularly when you look through the incredible viewfinder of the Ikon for the first time!
 
As an owner of a D200 and more recently a Zeiss Ikon.I have to agree the viewfinder on the Ikon is fantastic.I have owned a bessa r2a and a leica M6 in the past.The Zeiss finder wins hands down.
 
The Biogon 35 f/2 is visible in the viewfinder of the Zeiss Ikon, but it does not intrude into the framelines. The hood intrudes a bit, but it's vented so very little of the view is obscured.

For your first RF, a Zeiss Ikon might be a bit pricey. If you buy one new and decide you don't like it, you'll lose a few hundred dollars when you sell it. If you want a new camera, a Bessa R2a is much cheaper. Of course, if you buy used at a reasonable price, you should be able to recover most of the cost should you decide to sell it.
 
I have the Zeiss Ikon, but not the ZM 35 mmm 2,0. But I have the Leica 35 mm 2,0 Summicron which is similar in dimensions. The Zeiss Ikon got the best viewfinder of all the rangefinder cameras on the market, - to my view (sic). The sunshade of the Leica 35 is not 'vented', but still the view is almost unrestricted.
 
I know this is a rangefinder forum, but another possible solution might be a small Nikon mount film SLR that mounts the ZI? They don't all have to be as big as the D200.

You'd save some money buying new lenses!
 
Prosaic said:
Maybe you should start here for an introduction to print vs slide film
http://www.vividlight.com/Articles/216.htm

Concerning the camera, you should consider the Voigtländer Bessa line as well (best value for money and comes from the same factory your Zeiss lens is from...)
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should mean "slide film". I know it different from negtive film but I don't know how to present it in English. 🙂
 
mcgrattan said:
I know this is a rangefinder forum, but another possible solution might be a small Nikon mount film SLR that mounts the ZI? They don't all have to be as big as the D200.

You'd save some money buying new lenses!
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Yes, Mcgrattan. I studied some used cameras like FM3A to reuse my ZF 25, the weight is between ZI and my D200.
 
Andrew Sowerby said:
The Biogon 35 f/2 is visible in the viewfinder of the Zeiss Ikon, but it does not intrude into the framelines. The hood intrudes a bit, but it's vented so very little of the view is obscured....
Click to expand...

Andrew. This is the exact comment I need 🙂

Thanks guys here, Olsen, Andrew,astroman, Keith and others.

In my country in Asia, ZI body is about 1000USD, Bessa R4 should be the half of it.
 
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zjx2585 said:
my D200+ZF25 = 830g+480g = 1310g (without battery's weight)
ZI+35/2 = 460g+240g = 700g It should be even lighter than a single D200.
MP or M7 body is around 600g.
I agree that from the figures the size of two plans are similar.
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I have a Zeiss Ikon and D200, and the Zeiss Ikon + lens is noticably smaller than the D200 + lens, and a LOT LOT lighter. IMO the difference is huge.

I also have an FM3A which weighs in at about 570 grams without lens, so is a little heavier than the Zeiss Ikon but the size is about the same. Rangefinder lenses tend to be smaller and lighter than the equivalent SLR lenses though, so the Zeiss Ikon + lens combo is still noticably lighter than the FM3A + lens combo.

Also, as much as I love the viewfinder on the Zeiss Ikon, IMO the FM3A is a better made camera overall. If only the Zeiss Ikon had the FM3A's shutter and build quality :bang:

Still, the Zeiss Ikon is a very nice camera, and probably the best buy in rangefinders for price/performance. Especially if you can buy used.
 
hi!

i also have the 35/2 biogon, it does not block the finder and is an excellent lens even without the hood.

maybe you should wait what comes on the PMA show in march, possible to get a new dig. rangefinder!? 🙂 (ZI came out in 2003, since then happened a lot on sensor technology, so maybe we get a gigital Zeiss Ikon soon!?!)
 
jonmanjiro said:
Also, as much as I love the viewfinder on the Zeiss Ikon, IMO the FM3A is a better made camera overall. If only the Zeiss Ikon had the FM3A's shutter and build quality :bang:
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Yes, jonmanijiro, I also got some user complain about ZI's durability, and also heard its use the same shutter as FM10, with some improvement on the sounding.

Thanks
 
bedaberger said:
hi!

i also have the 35/2 biogon, it does not block the finder and is an excellent lens even without the hood.

maybe you should wait what comes on the PMA show in march, possible to get a new dig. rangefinder!? 🙂 (ZI came out in 2003, since then happened a lot on sensor technology, so maybe we get a gigital Zeiss Ikon soon!?!)
Click to expand...

Thanks, bedaberger. at least from your and others' comment there should not have a big problem on viewfinder with 35/2.

Yeah, it is a good idea for waiting PMA. I studied Zeiss's doc for ZI system and it indicates a full-frame digital version. But i don't know if its price will be affordable to me even it hits to market.
 
zjx2585 said:
Yeah, it is a good idea for waiting PMA. I studied Zeiss's doc for ZI system and it indicates a full-frame digital version. But i don't know if its price will be affordable to me even it hits to market.
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Think on the price of the ZI + a prof. scanner as the COOLSCAN 5000! -> about € 2500, for that money you should also get a digital ZI! if they would sell this "future-camera" on a more expensive price, they would come to close to leica!

whith this thoughts in my mind i just sold my (slow) COOLSCAN V for a good price.

peter
 
Don't hold your breath on the digital Ikon. It'll hopefully come eventually... but it's not gonna be at PMA this year... maybe photokina in two or three years. If you want the film camera... just buy it and enjoy it. If you wait you're going to find you're waiting a long time. If you really want digital I would just get an Epson R-D1... I've heard wonderful things...
 
bedaberger said:
Think on the price of the ZI + a prof. scanner as the COOLSCAN 5000! -> about € 2500, for that money you should also get a digital ZI! if they would sell this "future-camera" on a more expensive price, they would come to close to leica!

whith this thoughts in my mind i just sold my (slow) COOLSCAN V for a good price.

peter
Click to expand...

It is a daydream to believe that anyone, be it Zeiss, Cosina, Nikon - or Leica can make a good (= low noice on high ISO, small crop factor, high resolution, etc.) digital rangefinder for less than 5k dollars. - It will, most likely, be closer to 10k.
 
I sold my d200 the last spring, and then bought the ZI. There is a big difference between them!. No, you cannot carry the ZI in your pocket, but its compact and fits in a small bag quite well. It's even better than a d40, because of the bulky nikon lens attached!

But most important, the feeling of film. Over the years i have tried both film and digital cameras, but the 5 prints that hang at home were all shot with film, 2 of them scanned and printed to A3.

The only nikon I miss sometimes is the FE I had a couple of years ago.
 
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