New to Folder RF, Mess Ikonta 524/16

[pb908]

I'm new to Folder RF. I just got a beat up Mess Ikonta 524/16 with novar 75mm f4.5 (clean lens,working shutter and good bellow) for 50$, not bad for a first trial.

When it arrived, i just surprised that when folded, it's not thicker than a Zorki 3M and J8/2. I can say, thinner, but taller. This surprise me as I always think that MF camera always be bigger than 35mm camera. It's just so compact, i like it the first time i see it !!!

Well, enough said, i'll try to post some result later, after some rolls finished.

 

[Ezzie]

Congratulations. My 523/16 is about the same size, and its smaller than my R-D1. Just imagine how big a 6x4.5 Ikonta is. Good luck with the camera. Stopped down the Novar can be quite sharp. This was taken at f8 IIRC, close-up:


Stream under Ice by Eirik0304, on Flickr

 

[pb908]

Thanks Ezzie, for your warm welcome.
I have as well RD1, and compare to it, my 524 is almost as tall, but still smaller.
thinking how big the result will be from this small camera, I'm now having GAS attact for 6x9. From local shop, i can see few offering, a bessa I with skopar, a bessa II with skopar, perkeo IIIE, or else an ikonta 523/2 with novar. Each of them around $100-150$, i'm sure I'll have difficult time to decide which one I'll get.

 

[deirdre]

Congratulations, I have an old folder that'll be arriving soon. Can't wait to try it out. I was surprised when I saw one locally how small and light they are.

 

[pb908]

yes chippy, they are great !!!

after reading here and there for a while, now I know that bessa II is one of the highest priced bessa RF ever made, with RF coupled (kind like super ikonta to me). searching off ebay show me that it mostly cost >$500..(the one I'll grab is with color skopar).
one thing I may not like is the shutter button (actuator) is on the left. I'm sure I'll post the camera picture here after I get it. if it come in a good condition, it will be a great find !!

assuming if the lens & shutter is in good condition, but the rest is useless, is that possible to swap the shuter/lens assembly with another different camera.
I mean, if I grab the color skopar (compur) lens 105mm and install it on Ikonta (or a cheap moskva) which was using 105mm, is that possible direct drop replacement ?

 

[Ezzie]

It would most likely be possible, but improbable. Not all lenses are equal, and though two lenses have the same focal length, they will most likely not share film to lens register. Meaning two different lenses will be mounted at different distances to the film plane. Grafting a lens (and shutter?) from one camera to another will therefore prabably entail metalwork of some sort to get the lens to focus properly.

 

[pb908]

my first roll from mess ikonta & novar
tmax 100, dev with pro-BW (local brand) 1:9, 7.5min, scanned with HP G4050, raw + jpeg mode @2400dpi.

as I see from the negative, it is contrasty and look sharp, but after scanned, I don't think it is sharp enough. I try to scanned it with MF holder and retry to put it direct on scanner glass, press it with a clear CD case to make it flat, both looks the same to me. so here it is, some few frames on my first roll


my friend with his works, handheld 1/10s f5.6, a little bit back focus.


taken around 1/100s f11
i see some cast on the top area, possibly light leak. i don't think this is sharp enough, is this scanner problem ?


around f11, 1/250s at my workplace.


my friends, 1/100s f11, a little bit back focus as well.

yes, i see different in tonality compare to 35mm, but if talking about sharpness, I'll need to dig more.the good news is that now I already got a Bessa II with color skopar (for 100$ !!!) , this last weekend I've cleaned the lens, reassembled the aperture blades, flood cleaned the shutter as well. Now everything works as it is. hopefully the skopar perform better than novar.