Zeiss Ikon Problems
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hudsong
Member
I have the problem that a few people mentioned where the film doesn't fully advance in about one frame of every roll. Anyone have luck fixing this? I actually lost 2 images on the last roll that would have been great...
bwlover
Newbie
sdw
Newbie
Looks like viewfinder separation. I've seen this in Leicas before, and it's possible heat or something else made adhesives that keep the assembly together leak into the visible area a bit and cause staining. Should be possible for a camera tech or Zeiss to fix, especially if it's in warranty.
Now, on to me: I got a nice Used Ikon for a sharp price, but found that the rangefinder is entirely off. Horizontally, it is severely offset at infinity, and the first roll I ran through it definitely showed focus being off when the rangefinder said it should be spot on. I've looked around the Bay Area and made countless visits and calls but nobody here seems to be willing or able to fix it. I'm sending it off to Steve's in LA today... Hope to have it back before the 14th. Fingers crossed.*
* I sent a message to Zeiss, too, who indicated that I could ship it to them and they'd ship it on to Germany or Japan, and the whole process would take 6-8 weeks. 🙁
andrewteee
Established
My second Ikon had a misaligned rangefinder. Sent to Germany for repair. Came back and immediately the shutter speed dial popped off and springs flew everywhere. I gave up.
My first Ikon worked beautifully.
My first Ikon worked beautifully.
sdw
Newbie
Er, whoa. What'd you do? Ask them why they sent you a spring-loaded self-detonating replacement? 🙂
Edit: The Ikon should be with Steve now, though I've yet to hear from them. Fingers crossed.
sdw
Newbie
$150, should be back next week. We'll see if she comes back perfect or if it'll still be off.
A slight exaggeration methinks... there's just one spring under the shutter speed dial 😉
The same thing happened to me while travelling in Sicily a few years back. I reassembled it in about five minutes and used a tooth pick to tighten the single screw that holds everything in place, and it hasn't given me any trouble since. Anyone somewhat mechanically minded should be able to reassemble it IMO. I then ate an ice cream and enjoyed the rest of my day in Taormina.
You're accidentally pressing the rewind button on the base of the camera. If you're halfway through a roll and accidentally press it, the film won't advance far enough for the next frame. Happened to me many times. After being puzzled for a while, I eventually noticed that with the way I held the camera my pinkie finger sat right on the rewind button sometimes. I solved the problem by using a Zeiss grip on my camera. The base of the grip protects the rewind button from my pinkie finger accidentally pressing it.
jackson sy
Hard Core Shooter
does the zeiss Ikon still fire its shutter even without battery?
was thinking of "jumping" to the ZI family.🙂 I really like the design of this camera, absolutely proportion.
was thinking of "jumping" to the ZI family.🙂 I really like the design of this camera, absolutely proportion.
bensyverson
Well-known
It does not... this is an electronic camera.
However, the viewfinder is better than any Leica I've handled. Including M9...
Pioneer
Veteran
+1 on that viewfinder.
As for the electronic shutter, I carry the small 3V battery in the bottom of my little Tylenol tube with a dab of cotton over the top. I put a few tylenol on top and I am all prepared for my little emergencies. 🙂
Actually, on my birthday, my present to myself is to swap out all the camera batteries to new ones. Since I started this I haven't had one problem with batteries.
burancap
Veteran
I am considering a ZM. With the stop in production, what is the outlook for serviceability?
They seem quite reliable, but everything ages!
Thanks!
They seem quite reliable, but everything ages!
Thanks!
ellisson
Well-known
Something similar to this happened while using my ZI today. When trying to adjust the ISO value by pulling up the shutter speed dial, I noticed that the top-most disc with the shutter speeds was loose and rotates freely over the rest of the dial.
I see two small holes in the center fastener that look they are meant for adjusting/tightening the dial and the disc on top. The problem I see is getting the shutter speed disc properly aligned with the rest of the dial so that the shutter speeds are correctly selected. Any ideas?
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Adjust the dial to bulb. When you find it, line up the indicator disc appropriately then tighten.
I don't have a ZI but this sounds like a problem I've encountered on other cameras then fixed this way.
Phil Forrest
ellisson
Well-known
Thanks Phil. I had some difficulty getting the disc to lie flat and tightening it down. Fortunately, a local repair shop nearby took care of it in about 20 minutes while I waited. Apparently there are a number of parts that have to be aligned to get things working properly. Wish I had taken some photos of the process!
pirx70
Member
Hello all,
Now after 10 since I bought it new, my most cherished camera, ZI, gave up on me totally unexpected. Having advanced the shutter mid-roll, I could not fire it anymore. The batteries are OK, the negative pole contact, too (the battery cap does close the circuit). It doesn't seem to be the problem with incomplete advancing (it happened to me once, but managed to unjam it), rather there is some electricity supply interruption somewhere inside. Does anyone have knowledge/experience where I could send it for repair in Europe, Anno Domini 2019? Oberkochen? Elsewhere?
Cheers,
Pirx
Now after 10 since I bought it new, my most cherished camera, ZI, gave up on me totally unexpected. Having advanced the shutter mid-roll, I could not fire it anymore. The batteries are OK, the negative pole contact, too (the battery cap does close the circuit). It doesn't seem to be the problem with incomplete advancing (it happened to me once, but managed to unjam it), rather there is some electricity supply interruption somewhere inside. Does anyone have knowledge/experience where I could send it for repair in Europe, Anno Domini 2019? Oberkochen? Elsewhere?
Cheers,
Pirx
Archlich
Well-known
Oberkochen will do. They'll end up sending it to Cosina but the job will be done.
Cowboy
Member
Exposure measurement 1 stop short?
Exposure measurement 1 stop short?
Hi forum,
it's been some time since I have last visited and I am not sure how active this section still is... but I will give it a try, hoping that someone might be able to help me.
I have "rediscovered" my trusty ZM recently. Just to make sure everything works fine before shooting away, I compared the exposure metering with the results of my Fuji X-Pro 1. With the same ISO and f-stop settings the ZM will always measure one stop less (e.g., 1/500 from the ZM, 1/250 from the Fuji).
The batteries seem to be fine, at least according to my battery tester and the camera is also not complaining about low battery.
Any ideas? I am now going with the values of the Fuji as I can directly see how the picture is turning out and I am trusting it more, especially in tricky lighting situations. When I get the film developed, I will see how that worked out. But I would like to understand what is happening here so I can rely on the Zeiss alone.
Exposure measurement 1 stop short?
Hi forum,
it's been some time since I have last visited and I am not sure how active this section still is... but I will give it a try, hoping that someone might be able to help me.
I have "rediscovered" my trusty ZM recently. Just to make sure everything works fine before shooting away, I compared the exposure metering with the results of my Fuji X-Pro 1. With the same ISO and f-stop settings the ZM will always measure one stop less (e.g., 1/500 from the ZM, 1/250 from the Fuji).
The batteries seem to be fine, at least according to my battery tester and the camera is also not complaining about low battery.
Any ideas? I am now going with the values of the Fuji as I can directly see how the picture is turning out and I am trusting it more, especially in tricky lighting situations. When I get the film developed, I will see how that worked out. But I would like to understand what is happening here so I can rely on the Zeiss alone.
ellisson
Well-known
Cowboy,
I assume aperture is set the same in addition to Iso and shutter speed, and that you are using the same lens for these two cameras when checking the metering.
With the ZI camera, I've found that the metering indicator on the left side can go up or down a stop with even a small change in the field of view within a high contrast scene.
I've also seen such metering differences between other cameras, so I check each with my sekonic meter to pick up major inconsistencies.
I assume aperture is set the same in addition to Iso and shutter speed, and that you are using the same lens for these two cameras when checking the metering.
With the ZI camera, I've found that the metering indicator on the left side can go up or down a stop with even a small change in the field of view within a high contrast scene.
I've also seen such metering differences between other cameras, so I check each with my sekonic meter to pick up major inconsistencies.