1st Roll From My Zeiss Ikon

[joebt]

My Zeiss Ikon was delivered on Friday, and I was able to take a walk yesterday through DC to test it out, so far everything is as good as it gets.

Even my Leica 90mm Cron, which will not focus at all on my M6TTL, focuses to perfection on the ZI. I'm puzzled, because the 90mm also focuses fine on my 50 year old M3 Double Stroke.

I asked my girlfriend to take a picture of me, and the first thing she stated after taking the picture was how nice the ZI's viewfinder is compared to my M6TTL's viewfinder.

Well, lets see if I can share a few shots with you all--here goes nothing.

 

[Prosaic]

Nice samples. Ever compared the ZI finder to that of an M7 or M8?

 

[joebt]

[FONT=&quot]Actually, my choice came down to a ZI or the M7, and the better viewfinder of the ZI is what won me over--that and the fact that when I mount a 35mm lens, I get 35mm frame-lines exclusively, and the same applies to mounting a 50mm lens. I have been spoiled by the M3, and I find all of those other frame-lines distracting.

The M8's viewfinder is unacceptable to me. In fact, when I hear Leica aficionados criticize the build of the ZI implying that it is not up to Leica standards, I just laugh, because that is how I feel about the M8. [/FONT]

 

[leica M2 fan]

Your last shot of the "reader" is excellent, the lighting is perfect and the softness is very nice.

 

[kshapero]

joebt, I am with you all the way. Your sample shots were outstanding. keep it coming.

 

[daaris]

Very nice shots indeed! Interesting, the guy in the middle shot(with the tv camera) is my friend Mark, I think, he works for a network in D.C.

 

[joebt]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the kudos. I really like the Zi. Another big plus for the ZI that none of my Leicas have is the fact that if I advance the film, which I normally do after each shot, if I do not take the shot, and turn the Zi off, there is no chance of taking a shot of the inside of my camera bag because by turning it off it locks the shutter button.

Daaris, This guy did work for the news, and he was filming a drowning.

My problem now is that my girlfriend likes the Zi too, and she is damn good with it too. I got my Leica 50mm Lux back from Sherry about a month ago, so I took it out to try it to see if the focus was dead on, so we took turns shooting each other at F/1.4
Here is two of her and one of me. She is becoming surgical with the ZI.

 

[jbf]

Some gorgeous shots ther Joebt! Lovely indeed. Just like your gf, mine too has taken a liking to my Zeiss Ikon. haha. 🙂

Love the summilux... wish I had one though. For now though, the Zeiss 50/2 planar will have to do (and i must say it's a darn nice lens as well. hehe)

 

[joebt]

Some gorgeous shots ther Joebt! Lovely indeed. Just like your gf, mine too has taken a liking to my Zeiss Ikon. haha. 🙂

Love the summilux... wish I had one though. For now though, the Zeiss 50/2 planar will have to do (and i must say it's a darn nice lens as well. hehe)

Hey man, from what I've been seeing, those Zeiss lenses are pretty darn good. I have an old 50mm Leica Cron, that I may have to try on the ZI. I loved it on my M6.

 

[kshapero]

For years my wife would say to our friends, that someday I would get a Leica, last night she said to a friend of ours that she really loves my ZI. I thought I would fall off my chair.

 

[jky]

I think the clean-smooth look suits you better....🙂
Just sold my ZI (it was a spontaneous purchase) and I already miss that Vf. I found the ZM easier to focus - there was virtually no need to move the focus ring back and forth to "make sure" I had it right (the rangefinder is fine on the M6 btw).
Have fun with yours!
Cheers.

 

[Keith]

I'm off to take some indoor shots with mine today ... the weather here is unbelievably bad and outdoor activities are not advisable. It still hasn't fired a shot yet and I've had it three days so I'm going to head to a friend's place and do some candid portraits of her son ... this is getting too much for me ... I have to photograph something constructive with it or I'll start taking shots of absolute dross and I swore I wouldn't do that with this new baby!

Nice pics by the way! 🙂

 

[DelDavis]

Joebt, dig the portraits.

As a fellow Marylander/DC-area denizen, any suggestions for good local film processing? Seems like you got the roll(s) back pretty quick so I'm guessing they didn't have to ship 'em anywhere. I'm still scoping out the scene and a lot of my B&W is coming back with serious scratches.

And which 90mm Summicron are you using? I'm in the market and am looking for some guidance on new vs. used models to go with my ZI. Any of the above taken with yours?

Cheers!
DelDavis

 

[joebt]

DelDavis-- I actually used Illford XP2 for those shots. i went to the local Walmart and got them back in 15 minutes. I scanned them with the Nikon CoolScan 5000.

I have the Leica 90 mm Summicron with the built in lens hood--E55, Made in Canada.
I have nothing but praises for this lens. I have been using it on my M3. I tried it on my M6ttl, but none of the pictures were in focus even when I took some at F/8. I shot my 35mm and 50mm on the M6 and they were all tack sharp. I put the 90mm back on the M3 and they were tack sharp. I don't know what it is, but it works on everything except the M6.

It works on the Zi though.

 

[-kk-]

the bokeh on that 2nd series is dreamy, very nice!