A happy Zeiss Ikon story

[Out to Lunch]

Just remember...the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'. I've had my Zeiss Ikon for many years and it works fine.

 

[jawarden]

They are fairly pricy on eBay and I don't want to buy one if they are prone to failure. Is this an unusual occurrence or should I look into another body. The Minolta CLE looks interesting too.

Zeiss told me they've never seen the particular failure mine experienced before, if that helps. From what I've read here and elsewhere the cameras are well made. I used mine over the weekend and was reminded of why I bought it in the first place. They really are wonderful cameras.

 

[jawarden]

I'm already pitching the script to Dreamworks. I've suggested Tom Hanks should play Jeff as the crestfallen 'older' guy and Michael Fassbender to be the sympathetic Zeiss tech over in Germany. They've said they're interested but they want me to rewrite the Zeiss part for Charlize Theron and have the two leads meet up and get married at the end.

I happen to possess the late career Hanks gravitas, so perhaps I can play myself. You'll have my support recruiting Charlize.

 

[oftheherd]

Electronics can be funny things. They can quit for no discernible reason, and start up again for no discernible reason. I hope yours stays working.

 

[Steve M.]

"Electronics can be funny things. They can quit for no discernible reason, and start up again for no discernible reason. I hope yours stays working".

That is it in a nutshell. How many of us have seen our computers crap out, only to do nothing more than reboot them and all of a sudden everything works fine. I suspect that all the shipping to and fro jiggled something in the camera, and now it works. For now anyway :]

Sometimes you just have to give these electronic gadgets the good 'ol Fonzerelli chop.

 

[Archlich]

I have been thinking about getting back into film with a Zeiss Ikon ZM. This is mainly because I bought 3 ZM lenses for my Sony a7 when it first came out.

They are fairly pricy on eBay and I don't want to buy one if they are prone to failure. Is this an unusual occurrence or should I look into another body. The Minolta CLE looks interesting too.

The ZI is one of the most reliable electronic M mount body you can buy right now - simple (trivial problems could easily be fixed by your local technician), no common known issue, and still repairable by Cosina for another 6 or 7 years.

Still, the same applies to the Bessas. They are not so far off the ZI and even easier to service. So if budget is an issue, go for one and be happy.

 

[Archlich]

duplicated post

 

[Highway 61]

Could be that the electronics had got an electromagnetic hazard which put them off. Three years in a wood drawer with no battery in the camera and that unproper electromagnetic field all inside the camera, making a global short-circuitry disabling everything, is gone.
An idea like another.

 

[ASA 32]

It just needed a European vacation and a long rest.

 

[Robert Lai]

Arrrgh - 3 years with the shutter spring wound up!!!
(Queasy and nauseous feelings).

Clearly, the shutter didn't mind it.
When my electronics act up, the first thing I do is attack the battery compartment with De-Oxit. That usually cures the problem for good.

Congratulations on your ZM "Lazarus Edition".

 

[jmilkins]

Great story. My ZI has been a reliable travel companion and the VF is just spectacular.

 

[Bingley]

Clearly, your camera missd you...

 

[farlymac]

That is just a wonderful story. I hope you have fired off a nice letter to the folks at Zeiss.

F