froyd
Veteran
My brief thirst with the beautiful Zeiss Ikon has come to an end. I had purchased the camera as an alternative to two of my most used cameras, the Contax G and the Leica M4. On paper, the ZI seemed like perfect melding of both, but at the end the Ikon and matching Planar ZM found a better home.
If you are on the fence about the Ikon, here are some of my favorite things about the camera; features that I’ll truly miss no matter how trivial:
1) Film window in the back, a wonderful feature for somebody like me who’s likely to have the same roll in the camera for several weeks
2) Hard to see meter, a plus!. This turned out to be a real boon for me and my style of shooting. I love the M4 because there’s no blinking LEDs making me second guess my exposures and distracting me from framing and shooting, so the metered Ms are not my cup of tea. The Ikon proved to be perfect for me because the meter read-out is on the extreme left of the VF and you almost have to look purposefully in that direction to read it. Basically, it’s there when you want to check a reading, and very easy to ignore if you are just focusing on the framing and focusing. That’s not good for AE, but if you prefer metered manual, it works out great. Cover the illumination window with your left hand if you are out in the bright sunshine and the meter is hard to see.
3) Very light. Weight is one of my favorite features of the Contax G1. I can carry it all day and barely feel it. What a wonderful departure from the F4s that I used to tote in the 90s!
4) Gorgeous looks. Just as beautiful in chrome as the M4, but more contemporary, I'll miss in my bag and on my shelf.
5) Uncluttered frame lines. This was not a winning point against the M4 and the G, but it was an important requirement for me, and if I ever decided to buy a metered body, I might pick the Ikon over the M6 for this very reason (though the M6 can be modified to taste).
The other stuff never made a difference to me, but it could to you:
- 1/2000 shutter speed: I thought I would use this more, but in reality I usually top out at 1/500, rarely hitting 1/1000
- 1/125 flash sync: same as above, I was excited about fill flash, but I only us flash rarely mainly because I don’t like to carry extra gear (even the tiny Sunpak PF 20DX)
- Swingback film door: not an issue for me. Like the bottom loading (with quick load), and I like swing backs. If anything, I misfed the first couple or rolls on the Ikon until I got the hang of the pick-up tulip.
- Large viewfinder: Nice if you are used to an FSU or a Holga, but it did not bowl me over in side to side tests with the M4. Note that this was one of the top reason for choosing the Ikon, but in the end I did not think it made enough of a difference to trump the camera’s flaws, chief among them the RF patch that does not move with the frame lines and that disappears if the pupil is not perfectly centered. If anything the large VF window makes it more likely that your eye will not be centered with the RF patch when you raise the camera to the eye.
- Long RF base: Not an issue with my lens kit, where the shallowest DOF was on a 50/2. I used an R2a and never had issues, so the ZI is overkill for me. I also mostly shoot more stopped down (f4-f8).
Speaking of Bessas, I would recommend that if you are thinking of buying the ZI for AE, you should give the R2a a try. Despite what people say about Zeiss being better built, I found construction to be equally good, with the ZI having the better looks and longer RF base (again not a big deal unless you have fast telephotos or 50s faster than 1.5).
If you are on the fence about the Ikon, here are some of my favorite things about the camera; features that I’ll truly miss no matter how trivial:
1) Film window in the back, a wonderful feature for somebody like me who’s likely to have the same roll in the camera for several weeks
2) Hard to see meter, a plus!. This turned out to be a real boon for me and my style of shooting. I love the M4 because there’s no blinking LEDs making me second guess my exposures and distracting me from framing and shooting, so the metered Ms are not my cup of tea. The Ikon proved to be perfect for me because the meter read-out is on the extreme left of the VF and you almost have to look purposefully in that direction to read it. Basically, it’s there when you want to check a reading, and very easy to ignore if you are just focusing on the framing and focusing. That’s not good for AE, but if you prefer metered manual, it works out great. Cover the illumination window with your left hand if you are out in the bright sunshine and the meter is hard to see.
3) Very light. Weight is one of my favorite features of the Contax G1. I can carry it all day and barely feel it. What a wonderful departure from the F4s that I used to tote in the 90s!
4) Gorgeous looks. Just as beautiful in chrome as the M4, but more contemporary, I'll miss in my bag and on my shelf.
5) Uncluttered frame lines. This was not a winning point against the M4 and the G, but it was an important requirement for me, and if I ever decided to buy a metered body, I might pick the Ikon over the M6 for this very reason (though the M6 can be modified to taste).
The other stuff never made a difference to me, but it could to you:
- 1/2000 shutter speed: I thought I would use this more, but in reality I usually top out at 1/500, rarely hitting 1/1000
- 1/125 flash sync: same as above, I was excited about fill flash, but I only us flash rarely mainly because I don’t like to carry extra gear (even the tiny Sunpak PF 20DX)
- Swingback film door: not an issue for me. Like the bottom loading (with quick load), and I like swing backs. If anything, I misfed the first couple or rolls on the Ikon until I got the hang of the pick-up tulip.
- Large viewfinder: Nice if you are used to an FSU or a Holga, but it did not bowl me over in side to side tests with the M4. Note that this was one of the top reason for choosing the Ikon, but in the end I did not think it made enough of a difference to trump the camera’s flaws, chief among them the RF patch that does not move with the frame lines and that disappears if the pupil is not perfectly centered. If anything the large VF window makes it more likely that your eye will not be centered with the RF patch when you raise the camera to the eye.
- Long RF base: Not an issue with my lens kit, where the shallowest DOF was on a 50/2. I used an R2a and never had issues, so the ZI is overkill for me. I also mostly shoot more stopped down (f4-f8).
Speaking of Bessas, I would recommend that if you are thinking of buying the ZI for AE, you should give the R2a a try. Despite what people say about Zeiss being better built, I found construction to be equally good, with the ZI having the better looks and longer RF base (again not a big deal unless you have fast telephotos or 50s faster than 1.5).
kxl
Social Documentary
I could see myself selling all other cameras that I have but not my ZI bodies (I have two of them), at least for as long as B&W film is available at reasonable prices.
boomguy57
Well-known
I quite like the ZI and agree with the points you made. It's a modern RF that works very well. It lacks the weight of the M, which is either a plus or a minus depending on the person. The shutter is louder than the M but not obscenely loud. All in all, the Ikon is a great modern RF with features you'd expect from a modern film body.
Pioneer
Veteran
The ZI is still my most used rangefinder, for many of the same reasons you have listed above. Every now and again I read some of the posts on this forum about some Leica, and it influences me to pull my M6 out again and shoot a couple of rolls. But it never lasts.
Jack Sparrow
Well-known
If nothing else, a few minor niggles aside - the VF alone is reason to own one.
froyd
Veteran
Interestingly, that's what I expected, but where I felt a little let down. Sure, it's big, but that alone does not make it great. I actually remember the Bessa's VF quite fondly, and the early Leica M (when properly cleaned) have a "solidity" of view that's lacking in the Ikon.
russelljtdyer
Writer
Perché?
Perché?
I enjoy my Zeiss Ikon for many of the reasons you listed. I've been thinking of buying a Leica M4-P. I think I would enjoy it, too. But I would imagine that using it for a while would make me appreciate my Zeiss Ikon even more--I would then appreciate it for all of the reasons you listed and not just many of them. I guess since you have an M4, you appreciate the features of the Zeiss Ikon much more than me. So if you liked the Zeiss Ikon so much, why did you sell it?
-Russell
Perché?
I enjoy my Zeiss Ikon for many of the reasons you listed. I've been thinking of buying a Leica M4-P. I think I would enjoy it, too. But I would imagine that using it for a while would make me appreciate my Zeiss Ikon even more--I would then appreciate it for all of the reasons you listed and not just many of them. I guess since you have an M4, you appreciate the features of the Zeiss Ikon much more than me. So if you liked the Zeiss Ikon so much, why did you sell it?
-Russell
varchs
Well-known
ZI ZM its my rf camera! After my first trip with it and 6 rolls of film I am waiting for the development and scanning to see the results.
So far is exciting to take pictures with it, and it feels nice!
Thank you Trevor and Rob for introducing me to the RF world with the ZI ZM!!!
So far is exciting to take pictures with it, and it feels nice!
Thank you Trevor and Rob for introducing me to the RF world with the ZI ZM!!!
dogbunny
Registered Boozer
If only some more people would bid adieu, then maybe I could get one at a decent price. They definitely seem to hold their resale value well.
db
db
froyd
Veteran
I sold mine last week for $900 in mint condition. I call that a good price, given their $1500 price tag new.
Keep an eye on the classifieds!
froyd
Veteran
Yep, trying both systems makes you appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of both.
In the end for me, the M4 was just more fun and pleasurable to use. There were many things I did not like about the ZM, but I wanted to keep the review mostly positive. If you read it closely, you'll see that the VF/RF did not hold up to my expectations, and that's a crucial attribute for me. What I did not mention is that the shutter dial, while nice and big is hard to use and feels very gritty. With the M4, I dislike the smaller dial, but at least it can be adjusted easily and smoothly with one finger while I have the camera raised to my eye.
I was also hoping the ZM plus ZI lenses would be a manual focus version of the Contax, but the ZM planar did not match the G version in side-by-side images, and the Contax G is a more convenient second camera for when I don't want to use the Leica, and it's perfect for travel despite its low synch speed. I was hoping to consolidate my lenses to the M platform with two bodies (M4 and ZM), but for now I'll have to deal with different platforms.
