Hardcore used Zeiss ikon (pics)

Nachkebia said:
No email from zeiss! Did I tell you it will take forever? yes I did, now let`s wait...
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Patience, Vladimir. Forty-six hours is not forever. I assure you that Zeiss will respond. These people do have schedules, which sometimes keep them away from their e-mail, but they do catch up with their messages & they do answer them. Waiting is the hard part. :)
 
roundg -- my ZI spent a morning this fall in -10C weather, had ice condensed on the bottom plate fom my breath, and I laughed as all my digital camera buddies had to keep replacing their batteries. In their defense, they laughed as the film kept breaking each time I tried to load it with my frozen fingers. The ZI worked all the way through, and I'm still on the same battery from last year (guess I just got lucky?)

Huck, Vlad's from the current generation of, "I want it two weeks before yesterday!" :D :p
 
jano said:
roundg -- my ZI spent a morning this fall in -10C weather, had ice condensed on the bottom plate fom my breath, and I laughed as all my digital camera buddies had to keep replacing their batteries. In their defense, they laughed as the film kept breaking each time I tried to load it with my frozen fingers. The ZI worked all the way through, and I'm still on the same battery from last year (guess I just got lucky?)

Huck, Vlad's from the current generation of, "I want it two weeks before yesterday!" :D :p
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Dear Jano,

Thanks for shareing your interesting experience. Early this year, I was sent to a businees trip to Austrailia. My boss mocked at me when I tell him I just finished one roll when he already shot 400+ with his FZ30. But after back, he was crazy in finding some pic processing tool to batch process his 3000+ pics. I guess he had no time to look at his photos one by one.
 
Jano, thanks for the pics. Although I can't afford an Ikon, I was impressed with the writeups and hoped it would be a quality camera to last a lifetime, like so many of the cameras made in years past. Your photos are disturbing! They are cool, too, as others have commented, but I find it troubling that the special, modern manufacturing of a rather expensive camera should show such signs of use after such a short time. Makes me think I'll go with the R2 'cause at less than half the price my "risk" is that much lower. I hope Zeiss not only responds but finds out why their cameras aren't holding up better/longer.
 
sooner said:
I hope Zeiss not only responds but finds out why their cameras aren't holding up better/longer.
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I wouldn't use the plural. This is the only such report I've seen posted. Go to www.zeissikon.com & read "The Making of the Zeiss Ikon" where the extensive environmental testing that Zeiss did on this camera is described - including extremes of temperature. I don't know what happened to Vladimir's camera, but so far this is an isolated case as far as I know.

I wonder, for example, if this camera had even a half case to protect or if it was carried in a camera bag.
 
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I think Vlad spilled some very potent spiced curry food on the camera, wiped it off but the chemical reactions started and couldn't be stopped. Tell us the whole story, Vlad!!! :p
 
I'm not sure what the big deal is here. Some of the paint is chipped & the covering is damaged, things which could happen to any camera. The only thing I find concerning are the bubbles by the Zeiss logo.
 
Before anyone gets carried away with this single experience as the definitive word on how well this camera holds up, I am posting the link to Tom Abrahamsson's user review which was posted here back in January, 2006:

www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16385

Let me excerpt:

"I don't 'baby' cameras and the ZI is treated as I would treat any M2 or MP. It is dropped in the shoulder bag without any padding or protection, and so far the paint has not shown any chips or scratches, nor has the rangefinder gotten misaligned, nor has any electronic function gone 'dysfuntional.'

". . . My opinions are based on 50+ rolls of film in a month and so far no battery fades either."

Let me add that this month of use was during a Canadien winter - certainly not a mild environment.

Tom has been a camera professionsl for over 4 decades. He manufactures the Rapidwinder for both Leica & Cosina/Voigtlander cameras. He knows photography & he knows the mechanics & build quality of cameras as well as what expectations one should have of a camera's build & finish. His final comment:

"As for longevity, I don't know. It is not an M2, but I expect that it will hold up as well as an M7 in the long run."

Finally, I will reluctantly pose the question that I have been avoiding: Does the camera owner have some responsibility for the care of his equiment? ;)
 
Dear Mrs. Nachkebia,

thanks for your request.
Your pictures show signs of very rough use of the camera. To examine the camera and to check if maybe there was a problem of the black coating or other productions failures, you can send your camera to us.
Please add all papers (copy of the receipt, filled-out warranty card), fill out the added form and send the camera in its original packing box to:
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LOL, I knew it! rough use? :D :D :D Why don`t they write in the manual to use it only at the weekend only in the casual park? :D funny, well now after this reply I will push them more! well ofcourse I will not send my camera anywere! and specialy in germany! for 10 days! NO WAY!
 
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