Help me ID my Zeiss Ikon Folder

[Daan]

Could anyone tell me which model this is?
I know it's a Zeiss Ikon Ikonta C, but which model?

It has an 105mm 1:4,5 novar anastigmat lens with an prontor shutter.

 

[jnoir]

***********

 

[johannielscom]

Daan,

isn't there a number printed in the leatherette next to the back door latch? Or anywhere else? The Zeiss-Ikons often had their type number embossed in the leatherette and Googling for the type number with 'Zeiss-Ikon' easily gets you the model.

Nice camera!

 

[sevo]

No Super Ikonta, whether C or 531/2, but a 6x9 Mess Ikonta 524/2. Nice camera though - among the lightest and smallest in its film size and class.

 

[Daan]

It is indeed a really nice looking camera.
Everything works as it should, except for the uncoupled rangefinder which is really misty.
Shot a roll of film today, looks pretty good.

So a mess ikonta 524/2 let's see if i can find some more info on the web.

Thanks for the ID!

 

[John Powers]

Mike Elek has several pages on Zeiss folders including one on this camera.
http://elekm.net/pages/cameras/ikonta524-2.htm

Certo6 sold one with a f3.5 OPTON TESSAR in a Buy it now ($425) auction May 21, 2010.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zeiss-Ikon-524-2-6x9-Mess-Ikonta-f3-5-OPTON-TESSAR-/300429411731?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f2fd0593

Another ZEISS IKON IKONTA 524/2 CAMERA BEAUTIFUL ZEISS IKON with a Novar lens sold BIN $349 also on May 21, 2010.
.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ZEISS-IKON-IKONTA-524-2-CAMERA-BEAUTIFUL-ZEISS-IKON-/360211669763?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item53de49e303

What was your source? Perhaps they will have another one down the road for the rest of us.

John Powers

 

[Daan]

damn they're expensive on ebay.
I bought it from a local website in the netherlands.
The pictures where really bad, i could only see that it was a folder with a rangefinder.

But because off those bad pictures i got it really cheap.

Thanks for the info John

 

[hanskerensky]

That's indeed a very high price ! Guess that's because the Mess-Ikonta 6x9 format was only produced in small numbers. Hmmm, must watch "Marktplaats" more closely then 🙂

Veel Succes met je "folder" Daan !

 

[johannielscom]

The high price for the Certo6 auction is mostly because those folders all had a complete teardown and a CLA before they go on sale.

 

[chris00nj]

Actually the primary driver of the $425 sale price for that Mess-Ikonta 524/2 is that model had a Opton Tessar lens with a Compur Rapid Shutter, but the CLA adds about $80.

Postwar Ikonta's with Tessar lenses cost about 3 times the price of a similar camera with a Novar, due to collector interest and a high premium for an extra lens element.

I have the Ikonta 523/2 with a Novar and Prontor-S which I recently bought off eBay.

On another subject, did they ever make a Super Ikonta 6x9 with a coupled rangefinder and the chrome top plate: something like Super Ikonta III but for 6x9?

 

[hanskerensky]

On another subject, did they ever make a Super Ikonta 6x9 with a coupled rangefinder and the chrome top plate: something like Super Ikonta III but for 6x9?

Hi Chris, well that would be a surprise ! Actually i never saw any information about such a "late" Super Ikonta 6x9.
When the Super Ikonta III came out the quality of colorfilm was rising and there was a tendecy to smaller formats like 6x6 and even 4x4.
I guess that Zeiss Ikon, if they even thougth about it, would have seen no market for it.
But, you never know, maybe somebody surprises us 🙂

 

[chris00nj]

nothing that ever made it to production if they even bothered to get one on the drawing board..

i suspect it was just put in the too hard basket vs what it would make ($) them in return when you consider what the other makers already had on the market in the way of coupled 6x9 RF . the Bessa II was still being made and is overall a better camera and was outselling the S/Ikonta C by enlarge in the mid 50's, luckily for Voigtlander they had a good design to start with, then in late 50's they offered it w/APO lens for the pro's, to make it even more attractive. interstingly you notice that Voigtlander had the market share for coupled 6x9 RF but left it to the others makers including Zeiss Ikon for the coupled 6x6 RF market share

the Ensign Autorange 820, a fine camera except for its inferior shutter, was also available in the late 50's. Ensign put a great deal of money into the development and production for that 6x9 folder(albeit a few years too late), they had some kind of passion to want to build the ultimate folder, which, most likely was their (Ensigns) ultimate undoing!; they really should have sunk the money into TLR/SLR from a business POV although today we are glad to have the quality 6x9 folder to use, if you can find one for the price of an arm or leg....

I had to google the Autorange 820: Coupled rangefinder AND unit focusing. Perhaps it is the ultimate folder. I had heard of it but assumed it was 820 film (wrong).