Good point anerjee... I meant the US used market. I see your line of thinking.
How well does a ZI ZM hold its value?
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ferider
Veteran
Can you show some examples together with data on film and exposure ?
When in doubt, with C-41, over-expose (meter the dark areas). 1-2 stops over-exposure are usually no problem.
Roland.
anerjee
Well-known
No, Zeiss releases the ZI to a couple of distributors only. Chiif does not stock the ZI.
thegman
Veteran
Congrats, they are amazing cameras. I sometimes slightly regret selling mine for a Leica M6, but I'll see how it goes, can always come running back to Zeiss.
Some nice shots on your Flickr BTW.
Mister E
Well-known
I spent more fixing my stupid M6 than my Ikon cost me. The Ikon has been spectacular.
Mine has been thousands of kilometers on the back of a dirt bike in Cambodia, to 10-15 various countries to the recent Tsunami area and done it all without a hitch. I absolutely love this camera.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=ikon&w=23093243@N03&s=int
Mine has been thousands of kilometers on the back of a dirt bike in Cambodia, to 10-15 various countries to the recent Tsunami area and done it all without a hitch. I absolutely love this camera.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=ikon&w=23093243@N03&s=int
anerjee
Well-known
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pangmomo/5702879329/
Shot on Portra 400 (the new one), at f/2.8 or f/4. I think the shutterspeed was about 1/8.
I needed to apply some noise reduction in lightroom, hence the slight unsharpness. I think this shot is incorrectly exposed, and possibly because I was trying off-centre focusing.
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
Kind of a tilted playing field. A used M6 has already taken its hit to value. The US $1K or so that you will pay for it will decline slowly over time. The new Ikon is going to drop in value by 30% the minute you get your first scuff mark on it and you will never get that value back. It would be interesting to hear from Ikon owners about medium-to-long term durability of that camera. I have found the Ms to be solid, solid, solid. (M2, M3, M3DS, M5, M6, M6 TTL -- I have GOT to sell some of this stuff off). Thing is, they are very beautiful, very functional things and hard to part with. The first M I bought was an M3 in 1993 for about $800. I think that 18 years of ownership has "cost" me about $200, the inflation value of that $$ and a new shutter curtain. An M6 that I bought in 1995 for $1,600 is probably worth $900 today and had to have its light meter replaced in 2003 . . . both cameras are still going strong. Ikon users? Similar durability?
T
Tzelet
Guest
Warning: Personal opinion coming up.
I personally believe that a new Ikon is overpriced. The finder is huge, but the rangefinder patch was crap. I had to keep moving my eye to actual focus. With Bessa's readily available at half the price, I can't see the reason for spending twice as much getting an Ikon. For $400-500 extra you could get a Leica M7, which I prefer in every way except the size of the viewfinder.
Add to this the alignement and lens wobble of the Zeiss series, and the decision gets easier all the time. It's a glorified Bessa, nothing more - nothing less.
I personally believe that a new Ikon is overpriced. The finder is huge, but the rangefinder patch was crap. I had to keep moving my eye to actual focus. With Bessa's readily available at half the price, I can't see the reason for spending twice as much getting an Ikon. For $400-500 extra you could get a Leica M7, which I prefer in every way except the size of the viewfinder.
Add to this the alignement and lens wobble of the Zeiss series, and the decision gets easier all the time. It's a glorified Bessa, nothing more - nothing less.
anerjee
Well-known
One day, as I was walking past the Raffles hotel, I showed my wife the Leica concept store. She showed me the Louis Vuitton store right next to it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asiacamera/5457547414/
Meaningless incident, but it did make me a bit wary of the entire Leica thing.
Water under the bridge now, time to take more pictures!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asiacamera/5457547414/
Meaningless incident, but it did make me a bit wary of the entire Leica thing.
Water under the bridge now, time to take more pictures!
Chinasaur
Well-known
Whoa Whoa Whoa!!! What is this "alignment" issue you speak of? I haz a 1552xxxx serial.... so now you've FREAKED ME OUT MAN!!! (not really 🙂 )
But seriously..pls share.....
WD-40? Are people insane?
Peter^
Well-known
Funny, although I know that I'll never sell my ZI, I did think a lot about depreciation when I bought it. That's why I bought it instead of a DSLR, because I knew that the DSLR would loose value much faster.
I can't echo the problems mentioned above about the rangefinder mechanism. I treat my ZI very rough. I've travelled all over the world with it (as you can see in my thread), and when I'm home, it spends a lot of time in the saddle bag of my mountain bike. Never had a problem.
I can't echo the problems mentioned above about the rangefinder mechanism. I treat my ZI very rough. I've travelled all over the world with it (as you can see in my thread), and when I'm home, it spends a lot of time in the saddle bag of my mountain bike. Never had a problem.
anerjee
Well-known
no closure
no closure
Unfortunately for me, my new Zeiss Ikon is now kaput. The shutter speed dial has come loose. And the worst part is, I am right now in Lhasa, with a lot of film and no Zeiss. My fall back option is my trusted and much loved Olympus XA.
So I'll bide my time till I return and get it repaired. Let this be a lesson for all who read this thread or land here via google -- think hard about camera reliability before making decisions.
no closure
Unfortunately for me, my new Zeiss Ikon is now kaput. The shutter speed dial has come loose. And the worst part is, I am right now in Lhasa, with a lot of film and no Zeiss. My fall back option is my trusted and much loved Olympus XA.
So I'll bide my time till I return and get it repaired. Let this be a lesson for all who read this thread or land here via google -- think hard about camera reliability before making decisions.
anerjee
Well-known
🙂 and how do I do that with no tools here in tibet?
bwcolor
Veteran
My shutter speed dial came apart and I put it back together. You can do this easily, unless you have lost parts. I suspect that you have, or you would have reassembled it.
bwcolor
Veteran
I sent both my Ikons back to Zeiss, USA for rangefinder adjustments right before the warranties expired. I think that they were gone more like six weeks.
willie_901
Veteran
After carrying a ZI-M with me daily for 18 months the patch was off at infinity. While I didn't notice any practical problems with focusing, I sent the camera to Zeiss USA (who sent it to Germany for a CLA).
The camera was gone for about 5 weeks. It came back with perfect alignment. Zeiss also replaced the body covering at no charge. I honestly don't remember the cost, but I do remember thinking the price was fair. The communication with Zeiss USA was excellent.
I sold the camera two years ago because I felt smart phones were going to kill local film development and I am not devoted enough to process and scan at home.
If I ever decide to buy a film camera again, it will be a ZI-M with Zeiss lenses.
The camera was gone for about 5 weeks. It came back with perfect alignment. Zeiss also replaced the body covering at no charge. I honestly don't remember the cost, but I do remember thinking the price was fair. The communication with Zeiss USA was excellent.
I sold the camera two years ago because I felt smart phones were going to kill local film development and I am not devoted enough to process and scan at home.
If I ever decide to buy a film camera again, it will be a ZI-M with Zeiss lenses.
anerjee
Well-known
In my case, the dial is just loose -- the ISO setting and the shutter speed setting have come off the calibration. I did tighten the screw, but there is no way to be sure if I am getting the exposure (ISO/shutter speed combination) that I have set. While I can see the shutter speed on the display, the ISO setting cannot be confirmed. I could use the camera for sunny f/16 stuff, but I'd rather stick to something that I know works, my XA.
The zeiss is wonderful to use, esp in low light situations. It just let me down at a critical juncture, and good friends never do that.
I'll post some shots of China's vast western provinces when I am back.
The zeiss is wonderful to use, esp in low light situations. It just let me down at a critical juncture, and good friends never do that.
I'll post some shots of China's vast western provinces when I am back.
Mister E
Well-known
My Ikon has been in more countries than most people. No stoppages or issues. Can't say the same for my Leicas.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
I must be the luckiest guy in the world...I own and often use ... a couple of ZI's, a couple of Bessas, a couple of Epsons and one Leica...and none has been CLA'd ... ever...
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