is that ikon tough as nails?

[emraphoto]

hey ikon users, how is that camera holding up? seems i am picking one up to accompany the m for an upcoming trip and was wondering what the "field reports" are.

it will be subject to extremely humid environs as well as extremely dry and dusty ones. possibly a downpour or two (or four).

i have had no issue with a camera bag full of silica gel and the m's before but was curious as to the durability of the ikon?

your thoughts are appreciated!

 

[Keith]

It's obviously a fairly reliable camera but it doesn't have that tough as nails feel to me ... there's more of an air of delicate precision than rugged reliability!

It'll be interesting to hear what others have to say who have actually put theirs to the test over time. Mine tends to be a bit of a shelf queen unfortunately and hasn't been used in months ... but it's such a good low light camera I can't contemplate selling it. 🙂

 

[Ronald M]

CV stuff with a Zeiss name. Zeiss never did make a really great durable camera.

Learn from how many are still around.

 

[jonmanjiro]

i don't think high humidity or dry and dusty will be a problem, but since the ZI is an electronic camera i'd be inclined to stick it in the bag and just use the leica m (mechanical body) if i got stuck in a downpour.

 

[back alley]

CV stuff with a Zeiss name. Zeiss never did make a really great durable camera.

Learn from how many are still around.

old and ignorant argument.

 

[emraphoto]

i don't think high humidity or dry and dusty will be a problem, but since the ZI is an electronic camera i'd be inclined to stick it in the bag and just use the leica m (mechanical body) if i got stuck in a downpour.

seems simple enough. thanx.

ps watched crude awakening and it was brilliant! thanx.

 

[jarski]

this goes off topic, but an opinion nevertheless 🙂 if you travel somewhere deep in rain forests, perhaps its better leave rangefinders home and take weather sealed SLR (or DSLR) instead ? e.g. F100 or D700 ?

 

[gavinlg]

naaar. They're pretty tough. SLRs are tougher, but I think people baby their equipment way too much.

 

[fleetwoodjazz]

This summer I was in Vietnam and Abu Dhabi.

There it is extremely wet that once you take your lens out of a conditioned room, the glass is so sweating that you have to cloth the front and back element. And it did rain from time to time.

Don't abuse your cam and it will work just fine. Try also not to change lens during downpour.

 

[rxmd]

i don't think high humidity or dry and dusty will be a problem, but since the ZI is an electronic camera i'd be inclined to stick it in the bag and just use the leica m (mechanical body) if i got stuck in a downpour.

Water isn't exactly good for precision mechanical or optical parts either, though. In a downpour you don't want a mechanical camera, you want a watertight camera.

With Leicas that seems to differ on a camera-by-camera basis. Mine had fog in the finder within fifteen twenty minutes of shooting in heavy rain. However, experiences seem different enough that people usually end up hurling anecdotal evidence at each other. The whole construction of the camera leaves a number of places where water might enter the body if you're unlucky with the tolerances on your particular camera: the rear door, the lens release button, even the shutter release shaft. It seems to depend more on the individual camera.

 

[rxmd]

CV stuff with a Zeiss name. Zeiss never did make a really great durable camera.

Well if Zeiss never made a durable camera (which is debatable), but this one isn't made by Zeiss, what do the two have to do with each other?

 

[noimmunity]

I've used the ZI in Taiwan and travelling through China, Europe, and North America. Taiwan is extremely humid, and I've taken the camera into the backcountry to remote aboriginal mountain villages.

Apart from the body showing plenty of signs of use, the camera functions perfectly.

I think yours will be fine.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Water isn't exactly good for precision mechanical or optical parts either, though. In a downpour you don't want a mechanical camera, you want a watertight camera.

With Leicas that seems to differ on a camera-by-camera basis. Mine had fog in the finder within fifteen twenty minutes of shooting in heavy rain. However, experiences seem different enough that people usually end up hurling anecdotal evidence at each other. The whole construction of the camera leaves a number of places where water might enter the body if you're unlucky with the tolerances on your particular camera: the rear door, the lens release button, even the shutter release shaft. It seems to depend more on the individual camera.

So, you haven't read all those stories of heroic vietnam era photogs hiding their mechanical nikon f's in creeks, then reclaiming them a few days later, and then continuing to shoot them without any problems? 😉

Seriously though, a water tight camera is what you want if you know you're going to be shooting in a downpour. But since the OP only mentioned the ZI and Leica M (I assumed its a mechanical body), that's what I based my response on.

 

[rxmd]

So, you haven't read all those stories of heroic vietnam era photogs hiding their mechanical nikon f's in creeks, then reclaiming them a few days later, and then continuing to shoot them without any problems? 😉

Ha! But those weren't Leicas. 😉

If I thought I might have to hide my camera in a creek, I'd probably bring a watertight plastic bag and a clamp. though.

 

[emraphoto]

This summer I was in Vietnam and Abu Dhabi.

There it is extremely wet that once you take your lens out of a conditioned room, the glass is so sweating that you have to cloth the front and back element. And it did rain from time to time.

Don't abuse your cam and it will work just fine. Try also not to change lens during downpour.

sadly abusing my cameras is all i seem to do and i don't reckon i will be staying in to many conditioned rooms. i do have a fully manual rig (thanx earl) for when the going gets totally ugly.

slr/dslr's aren't really my game. the f100 and d700 (both of which i have worked on extensively) are great cameras, don't get me wrong but just not my gig these days.

i agree that most of the cameras we speak of are far tougher than we give them credit for. i have used an m8 in multiple downpours with nary an issue. i have been using a mamiya 7 in extremely wet conditions for about two months now where twice the finder was so fogged up with moisture i couldn't see through it. still functions like a charm. i used a canon g10 in the windiest, sandiest place i have ever seen for days on end and not a single hiccup.

i suppose in the end i will be able to write a little ditty on how the ikon holds up. hopefully i won't have to hide any in a stream though.

 

[FrankS]

John, what you need is a Nikonos!
My guess, and that is all it is, is that the ZI does not like rough going.
I look forward to hearing about your experience with it in adverse conditions.

 

[Tom A]

I have the ZM's since they came out. I haven't put them through "battle" conditions as such - but a lot of car and plane rides etc. No problem with them. Rangefinder seems quite solid as none of them has gone out of whack so far. I had a re-wind problem on one (cracked the gear) but once fixed - it is now working perfectly.
Make it a habit to clean the cameras every night and wipe down lenses. Stuff accumulates quickly. Also carry lots of spare batteries - hot and humid can play havoc with them.
As for "bullet proof" cameras - I am at the moment using a Robot Royal 36 - this camera can be used to "pulverize" M's/CV's/Zeiss etc - and still take pictures of the leftovers!!!! Weighs 1.1 kg with the standard 45f2.8 Xenar. Lens mounts turned from solid stainless steel round stock!

 

[scottwallick]

I have taken my Zeiss Ikon ZM to Morocco once and Nepal and India twice. No problems. Shoots like a champ. Hot and humid (monsoons) to dry and sandy (deserts), I've never had a problem.

 

[emraphoto]

thanx for the input folks

 

[Trius]

CV stuff with a Zeiss name. Zeiss never did make a really great durable camera.

Learn from how many are still around.

I see all sorts of Contax II around ... the lower numbers than Leica has more to do with the spoils of war than durability. I'm not saying the Contax bodies were as good as Leica, just saying your criteria seems a bit flawed. Beta was better than VHS.