Ken Rockwell reviews the Zeiss Ikon

[jonmanjiro]

So how loud IS the Ikon shutter compared with a Leica? I shot some street with my FE2 for the first time in a while yesterday (the 24mm lens is nice!) and man is that shutter loud! Most people don't notice me using the Leica unless I'm in their face, but the Nikon. Everyone looks around... what is that!?

I've never owned an FE2, but do own an FM3A and would expect the shutter noise to be about the same.

One of the reasons I switched from an FM3A to a Zeiss Ikon was because of the loud shutter in the FM3A. The Zeiss Ikon is a lot quieter. Its not as quiet as the M6 TTL I used to own, but there's not much in it. On a scale from quiet to loud I'd guestimate:

Quiet ------------------- moderately loud ----------- loud ----------- very loud
M6 --- ZI -----------------------------------------------FM3A ------------F, F2 etc.

 

[italy74]

Hi Jon
having also the F6, where would you put it ?
Half way between ZI and FM3a or closer to one of the two?
In my case, the loudest shutter I've heard of is of course that of a MF camera ( Pentax 67 ) but very loud was also an old contax/yashica (manual, not sure if fully mechanic or what, Ican't remember the model) that a friend of mine had.

 

[wakarimasen]

I have to say: like him or loathe him, KR is one of the main reasons that I am using RFs with film today. Having been blindly following the DSLR (bigger, better, pricier!) I read a few of his articles on film cameras and stopped in my tracks.....

 

[Frank Petronio]

i love Ken Rockwell's writing and attitude, he bursts everyone's bubble. His photos suck -- and I think he knows this -- but more power to him for making it as a blogger.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Hi Jon
having also the F6, where would you put it ?
Half way between ZI and FM3a or closer to one of the two?

Hi Dino, the F6 certainly sounds very refined for an SLR, but it still sounds like a lot is happening internally (reflex mirror sound, motor advance, focusing etc.). I'd rate it as quieter than the FM3A I guess, but definitely more toward the FM3A than the ZI on the scale.

Cheers,

Jon

 

[dfoo]

i love Ken Rockwell's writing and attitude, he bursts everyone's bubble. His photos suck -- and I think he knows this -- but more power to him for making it as a blogger.

I don't know why you think his photos suck. Sure, they're not my style, but some of them are quite good!

http://kenrockwell.com/trips/2009-01-dv/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/ca/index.htm

 

[ljsegil]

but what a camera!
LJS

 

[Trius]

His photos suck -- and I think he knows this

Gawd, I hope so.

 

[Trius]

I don't know why you think his photos suck. Sure, they're not my style, but some of them are quite good!

http://kenrockwell.com/trips/2009-01-dv/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/ca/index.htm

Most of these are why, I think, Frank and I agree ... 😉

 

[dfoo]

I strongly suspect if someone NOT named Ken Rockwell posted some of those images here you might not say the same thing.

 

[fleetwoodjazz]

I strongly suspect if someone NOT named Ken Rockwell posted some of those images here you might not say the same thing.

Ditto, I think some people take him far too personal 🙂

 

[peripatetic]

My favourite Ken-Rockwell quote is from his essay on why the camera doesn't matter:

"The word image comes from the word imagination."

Clearly the man has some kind of typographical equivalent of Tourette's syndrome. A thought pops into his head and he puts it on his website no matter how absurd. This jewel of the ridiculous has apparently been translated into a dozen languages. 🙂

 

[kshapero]

I read the funny papers then Ken Rockwell then the crosswords.