New Zeiss Ikon reviews in Japanese mags

[Alex Shishin]

Friends,

Quick note to let you know that the May issues of Nippon Camera and Asahi Camera carry features on the new Zeiss Ikon RF and lenses. All in Japanese but great pix and statistics.

One statistic that I find disquieting is that price of the ZI : 200,000 yen list. The question is whether it is worth the price in terms of build quality.

It is a beautiful little camera both in silver and black. It looks a lot like a Minolta CLE. According to what I heard from one of my sources when I was in Tokyo last March was that the designer or designers who created the CLE were in on the design of the Zeiss Ikon.

It seems to me to be the fullfillment of a particular local (I mean Japanese) photog fantasy about a CLE II that has surfaced in the camera mags over the last two decades. It had to have the configuration of the CLE but have 35 and 50 mm frames. Well, finally, here it is.

 

[Huck Finn]

Friends,

It is a beautiful little camera both in silver and black.

Alex, it certainly is a nicely spec'd camera. I wouldn't expect Leica build quality at half the price. Given that Leica is probably overbuilt, I just hope that ZI build quality is good enough. Will it be available in Japan in black?

Huck

 

[mtokue]

Huck,
I saw both the Silver and the Black at a Photo show overhere (Japan) at the end of March.
And yes they are selling the Black version. One of the shops that I frequent had started to take pre orders Today. They also had the new Summicron 75 f2!!

 

[jlw]

Pricing can vary a lot from market to market, but based on a quick online currency conversion I'd say that they're targeting about 2/3 the price of a Leica M7. Mike, would you say that's fair based on actual selling prices in Japan?

I'd say 2/3 the price of an M, plus similar exposure-system specs and a longer RF base, would be an appealing proposition. Assuming that Cosina did its usual excellent job in creating a bright, clear RF, then about the only things you'd be giving up vs. an M would be handmade "feel" (whatever that is -- usually what it really means is substituting hand finishing for designed-in statistical quality control!) and the ability to add a motor.

As for build quality, I wouldn't really have any kick if it were as well-built as a Bessa R2a/R3a/Epson R-D 1. Where there might be a question would be in the area of quality control -- a potentially ragged spot, as some (not all) people have been discovering with the Epsons. Most of the problems reported with those don't seem to be so much design flaws as simply final adjustments that didn't get done.

Epson, with no real photography presence or infrastructure, has been taking its lumps for problems that could easily have been solved in five minutes by a technician with a screwdriver -- simply because they didn't have the technicians with screwdrivers in place!

There's been talk that having Hasselblad in on the US distribution side for ZI is a bad thing because they tend to price things up -- but a potentially good side is that they've got LOTS of experience in supporting precision mechanical cameras, so I'm sure they're capable of being all over this angle!

 

[mtokue]

The astronomical list price overhere for a M7 is 396,000 yen :bang: , although I have seen deals for as low as 315,000 yen (Possibly grey import?) , The pre order price was slightly vague but was expected to be around the 180,00-190,000 yen, So yes the ZI would seem to equate to the 2/3rds Price bracket. The shop today had already recieved 20 odd orders for Silver and almost double that in Black!!
And they still insist in saying that the economy overhere is not doing so good.
Everywhere I looked there were hoards of people with shopping bags!!!
As far as Handling/Feel, the ZI to me atleast does feel to be much closer to Leica than the CVs, But I still can't see myself getting one, I would probably prefer to find a decent M4 Black crome 😀

 

[Alex Shishin]

Zeiss Ikon: price and build

Zeiss Ikon: price and build

I've seen M7s go for 260,000 yen at Lemon Camera in Tokyo.

I am sure the build quality of the ZI is going to be very good. The advantages of the ZI are its easy loading open door as opposed to Leica bottom loading, its lighter weight and, of course, its price. But you cannot use it with a 135mm lens sans external finder. Also impossible to use with motor or rapidwinder. It may be that what will kill the ZI are the Bessa 2A and 3A. But maybe not! The ZI is a CLE fantasy come true and will be popular in Japan. Also you can be fairly certain that the build quality will be better than the Bessas. Certainly the materials will be better.

The ZI will come in both silver and black. Will be interesting how well the black paint will endure.

 

[David Kieltyka]

I sold most of my film RF cameras a couple years ago but the black ZI has caught my eye. The 28/50/85mm trio is what I use with my Bessa-T, and having on-board framelines for all three focal lengths would be lovely. I like the Epson R-D1's aperture priority autoexposure too...I imagine the ZI's works the same way. Besides I need new motivation to use up my freezerful of Kodachrome 25 before Kodak stops processing the stuff. 😀

-Dave-

 

[Huck Finn]

I'd say that they're targeting about 2/3 the price of a Leica M7.

Assuming that Cosina did its usual excellent job in creating a bright, clear RF, .

As for build quality, I wouldn't really have any kick if it were as well-built as a Bessa R2a/R3a/Epson R-D 1. Where there might be a question would be in the area of quality control

JLW, The Hasselblad rep at PhotoPlus in New York last fall said that they were targeting 60% Leica prices. Same thing was reported out of Photokina. After the latest round of huge Leica increases take effect July 1, it looks like the price comparison will actually be 50% of the M7.

Re viewfinder, Zeiss claims that the VF is 1/3 stop brighter than anything else on the market. We'll see.

Quality control is one area that I have high hopes for a big plus. Zeiss quality control is legendary. Shutterbug & other media reports have indicated that Zeiss has indeed set a high standard at the Cosina factory. I hope so.