newbie-questions about zeiss ikon zm

T

trmd

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hi everybody,

i am planning to buy my first rf-camera and am pretty towards a zeiss ikon zm as i have best experiences with zeiss-lenses from medium format. as a "rf-newbie" i have two more questions left (perhaps stupid ones):

1. will there be a black version of the zi zm? if so, when will it be shipped?

2. i think of getting a zm 21/2.8. i just read, that i have to buy a seperate viewfinder for this lens. does this seperate viewfinder have any focusing-aids? if so, which one? if not, how can focussing made and how reliable is it?

thanks very much for helping me out,
regards,
trmd
 
Hi ManGo,

thanks for you quick reply. Nice to hear, that focussing is possible through the integrated vf. I just wasn't sure, because I read, that focussing the 15mm through the VF is not possible. That's a relief now.

Do you know something about a black ZI ZM?

Best wishes,
trmd
 
Manolo Gozales said:
Hey:)

"I know nothing!"

The 15mm (and indeed the 21mm to a slightly lesser extent) has such a huge depth of field that you can focus them by estimating the subject distance, so coupling it to the rangefinder is seen as being rather pointless!

ManGo
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Hi TRMD,

The 21mm Biogon Seems to be a great lens. I haven't had mine long but it's results are impressive even at f/4. I don't quite agree with ManGo on focussing. If you shoot indoors, close to wide open with this lens, you do need to be careful about focussing. Outside, in bright light, stopping down does give you extreme depth of field, so you can just set the lens to infinity or the hyperfocal distance and snap away using just the 21mm accessory finder. Rangefinders are much more accurate than SLRs at focussing wide angles, so to get the most performance out of an RF wide angle, you should focus on your primary subject, if you have time.

If you are on a budget ,the Voigtlander 21mm finder is reputed to be a cheap yet high quality alternative to the Zeiss 21mm finder. I use the Leica 21-24-28 Zoom finder, which is also useful for other wide angles, if you get lenses in those focal lengths. The Leica zoom finder has no brightlines to aid composition though.

The Black Zeiss Ikon should be available quite soon.
 
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trmd said:
1. will there be a black version of the zi zm? if so, when will it be shipped?
Click to expand...

There will be a black version of the Zeiss Ikon. When I contacted Hasselblad last week with the question of availability, I was told that it would be available in March. That could mean March 31 as easily as March 1. If it is the former, it will not be in dealer's hands until April.
 
Thank you for your answers so far!

Now it really seems as if everything with the ZI would be perfect for me. I am so excited about it. For a long time (only 35mm-/MF-SLR-User) I was tempted to get a Leica M7 but hesitated because of its price. Now with the ZI it gets affordable (and seems to be of the same quality) and even features great Zeiss-lenses.

I think there'll be some more things (besides focussing), which have to be learned as newbie in "rangefinding", but I am really looking forward to it.


Huck Finn said:
There will be a black version of the Zeiss Ikon. When I contacted Hasselblad last week with the question of availability, I was told that it would be available in March. That could mean March 31 as easily as March 1. If it is the former, it will not be in dealer's hands until April.
Click to expand...

April would be perfect for me... that's also the time (if not even longer) I have to wait, until I have enough money for the package. :bang:

Regards,
trmd
 
welcome to RFF, trmd

of course you realize that you don't need a ZI to use the new Zeiss lenses.. but I also happen to think the ZI is a fantastic camera.. it's unfortunate that I probably will never find one in a store to fondle, or I might be tempted to invest in one

and of course Zeiss glass is legendary, so you can't go wrong there
 
". . . the main overall impression (of the the ZM lenses) when looking at the slides is an association with medium format imagery." - Erwin Puts (www.imx.nl)

As a medium format shooter, you will likely appreciate the look of your photos with these lenses.

Huck
 
JoeFriday, yes, I also aimed at the ZI in special, because it seems to be a very nice piece of camera.

Huck, thanks for the quotation. It makes it even more difficult for me to wait. ;-)

@all: Please let me ask something more about the black ZI. I just read on a web page, that the black version was only made for the Japanese market (seems to be old information). Is this true or is it shipped internationally, especially to Germany? ;-)
 
Welcome

1) yes, a black version is due out

2) get the VC 21mm viewfinder (way better than any Leica in terms of optical quality) and less expensive. you can either get it individually or as part of the VC 21mm lens. I use it with my 21mm elmarit and it has very accurate brightline framelines.

good luck
 
trmd said:
@all: Please let me ask something more about the black ZI. I just read on a web page, that the black version was only made for the Japanese market (seems to be old information). Is this true or is it shipped internationally, especially to Germany? ;-)
Click to expand...

Yes, that is old information.

There were early reports that only the ZI Limited Edition would be released & that Zeiss would decide based on those sales whether any more would be made. At the same time, there were reports that there would be a black version released only for the Japanese market. This seemed to be related to the fact that this project seems to be a partnership of sorts between Zeiss & Cosina, and that Cosina was to be the distributor in Japan only while Hasselblad under contract with Zeiss would be the distributor for the rest of the world. Thus, the reports seemed to be based on the fact that Cosina could make this black version which they could then distribute in their own market, while Zeiss was only contracting with Cosina for manufacture of a limited number for the world-wide distribution that it was promoting.

On Stephen Gandy's website (www.cameraquest.com), he is advertising that the black version will be available in February or March, which is a little earlier than what I was told by Zeiss Ikon (Hasselblad). Given that grey market dealers like CameraQuest seem to get this camera & its lenses directly from Japan - either from Cosina or from a distributor with whom it subcontracts - it could be that despite long delays, Cosina is still planning to offer its long rumored black version earlier than the Zeiss/Hasselblad schedule for the Japanese market - which would then be picked up by grey market dealers for sale in the states & elsewhere.

Complicated enough? :)

Huck
 
Huck Finn said:
Complicated enough? :)
Click to expand...

Yep. ;) Huck, thanks for your detailed description. But do I understand you right, that Zeiss/Hasselblad will produce a black version for the international market (which is out February/March), no matter if Cosina will bring out their own?


@JoeFriday: I think it looks great. I saw one picture on leicatime.com. Here's the address: black ZI

Thanks and best wishes,
trmd
 
I've seen that photo many times, as well.. and I agree that it looks great there.. but I've also seen photos of the back/bottom/etc (I believe of the same camera) and it was full of marks and scratches.. considering the camera couldn't be more than few months old, it looked like it went through a war.. thus, my poor impression of the black paint durability

I'd be happy with it if it showed brassing.. but with the magnesium body, it just looked abused

I've been looking for the same photos online, but can't find them now.. I think it was a japanese site, and I'm completely illiterate when it comes to reading japanese
 
if you are thinking of the 21mm lens check out Erwin Puts' review on his site - the address is on a prevoius post in this thread. basically he reckons it is the best there is - better than the Leica and much cheaper.
 
That photo (of the black Zeiss Ikon) was likely of a prototype and not a production camera. That means the paint job probably was quickly done and not finished in the same manner as a production camera.
 
yes, i am. i got switched to a dayshift two weeks ago, and my free time is down dramatically. my commute time is up.

we've been crazy busy at work because the steelers are in the super bowl. i work here (http:/www.post-gazette.com/). i designed the little super bowl thing near the top of the page, the little package of info on the steelers page, thought up the steelers poll and update the page. i also developed the idea for the home page design, as well as the scrolling box for breaking news.

i bought a luigi over the holidays, and i've been shooting this week with the camera and the f/2.8 40mm Sonnar (from the Rollei 35RF) and some Kodak HIE, which I've nearly finished.

i'm hoping for an update this week.
 
by the way, you're going to fall in love with the camera. i hope you have a great time with it -- i really find it to be perfect in so many ways.
 
gee, ya sound kinda busy...;)

i do think i will like the camera, my fear is that i'll abandone my others.

men can be so fickle!

joe
 
trmd said:
Yep. ;) Huck, thanks for your detailed description. But do I understand you right, that Zeiss/Hasselblad will produce a black version for the international market (which is out February/March), no matter if Cosina will bring out their own?

Thanks and best wishes,
trmd
Click to expand...

Not quite, Trmd. Rather, Zeiss/Hasselblad will produce a black version for the international market, which is scheduled for release in March but may not be in the hands of your dealer until April - regardless of what Cosina does.

Cosina may have one for distribution a little earlier, perhaps February/March, for the Japanese market & which may trickle down to the hands of USA grey market dealers sometime in that time span.

Huck
 
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