S3 2000

VinceC said:
As Brian mentioned, I've covered most of the frontplate with black tape. I also couldn't stand the DayGlo shutter-speed dial and swapped it with an old F dial, which has earth tones.

The bits of tape on the top deck is something they did with convoy ships in World War I to reduce the chances of being spotted at long distance by a submarine -- random shapes to break up a familiar pattern.


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this process was called" razzle dazzle" and there was a rangefinder connection to it. as it did not camouflage the ship per say, but it made rangefinding for gunnery by the enemy more difficult.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage
 
To be fair, Brian's S2 is so handsome it even caught my eye. I also went up and said "What have you got there?"
 
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Zeiss RF made in Japan now

Zeiss RF made in Japan now

...to answer an earlier question, the Zeiss Ikons are now made in Japan by Cosina, same people making the Voigtlander. Most but not all of the Zeiss lenses are made by Cosina too. If you see a Zeiss lens MSRP around $1k it's made by Cosina in Japan, if the MSRP is more like $4k, then it's still made in Germany.

My S3-2000 is still in shrink wrap. I plan to open it but I need some kind of ceremony, not sure yet. I have the little Sekonic meter coming in the mail from B&H next week. Perhaps I can have some kind of double-ceremony then.
 
Zeiss Ikon

Zeiss Ikon

The Zeiss Ikon cameras are nice, somewhat better in quality than Bessa but not approaching Leica. But if the shutter fails (like mine did), it will probably have to go back to Cosina for repair. Mine was out of commission for months.

I value having cameras that can be repaired right here in the US.
 
buy a bottle of sake, open up that S3 shrink wrap, place that new S3 gently on the floor, pour some sake in a cup, drink some, pour some sake on the floor in a circular pattern around the S3, drink some more sake.
now, that S3 is ready for use.
load it with film, put the neck strap on it, and go outside, shoot with S3.

the sake ceremony will insure great picture taking.
 
Market st.

Market st.

Here's a grainy shot from flying over S.F. at 8:15 PM. S3-2000 with CV35mm.
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xayraa33 said:
buy a bottle of sake, open up that S3 shrink wrap, place that new S3 gently on the floor, pour some sake in a cup, drink some, pour some sake on the floor in a circular pattern around the S3, drink some more sake.
now, that S3 is ready for use.
load it with film, put the neck strap on it, and go outside, shoot with S3.

the sake ceremony will insure great picture taking.

Hmmm...drink enough sake and you will get great bokeh!!!! OOF rules!:D
 
Kagami Biraki

Kagami Biraki

Excellent idea, a Sake Ceremony. But I will need to get my hands on a Kagami Biraki Set, and also do some research on what the proper Sake would be for this ceremony. Then I can go into successful Photography battle. This is excellent news, I should be able to open the S3 shrink wrap before the end of June or July I would estimate, if I am able to do everything properly. Maybe not until August. Maybe I should save it for Christmas 2007.

I was going to place an order today for a Zeiss Ikon with a 2.8/28 ZM lens today (both in BLACK), only because I gave up trying to get my hands on a black S3. Jeffery S., would you recommend an Cosina Ikon or were you dissapointed in its look and feel, fit and finish, etc.? (the Employee purchase program is a LONG process, I won't see it for a month at least...)
 
Zeiss Ikon

Zeiss Ikon

The Zeiss Ikon body doesn't come close to Leica in quality. The viewfinder may be the brightest one ever put into a rangefinder camera. Of course it is easier to load than a Leica. If Cosina used sturdier shutters, I could recommend it without reservation. I don't see it lasting very long under heavy use. I would be more inclined to buy a Bessa from Stephen Gandy for half the price. In fact, a Konica Hexar RF is far sturdier than a ZI.

An M6 would be a better investment. There are some EX specimens at KEH for the same price as a new ZI. And as long as Don Goldstein and Sherry Krauter are alive, you can keep it running forever.
 
i have to disagree with you jeff.
i have 2 zi's and no problems so far.
build quality is excellent and yes, it has the best finder in the business.
it is lighter than a leica and as i age that turns out to be a good thing. i have a zi in my bag everyday and the bag gets thrown into the car etc.
the shutters have been flawless for me.
 
dscottdavis said:
Excellent idea, a Sake Ceremony. But I will need to get my hands on a Kagami Biraki Set, and also do some research on what the proper Sake would be for this ceremony. Then I can go into successful Photography battle. This is excellent news, I should be able to open the S3 shrink wrap before the end of June or July I would estimate, if I am able to do everything properly. Maybe not until August. Maybe I should save it for Christmas 2007.

I was going to place an order today for a Zeiss Ikon with a 2.8/28 ZM lens today (both in BLACK), only because I gave up trying to get my hands on a black S3. Jeffery S., would you recommend an Cosina Ikon or were you dissapointed in its look and feel, fit and finish, etc.? (the Employee purchase program is a LONG process, I won't see it for a month at least...)


do not delay, a bottle of Hakushika sake will do the trick.
the sooner you preform the ceremony, the more lucky
mojo will surround you and your S3.

you can use Johnny Conquer root in place of sake,
but only sake can give you and the S3 that full good hoodo goodness
you and that camera deserve.
 
One of my two ZI bodies failed in the very same way that four of my Bessas have failed. The Achilles heel seems to be using the film advance and not quite getting it to the full throw length. This invariably happens to me when I am putting a new roll of film in. While handling the body with the back door open and the lens facing downward, things get fumbly enough that one of the times I advance the film (while guiding it onto the sprockets), the lever goes 95% of the way. At that point, I cannot advance the film any farther, the lever wind doesn't ratchet, and the shutter is hopelessly jammed.

I have tossed the Bessas that died this way. The ZI crapped out on the first day I had it. Hasselblad USA sent it to Japan for a shutter replacement. I am thinking that Hasselblad got out of the ZI business very quickly because of the problems with reliability.

The bodies are a joy to use, and let me concentrate more on the subject than the camera. But I wouldn't rely on it if my livelihood depended on getting the shots. I don't know of anyone in the USA who can repair the ZI shutter.
 
jeff,
i don't doubt your cited experience and the stories of others that i have read here on the forum.
i am just stating that my experience and that of many others here is vastly different.

and not being a pro shooter i doubt that any camera i ever own (or have previously owned, for that matter) will have to suffer that kind of workload.
 
Whoops, it is Don Goldberg. I never refer to him as that, but trying to find a DAG on the Internet seemed iffy.

I don't know how the ZI's will hold up as they haven't been out and used enough to really give them a test of endurance. Part of my bias is no doubt due to having to quit shooting one day when the camera failed. I was in the middle of a demolsihed neighborhood after Katrina, and having to turn around and go back home left me....bitter. ;)
 
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