Test roll, work needed to align lens.

[fidget]

It looks to me like the film has lifted away from the film plane. There is that flat leaf spring in the takeup and feed chambers. Carefully bend them upward so that they will expert more pressure on the film. Then I'd try another roll. What film were you using? I'd go with something ordinary, like Kodak TMax 100.

Eventually, I got round to looking at this problem again (after several unsuccessful weeks chasing Ikontas on Ebay).
The test shots from it show an intermittent focus issue, so I think that a misaligned lens might not be the case.
I had set up the camera on my rig to check the lens plane alignment based on a comparison of the parallelism of the film rail rollers and the front lens bezel. It seems fine, to my relief.

Focus tests using a ground glass screen are fine too. The level of focus change (5ft to inf) should be easy to see with this.

So film transport issues are again a matter of suspicion.
Running a scrap film through the cam, the springs putting pressure on the reel and film look OK at the start, but the film gets progressively looser as it is fed off that reel and can become quite easily moved.
So, just as you suggest, I should try more spring pressure on these.

Now to find a nice wall for test pics.

 

[fidget]

The film is developed and scanned. Multiple shots of my garden fence and wall. All shot at f5.6 on FP4+.
I took care to take each scene twice, the second of each with the camera inverted, so comparison of the images would readily show variations in focus.
There is some edge/corner softness, I guess to be expected at 5.6, with some probable general out-of focus shots due to my guesstimate of distances, but I can see no focus problem anything like that seen before.


Humble pie......
Thanks to you all, you were right to suggest film flatness as a likely cause, my assertion that there was enough tension on the film was incorrect, particularly as the film was drawn off towards the end, reducing what tension it had at the start. (Although I always ensure that the film is given its final wind/movement after the lens is erected, I've fallen for that one a time or two before).

Looks good enough to try out on actual scenes, time for a walk in the park!

 

[fidget]

A couple of pics from the first outing with the Ikonta. Still a test film, but also an attempt to use it in the "real world" on a short walk on the moors.

Dovestone reservoir in Saddleworth, Northern England.

Green lane, same location as the reservoir above.

Nice resolution and no sign of any focus variation across the frame on any frames.
It's a very neat and compact camera, it's going to be a great user.


Dave..

 

[hanskerensky]

Lovely photos Dave ! Just the kind of photos were folders excell !

 

[fidget]

I'm going to Malta for a week soon, I may take this camera to accompany the DSLR. Hoping for plenty of photographic opportunities.

Dave...