YES I have a ZeissIkon

Trius, I'm going to try to find out the same thing. My uneducated guess has to do with aiming at the Leica market -- not necessarily existing Leica users but new users considering the Leica and others.

I was out shooting a bit today before the sun completely went down. I thought it handled very nicely, and the viewfinder is excellent. Again, I hope to shoot about 20-30 rolls in the next few weeks. I'll have a better overall impression of the camera.

The film take-up spool reminds me a bit of the one from the later Contarexes. Same goes for the lobe on the lens.

By the way, I still love my Contax IIa.
 
Trius, my guess based on what I've read here and elsewhere online, is that it's larger only to make enough room in the top for the meter, the bits necessary for the electronic shutter mechanism and the optics of the much larger VF. As I get the impression from the Zeiss materials that Cosina was pushing them for a Contax "look and feel" as much as possible, they probably would have loved to make it as compact as a IIa. But look on the bright side, it's smaller than a prewar III :D

William
 
I woke up this morning with a serious case of GAS after a dinner of chicken fried rice. Now I'm going to go to bed with a serious case of G.A.S. after reading about the ZI. Gah!

Hope you enjoy your cameras :)
 
Is it true the camera and it's new line of lenses are made in Japan by Cosina Voigtlander ?

Does the body actually have "Made In Japan" printed or engraved anywhere on it ?
 
From the FAQ: "Will there be a digital ZI camera? <snip> Are the Carl Zeiss T* ZM-mount lenses ready for use with the future digital camera?"

Is this some tongue-in-cheek way of cranking the rumor mill to create speculation that Zeiss has a digital M-mount rangefinder in the works?

The finish of their rangefinder looks really nice. I'm actually very impressed by the wide-angle offerings; I just hope they hold this time and actually improve, and not just taunt like they did with the DOA digital Contax SLR.
 
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It's a bit complicated, but the Contax SLRs from Yashica and Kyocera were not products of Carl Zeiss AG. Although they used the Contax name, you never saw the Carl Zeiss logo or name on the body.

The lenses, however, were Carl Zeiss products and were marked as Carl Zeiss.

Depending on how you count it, this is either the second or third camera to carry the Carl Zeiss name. The first was back in the early 1900s. The second was the Werra from Carl Zeiss Jena. The Zeiss Ikon is the third.

However, I think most would agree that it's a matter of "when" and not "if" Carl Zeiss produces a digital body.
 
ZeissFan said:
Depending on how you count it, this is either the second or third camera to carry the Carl Zeiss name. The first was back in the early 1900s. The second was the Werra from Carl Zeiss Jena. The Zeiss Ikon is the third.
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This camera does not exactly carry the "Carl Zeiss" name but the Zeiss corporate logo. It's actually named after the defunct camera maker, a member of the Carl Zeiss Foundation AND a distinct entity from Carl Zeiss Oberkochen/Jena the lens makers.

The last time Zeiss Ikon was used as a brand (as opposed to being just the name of the maker) was in the early 1970s when the firm was in its death throes, e.g. the Zeiss Ikon SL 706 (which was eventually sold and turned into a Voigtlander, then Rolleiflex), Zeiss Ikon S 310/312 (which were really entry-level Contessas), and the ZI Hologon camera. That's why I've said this is not an auspicious choice of name.
 
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However, I think most would agree that it's a matter of "when" and not "if" Carl Zeiss produces a digital body.[/QUOTE]


I think and hope that the digital zeiss ikon wil be a full frame one !
You can see that in the way they desisgnd teh lenses. The rear element film plane distance is generally greater than with the G series lenses. That's why i probelbly stay with my G2 as long as i shoot film. (i think that will be very long time to come)
By the way the new zeiss ikon is a beatifull picture taking machine.
 
I really have to finish up my PR program and get a practitioner gig in Marketing Communications so I can afford a new Zeiss Ikon with a set of lenses. If this ain't a motivator I don't know what is.

Bill
 
Streetfootballworld looks for a practitioner and they pay a whooping 200 Euro a month. If you don't eat and drink and live under a bridge, you could buy a ZI about this time next year :)

Other companies who search for practitioners don't pay a dime :-(
All the Marketing/Advertising/Media companies are enslaving students at the moment, with the slight intention of an allusion to a better payed job in the not too distant future, but only if they can't get other practitioners.
 
I think and hope that the digital zeiss ikon wil be a full frame one !
You can see that in the way they desisgnd teh lenses. The rear element film plane distance is generally greater than with the G series lenses.
Click to expand...

Jaap, you're right on the money. It is the official position of Carl Zeiss AG that they will not build a digital version until they can do so with a full frame sensor - and they think that will be a while.
 
Congrats Zeissfan, that is one great looking camera ... and the ZI is cute too ;-) I'd be very interested in seeing your writeup on the 25/2.8.

Like I've said, the minute that any manufactuer offers a full-frame M mount RF, I'm there. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the photos.
 
Mazurka said:
This camera does not exactly carry the "Carl Zeiss" name but the Zeiss corporate logo. It's actually named after the defunct camera maker, a member of the Carl Zeiss Foundation AND a distinct entity from Carl Zeiss Oberkochen/Jena the lens makers.
Click to expand...

You do know who Zeissfan is? The new camera is from Carl Zeiss AG and is named the Zeiss Ikon. That is not the same as a camera from the company Zeiss Ikon named Contax. Carl Zeiss is not traditionally a camera maker and has put its name now on exactly three models of camera, the last a long time ago!

Anyhow, lets see some &*(&%# photos man!
 
Huck Finn said:
Jaap, you're right on the money. It is the official position of Carl Zeiss AG that they will not build a digital version until they can do so with a full frame sensor - and they think that will be a while.
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I don't mind Huck for this time. When i walk out of my darkroom withe those beatifull fibre based prints on grade 2. But in the future i see myself shooting both on film and digital.
 
Huh?

Huh?

Mike Kovacs said:
You do know who Zeissfan is? The new camera is from Carl Zeiss AG and is named the Zeiss Ikon. That is not the same as a camera from the company Zeiss Ikon named Contax. Carl Zeiss is not traditionally a camera maker and has put its name now on exactly three models of camera, the last a long time ago!
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Mike, whoever Zeissfan is, not everything he writes is automatically the absolute truth. And you need to read my post again, this time without any presumption, misinterpretation or omission.

Besides, exactly where does it say on the Cosina-made camera "Carl Zeiss"? All I see is "Zeiss Ikon" and the Zeiss logo.
 
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aizan said:
carl zeiss makes lenses. it says carl zeiss on the lenses.
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You'r right. There are a million products that say "Carl Zeiss", only not on the Cosina-made camera to which Zeissfan referred.

Just because the camera is Zeiss commissioned, doesn't mean it exactly carries the "Carl Zeiss" name.
 
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