Nachkebia
Well-known
You are not a weekend shooter if you have it with you all the time, so your thoughts are welcome 
(what I said was joke even weekend shooters are welcome (who askes me ) No need to apologize at all
(what I said was joke even weekend shooters are welcome (who askes me ) No need to apologize at all
S
Socke
Guest
kinoglass said:
As far as I know there are no new rangefinders left for the M3 and it's replaced with the M6 style rangefinder.
I'm pretty sure one can replace the R6 shutter with another one if one is prepared to spend enough money.
Like the VW Microbus my brother has, from the outside it looks mostly like it did in 1956, but under the cover you'll find a modern watercooled engine, disk brakes and so on
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
Then again, I'm pretty sure one can replace the ZI shutter with another one if one is prepared to spend enough money. Most of us aren't, though.Socke said:
Philipp
jgeenen
Established
I don't care. Replacing some essential parts of a camera after years of use is most often close to an economically total loss. I had a Leica CL which fell out of my backpack and hit concrete. Replacement of the broken parts (all of them were available at Leica) would have been in the region of 500 Euro.
Besides environmental questions and soft factors like nostalgia etc. I do not want to pay upfront insurances when buying a new camera.
Besides environmental questions and soft factors like nostalgia etc. I do not want to pay upfront insurances when buying a new camera.
x-ray
Veteran
I'm not a weekend shooter and use my ZI and 5 M's in extremem conditions as a pro. I've only had the ZI for three months but would guess i've put more film through it than most the members would in three years. Absolutely no issues with this camera. Even after 4 decades of leica M shooting i'm totally in love with the ZI. As I've stated before the RF / VF is superior in focus, accuracy, brightness and ease of use wirth glasses (like the HP finder in Nikon slr's). The camers is strong and well built and in my estimation will stand along side any M leica for decades of hard pro use. The ZI might not give the impression of strong build because it's lighter in weight (a real plus) due to magnesium body vs a brass body. Remember many high performance car engines are magnesium and they last as welll as any. I seriously do not think any of us including myself will wear out a ZI even with the use i am giving it. Most vertical metal shutters are rated at a minimum of 150,000 to 250,000 actuations. Figure how many rolls of film this is.
I like the ZI so much that it's rapidly becoming my camera of choice. I've even given thought to selling my M6 and buying another ZI. In my book the ZI is the superior camera of the two. I'm not certain why the big deal over build. Even the cheapest of modern 35's will most likely last well beyond what shooting any of us will do.
I like the ZI so much that it's rapidly becoming my camera of choice. I've even given thought to selling my M6 and buying another ZI. In my book the ZI is the superior camera of the two. I'm not certain why the big deal over build. Even the cheapest of modern 35's will most likely last well beyond what shooting any of us will do.
willie_901
Veteran
Where I go, my ZI-M goes. The camera has held up well.
Any camera from any manufacturer can disappoint. A small percentage of all consumer products are defective.
On the Internet problems with all products become exaggerated. The problems themselves are not exaggerated. The owner/user is not exaggerating. What becomes exaggerated is the frequency of the problems. It is only natural that people with defective products post more than people who have normal products.
After all, would you want to read a post that said, "Well, another week has gone by and my ZI-M camera has no problems at all. It still looks and works well. I even used it in cold rainy weather and it still worked beautifully. Both my Zeiss M lenses continued to work well too. They mounted with precision. The focus action is a joy to use, the aperture ring remains crisp, and the lens caps are still awkward to use."
I would purchase another ZI-M in an instant if mine were destroyed, lost or stolen.
willie
Any camera from any manufacturer can disappoint. A small percentage of all consumer products are defective.
On the Internet problems with all products become exaggerated. The problems themselves are not exaggerated. The owner/user is not exaggerating. What becomes exaggerated is the frequency of the problems. It is only natural that people with defective products post more than people who have normal products.
After all, would you want to read a post that said, "Well, another week has gone by and my ZI-M camera has no problems at all. It still looks and works well. I even used it in cold rainy weather and it still worked beautifully. Both my Zeiss M lenses continued to work well too. They mounted with precision. The focus action is a joy to use, the aperture ring remains crisp, and the lens caps are still awkward to use."
I would purchase another ZI-M in an instant if mine were destroyed, lost or stolen.
willie
Huck Finn
Well-known
willie_901 said:
Actually, Willie, I enjoyed reading that very much. It's a nice change of pace.
Your point is well taken. Those few examples of problems receive endless discussion & are then repeated second & third hand, each time seeming like a new incident. The understandable outrage of the victimized consumer also leads to the impression that the manufacturer is running some kind of a scam & is foisting a defective product line on an unsuspecting public. Not the best measure of the extent of problems.
By the way, I've just completed my 62nd consecutive week of problem free use with my Zeiss Ikon & ZM lens. It remains a joy to use & returns wonderful photos - at least to the best of my ability to take them.
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Nebulon
another variable
This forum is quite entertaining and I am pleased to read about both sides of user experiences regarding the Zeiss Ikon camera. Fair and open reporting allows me to believe that I am better informed about its real world performance. As a result, I recently purchased one and have exposed several rolls. It has functioned flawlessly, even in some chilly Chicago weather. I am extremely happy with the image quality of the 50/1.4 Sonnar C lens. The magic of some of the images really surprized me. Deciding on the ZI was based largely on its price to performance ratio. Tony and Josh at Popflash assisted my purchase and treated my questions with respect and care. An e-mail inquiry to Zeiss returned a prompt and courteous reply. Over all, it has been an incredibly positive experience. For the moment, I can't even think of using any other camera in my office. New toy syndrome, I guess. Fun, none-the-less.