Zeiss Ikon Camera Quality

[Grego]

😕 Very eager to get the ZI, but also very concerned about all the negative comments I hear about the lack of quality of the body and the unacceptably high level of rangefinder adjustments on new cameras.
Are these complaints and comments legitimate? Opinions and experiences requested.
Thank'ee

 

[acall]

Grego,
I bought a ZI back in May from Tony at Popflash. I have not experienced any of the problems that have come up in the other threads. I don't use the camera as much as some of the others here, but I have probably run 30 or so rolls through it. No problems yet.
Alan

 

[PhotoGeek]

I have an Ikon, I have only had one and I have not had any issues with it. It has traveled with me almost everyday to work and back (in a case), on assignment, and to london and back again. I have shot probably about 30 or so rolls through it with no issues. I do however baby my equipment, clean it, handle it nicely, keep it protected, etc.

The view finder is excellent, it feels good in my hand, and its a decent deal in my opinion for what you pay.

This is just my opinion mind you, I have never owned a Leica (although my first rangefinder was a Minolta CLE) but I think they are outrageously priced. If I were rich then I would love to own one, they are absolutely beautiful pieces of equipment, although I think they have their quirks as well (such as the film loading system, to me it seems like one hell of a pain in the ass).

So if someone said, hey Peter, here's a Zeiss Ikon or a M7, which would you like? I'd take the M7, but otherwise, I have nothing to complain about.

Were all snobs when it comes to the gear we own, I know I can barely touch a Canon w/o feeling dirty, it was just the way I was raised, even though I know perfectly well that a Canon is just as good, if not better in some respects than my Nikon, although, the same can be said about it.

Is the Ikon a Pinto? No, not in my humble opinion. 😉

It's just a stigma, you could have problems with either, you won't know until you try for yourself.
-peter

 

[jano]

I think technology today is like Schroedinger's cat: you won't know it's dead until you open the box 😀

 

[back alley]

a search will help you as this is a favourite topic around here some days.

joe

 

[jjovin]

For the last 6 month I have been trying to decide whether to get a Zeiss Ikon or a Leica M6. There were no dealer around to try an Ikon so I decided to buy one and if I do not like it I would sell it. When it arrived I borrowed an M6 from a friend and compared them side by side. It took me a few days to decide, but once I got used to the Ikon it felt like a better photographic tool than a Leica M6 regardless of the price. It really has a superior rangefinder to Leica's and the film loading is easier. It needs a slight adjustment of the range finder and I will send it for repair. When it comes back I expect it to be perfect. I do not expect it to last as long as a Leica but I take case of my equipment and I expect it to last for 20 years. After 20 years of use both Ikon and Leica would be so outdated that I would probably need another camera. In any case, I bought it because I want to use it now and not whether it would last for 30 years.
I is not as quiet as a an M6 but agter hearing a shutter release on M8 I would say that it is about as loud as an M8. I really like quiet cameras and this one passed the test for me.

This is just my opinion.
Zoran

 

[Topdog1]

Buy both. Sell the one you don't like.

/Ira

 

[jgeenen]

Using the ZI since 9 months, I have no complaints yet. Build quality seems to be "standard" - it is a well made camera certainly worth any Euro I spent.

The leatherette has a different feel (compared to my Contax, Olympus, Canon experience), a material I have never touched on cameras. After 9 months of use there are some shiny spots in the "nose landing area" (I am looking through the finder with my left eye), so I do have some doubts the material will last forever.

Bought a used Summicron 2/90 to supplement portrait/tele range. After having it adjusted and serviced (boy, Leica Solms IS expensive...) it works great. Zeiss lenses use lighter material but do feel very similar and smooth.

The chrome paint finish shows some wear around the strap lugs. Not more than I expected - just some minor scratches. But opposed to my older cameras, scratches are coming "dark". I expect, after years the camera will not look "brassy professional" but "used", certainly nothing that will increase value of used equipment...

 

[kinoglass]

Well, one day in twenty years time perhaps, I won't be here, the ZI shutter will die and the spares stock will have been long depleted with the unpleasent result that the camera will no longer be serviceable. It has happened before, remember the Leica R6, the all mechanical SLR? One day the Japanese shutter manufacturer told Leica that in order the keep making it they needed it anohter order for a 1/4 of a million shutters or else the R6 would and did became defunct.

Now, if one of my M6's or M3's or even a M7 which I don't have, developped shutter trouble like for example a bright sun ray reaching the shutter curtains cloth thrue a infinite focused wide open fast lens burning a little hole on it, and Leica, just for arguments sake would be out of stock or worse, will that be the end of the camera or perhaps a pair of a good scisors and a suitable rain coat cloth, albeit black would perhaps restore the Leicas shutter to a very suitable operation and to the pride of Oskar Barnack?

The key to survival for any industrial product is simplicity and availabity of spares from all sources including canibalism (!). Examples besides the Leicas: VW beatles and Boeing BC-3.

 

[Nachkebia]

Weekend park shooters please skip the topic 😀

 

[back alley]

Weekend park shooters please skip the topic 😀

you have a certain arrogance that is at times annoying.
if you are so much better than us weekend shooters perhaps another forum for professionals would be more to your liking.
joe

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I think Nachkebia uses Zeiss Ikon and his camera(s) look pretty worn so his comment made me smile.

 

[Nachkebia]

It is not about being better then weekend shooters, it is about how well build camera is, if you should only on weekends in the park you will never see difference in build, beside all this it was a joke and besides all of this yes Georgians are arrogant 😀

 

[back alley]

wearing out a camera is not a badge of honour in my books.
i get a little tired of being compared to a weekend shooter because i take care of my gear and because my zi is still looking good.
youth can be allowed only so many passes before being called to the carpet.

joe

 

[Nachkebia]

I don`t understand your stress, fact is fact, if you want to talk about how good zeiss ikon is build use it for years (like meany leicas), or use it in extreme mode, otherwise you have no clue, if zeiss ikon is proffesional camera it has to be good enought to take alot of use, full stop, I don`t really care about your stress 😀

 

[thafred]

Joe...don´t get hung up on the weekend shooters term!
I think it´s true that one doesn´t see the quality of a camera if not put under the most extreme (shooting) conditions. The more the thing gets used the more it has to wear (babying or not)
in fact the old Canon EOS 1000 my father had still looks good and works great...would I say it´s a reliable camera or has superduper build quality?....hell no! I would be surprised if more than 100 rolls were ever shot with it!
My BessaR has roughly 300-400 Rolls through it and it still works well (I´d be pissed off if not)....far from looking new but I haven´t babied it and I don´t mind the wear (i´m not beeing proud of it thou..resale value is null for my Bessa) but i´m confident it will work for the next 400rolls with no problem. I´m sure a ZI will be better due to (supposed) better build and materials but does it life as long as my M6 wich after celebrating 15ieth birthday looks still new...i don´t know (lets see if it looks new after I spend 15 years with it 😀 ).
Nachkebia showed us what a ZI looks like after shooting alot in conditions other than the most of us experience for everyday shooting. Since his beat up camera still works well I guess reliability must be OK for most of us.
So if you´re concerned about the look of your equipment just take care of it and use it like it´s supposed to chances are good it will remain like it was on the first day of purchase.
If you´re going to the war zone (busy shopping streets count too) just get a leica and forget about it 😉

 

[back alley]

it's not about the camera.

it's about mocking the shooter.
nach, i'm not looking for an argument with you, honestly.
i would just appreciate if you measured your words and thought about the impact of them on the other members here, most of whom are weekend shooters.
joe

 

[Nachkebia]

From 12 months (48 weeks) in one year I am not a weekend shooter only for 4 weeks (one month) but those two weeks was enough to see how well build zeiss ikon is 😀 I would also appreciate if you measured your words and thought about the impact of them on the other members here because you only shoot on the weekend and you think and say it is very good build 😀

 

[varjag]

Seeing two persons you sorta like getting into a heated argument over an unimportant issue is one of the most disturbing things Internet forums brought to us thus far.

In part I think it's because in a community large enough, no matter what personal opinion you express, you can offend someone. Happened to me more than once too, and in cases like that it is maybe best to admit that your wording was poor or opinion unnecessarily strong.

 

[back alley]

nach, i carry a zi most days and it gets used most days.
am i a pro? no.
plain & simple but the camera gets used plenty.
my guess is that at 56 i am more careful with my gear than a younger guy might be.

if i was too harsh then i apologize...