Zeiss Ikon folder?

[lubitel]

Hi all!

I saw an old Zeiss Ikon folder in a store today, in a very nice optical condition, for 45 Euros. I am very tempted to buy it, although I have never used one. I did try out a folder from Beyer once, but it had a bit of a light leak, and the results werent that exciting. I also use a Lubitel 6x6, the quality of the photos is quite good I think. Is the folder worth 45 bucks when it works properly? Can I expect photos that are at least as sharp or better than the ones from Lubitel?

Thank you

PS. I also posted this accidentally into a 35mm forum.

 

[Seele]

Lubitel,

Over the years Zeiss Ikon made a bewildering range of folding cameras, I feel sure that you should have a closer look at it so as to figure out which one it is.

Shooting from the hip here; first of all you need to make sure that you can get films for it; if it uses 120 film then you are on to a good start. If it has a self-erecting front rather than a draw-out front, it would either be a Nettar or an Ikonta, and if it is one with couple-rangefinder, then it should be a Super Ikonta.

For those models using 120 film, there are three main negative size flavours: 6X4.5, 6X6, and 6X9; it comes down to personal preference which one you favour, although the 6X9 version can take a mask which makes it able to take 6X4.5 negatives, but of course they will have a long-focus effect.

Regarding optical equipment, ideally it should have a Tessar lens, in a Compur shutter, make sure the operation is clean and crisp. I tend to be somewhat suspicious of early post-war West German Tessars marked Zeiss-Opton, but those pre-war ones marked Carl Zeiss Jena, and later post-war West German ones marked "Carl Zeiss" should be totally dependable.

Naturally you should also check bellows condition, mechanical rigidity... the usual stuff, and also factor in the cost of a round of CLA because you are after a dependable camera for use rather than for display.

If possible, get a full-refund option for, say three days; nothing like actually putting a roll of film through it to see how it works.