Zeiss Ikon ZM SW Superwide Camera

it'd be nice if this was a pano format like the Xpan, it would make a bit more sense and probably sell better.

Todd
 
hum I just bought Andy's Bessa L and 25/4 for 200 bucks. Other then the mount what has this camera got that's worth 1k more the name?
 
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I didn't know the Bessa has AE and well as metering in manual exposure? Nor did I know the Bessa and SW both have the same shutter, reliability, and QC.

I think if you don't understand the benefits of this camera, I would suggest you not buy one. But to disparage it seems a little harsh. I think it is a great tool if someone was looking for a superwide 35mm camera. The price is not strange either. At least not for a professional. Having the use of a superwide camera, I can tell you it is a great specialty camera.

Hats off to Zeiss Ikon for making such a camera. It is nice to see companies producing excellent tools for the sake of it rather than just looking to appease consumers with flashy gear just to be popular. I hope they make other innovative products when most camera manufactures are just trying to get market share.
 
I too thought immediately of the Hasselblad SWC, but that was only because of the name. More important was that what came to mind was a design with a curved film plane, since cameras with those have been made and possibly still are made.

Since, however, this "new" Zeiss can take any M mount lens, it is in principle no different from the Bessa T. Their screw predecessors were the Bessa L and the Leicas prior to the II. It remains possible to use a separate, or shoe mounted, range-finder on such cameras and transfer the distance read to the lens in use.

Cosina would have had no reason to encourage Zeiss to design or market this or any other kind of camera unless it had a financial stake in that company, or a profit sharing arrangement which would bring it a little extra for its experience with the Bessas L and T. For years it has been mainly a maker of what it has been paid to make. Possible it has contributed to design, but such things seldom emerge from drawing offices.

[Correction] Not "the Leicas prior to the II" but all Leicas, earlier or later, which had no range-finders built in: Ic, M1, MD, etc. Only the early ones were used with accessory range-finders such as the FODIS, and I got muddled.
 
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This is an M mount camera, with autoexposure, neither of which the Bessa L has. Is it worth $1,000? I don't know; I would say it's priced rather high. But it's not as extreme a price, relatively, as that of the ZI external finders.
 
I do agree with many of your statements...
But don´t forget: this little item (expensive, not worth the money etc...) gives our rangefinderworld another member.
Welcome Zeiss Ikon SW!

Greetings to you all
Bully
 
$1000 for a metal box to put film in? Not to mention an ugly metal box... No thanks... I'll stick with the Bessa L
 
Why would anyone choose to pay this much money for a camera without a rangefinder when the normal version with rf is not really much more? I understand the ZM 15mm is not helicoided and all that but wouldn't it be better to have a camera that will work with your other lenses? Guess focusing a 25mm at close distances wide open isn't exactly a piece of cake. At least the Bessa L was cheap.
 
The Bessa-L does the same thing. However, you can't mount Leica M-mount lenses to it, as it's LTM. So you couldn't buy any of the Zeiss glass and use it with the Bessa-L.

This camera would work well for the purists -- those who want Zeiss glass mounted to a Zeiss body. Or for those who want a dedicated body for superwide lenses AND have the pocketbook to pay for it.
 
Nachkebia said:
are you a window shoper? :D
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In this case, yes. the Zeiss IKON is an ugly duckling next to a Leica M. This one looks it was born with its eyes shut.

I like how the Zeiss logo, "Zeiss, Ikon", and SW are spread out evenly and unimaginatively across the front face of the camera. Looks like the designer used MS Word to design this body and was limited by the document margines.
 
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ywenz : Thank you but zeiss ikon is great looking camera :D ofcourse leica is a beauty but zeiss has something individual, it is more stelar, it is somehow medical in some way, whole zeiss brand has medical aesthetics to me, thanks god my zeiss ikon does not have that blue zeiss logo :D
 
This is the most expensive stupid camera i've ever seen. By the way this is a RANGE FINDER forum. This camera doesn,t even have a range finder !
A Bessa L for $100 is ok but this camera for $1000 is really odd:eek:
 
jaap said:
This is the most expensive stupid camera i've ever seen. By the way this is a RANGE FINDER forum. This camera doesn,t even have a range finder !
A Bessa L for $100 is ok but this camera for $1000 is really odd:eek:
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Yeah! There should be a law against things like this.
 
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