zeiss ikonta 523/16 hp5 first photos

[paulfish4570]

tmax 1+9, 13 minutes, 70F, yellow filter, not bad for guess focus; huge thanks to ezzie:
cropped:


uncropped:

 

[paulfish4570]

a couple more:

 

[MV72]

Nice and sharp with pleasant tones. These folders are fun to use and quite rewarding. I love my Nettars.

 

[hausen]

Very pleasant lines in shot 2 and 3, really nice.

 

[paulfish4570]

thank you, Marc. this 523 - after only one roll - makes me desirous of a folder with rangefinder.

 

[f16sunshine]

Ah, this answers my question from your gallery post. Looks really good overall. How did you like the workflow, does it suit your style?

 

[gb hill]

Nice shots from the folder! & good guesstiment in the sharpness of the photos. I love those Chicago dogs from Sonic!😀

 

[paulfish4570]

thank you, hausen, andy and greg.
andy, it is the same workflow as for 35mm: soup in tmax, scan negs on the epson 4490, then PP in photoshop and/or picassa and/or windows gallery.
i have the betterscanning glass for 35mm, which is a huge help in obtaining good scans. i use the crappy stock epson device for 120. i think i will get hold of the betterscanning holder/glass for 120. it seems a bargain at $80 ...

 

[f16sunshine]

The better scanning holder really helps with the glass. Without Glass I din't see huge improvement unless the negs where badly curled (Across 100 ...wew!). My glass was broken, it's time for more.
What I meant though was the workflow with the camera while shooting. 😀 It's not like a RF or SLR.

 

[Ken Smith]

I picked up the Lomo 120 Digitaliza film scanning mask to replace my Epson mask. It works great at keeping Acros flat without using the ANR glass. Actually keeps any 120 film strip flat for scanning purposes. However, it isn't height adjustable for focusing like the Better scanning holders.

 

[paulfish4570]

ah! gotcha now, andy.
as you can see from the majority of my photos, i am not a street/action guy. i am deliberate, which suits the 523 just fine. i am somewhat red/green colorblind, though. i believe this makes the wind-on process a little scary. if i can't get the cam into bright sun to read through the little red window, i have to use a flash light. i am sure a square format RF with wind-on crank would be the cat's pajamas ... 🙂

 

[P C Headland]

You can also go down to a framing shop and get some anti-reflective glass cut that will fit in the Epson 120 holder. That what I use for the V700 (and previously on the 3170)

 

[graywolf]

i am sure a square format RF with wind-on crank would be the cat's pajamas ... 🙂

Not necessarily so, the coupled RF's are a lot bigger and heavier in most cases. The mechanical advance is a major breakage point in most of them. And for some strange reason, some of them have a worse viewfinder than the non-RF models. Of course, for $300-500, you ought to be able to get a real good one, while the non-RF models are usually under $100. That has a lot to do with the collectors (CRF cameras are rarer).

The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. On the other hand, I just had to have an Iskra, based upon the very nice photos from them here on RFF. While I love the images from it, I am more likely to grab a lighter smaller camera, usually the Hapo 66E.

The 66E has a uncoupled rangefinder and mechanical frame advance (about 90% functional), but I usually do not use the RF, just guestimating the distance in meters (I actually guess in yards).

I also have a Kodak Duo that is nice because I can slip the back of the folding viewfinder up under my glasses allowing me to see the edges well.

The point of all this, is that even if you get one of the super nice coupled rangefinder cameras, you may find that you still prefer the simpler camera.

 

[barnwulf]

Very nice shots with great tonality, Paul. I have both a Zeiss Super Ikonta III and IV. I love them both but the III is a little simpler to use since the IV has a light meter with a linked EV system that couples the shutter speed with the aperture. Both have coupled rangefinders. I have been using these a lot recently. Jim

 

[paulfish4570]

thanks, Jim. i find that tmax 1+9 develops very similarly to d-76 1+1, which also gives a good tonal range in hp5 ...

 

[Ezzie]

Well done Paul. Hope the Ikonta allows you to appreciate MF, being more similar to your normal flow. The lowly Novar triplet is not half bad when stopped down, even at f5.6 its quite adequate. Guestimate focusing works quite well, in fact I never really missed a shot due to focusing issues. Have you put a softie on it yet? It helps, I found the release a bit indefinate without.

 

[RichL]

For a rangefinder check out the 531/16. If you obsess on mm and grams then it is indeed a goodly bit larger than it's zone focus brethren. My Super Ikonta III (531/16) however fits quite comfortably in my jacket pocket and snugly into my levi's jeans (loose fit) back pocket.

 

[citizen99]

+1 the Super Ikonta III fits nicely in a jacket pocket.
(And also, for that matter in my experience, do the Bessa Rangefinder [6x9], Ensign Autorange 220 [6x6 & 6x4.5], and also Kodak Regent [6x9] if you don't mind re-spooling film to 620).

+1 the Novar triplet is good.

 

[Ezzie]

The Novar at f5.6 (in fact your Novar Paul):


Stream under Ice by Eirik0304, on Flickr

Go to picture and see in 1280x1280 even. In fact I was more than impressed with this little triplet.

 

[oftheherd]

You can also go down to a framing shop and get some anti-reflective glass cut that will fit in the Epson 120 holder. That what I use for the V700 (and previously on the 3170)

I am in agreement with graywolf and others about lack of weight being one of the best things about non-RF MF folders. It has always been easy for me to judge distance, having developed it very young when using a 35mm folder, the Welta Welti. And weight has become more important to me.

I sure share you enjoyment in using the old MF folders. They are a delight to use and produce really nice negatives. I have some that are like yours, being difficult to see the frame numbers. I also often have to use a flashlight, but it is a combination of old cameras and old eyes. 😛 I have no color blindness to cause the problems, just age.