Alpha_Geist wrote:
Haha! The flowers sure do look nicer at the Capitol park now. I’ll have to go back this weekend and shoot them again with my Leica...and Nikon (I can’t help it ). Also, I gave the Nikon FE back to my coworker. I have too many other working cameras with non-shutter issues to play with and keep me busy.
I just picked up a Zeiss Ikon ZM because I always was curious about them. I had a Bessa R3a and hated that compared to my Leica Ms. Not sure about this Zeiss, but I'll give it a little time to see if I warm up to it.
Desmolicious wrote:
I just picked up a Zeiss Ikon ZM because I always was curious about them. I had a Bessa R3a and hated that compared to my Leica Ms. Not sure about this Zeiss, but I'll give it a little time to see if I warm up to it.
Oooo, Very nice indeed! Isn’t the viewfinder in the Zeiss Ikon supposed to be much brighter and larger than either the Leica or Bessa rangefinders?
Alpha_Geist wrote:
Oooo, Very nice indeed! Isn’t the viewfinder in the Zeiss Ikon supposed to be much brighter and larger than either the Leica or Bessa rangefinders?
It is larger, it isn't brighter and it definitely isn't better...
I think there was a definite fan-boi element behind the ZM Ikon's support. For example, the rf patch in the Zeiss does NOT move. It is fixed. But the frame lines move as they auto parallax correct when you focus. So at infinity the rf patch is noticeably off kilter.
With a Leica M, you can use the position of the rf patch to aid your composition to take quick shots, as it never changes in relation to the frame lines. They move together. So by glancing at your RFpatch -say when you focus, you always know your framing.
Interesting that pretty much no reviews mentioned this..
So what you have is a RF camera with a really large viewfinder that has poor RF implementation, a shutter speed display that fades out in bright daylight with a poorly placed AE lock button (it is dead center on the back top plate making it very awkward to reach - it should be under the film wind lever).
Compared to an M7 - RF patch is always visible. RF patch is always centered. Exposure readout is always visible. AE lock works perfectly with a half press of the shutter button. Shutter is much quieter/more muffled. Build quality is in a different league.
I still like the Zeiss, I'm just wondering if I will grow to like it enough to want to keep it. Would there be a situation where I'd actually want to use it over an M7?
Oh, one good thing - the VF on the Zeiss is further away from the lens center line than on a Leica. So there is much less blockage when using larger/fatter lenses. This is a big plus. My 7A 50 1.1 (w/o lens hood) does not intrude at all into the 50mm frame lines. Definitely a big plus.
Desmolicious wrote:
It is larger, it isn't brighter and it definitely isn't better...
I think there was a definite fan-boi element behind the ZM Ikon's support. For example, the rf patch in the Zeiss does NOT move. It is fixed. But the frame lines move as they auto parallax correct when you focus. So at infinity the rf patch is noticeably off kilter.
With a Leica M, you can use the position of the rf patch to aid your composition to take quick shots, as it never changes in relation to the frame lines. They move together. So by glancing at your RFpatch -say when you focus, you always know your framing.
Interesting that pretty much no reviews mentioned this..
So what you have is a RF camera with a really large viewfinder that has poor RF implementation, a shutter speed display that fades out in bright daylight with a poorly placed AE lock button (it is dead center on the back top plate making it very awkward to reach - it should be under the film wind lever).
Compared to an M7 - RF patch is always visible. RF patch is always centered. Exposure readout is always visible. AE lock works perfectly with a half press of the shutter button. Shutter is much quieter/more muffled. Build quality is in a different league.
I still like the Zeiss, I'm just wondering if I will grow to like it enough to want to keep it. Would there be a situation where I'd actually want to use it over an M7?
Oh, one good thing - the VF on the Zeiss is further away from the lens center line than on a Leica. So there is much less blockage when using larger/fatter lenses. This is a big plus. My 7A 50 1.1 (w/o lens hood) does not intrude at all into the 50mm frame lines. Definitely a big plus. ...Show more →
Desmolicious wrote:
It is larger, it isn't brighter and it definitely isn't better...
I think there was a definite fan-boi element behind the ZM Ikon's support. For example, the rf patch in the Zeiss does NOT move. It is fixed. But the frame lines move as they auto parallax correct when you focus. So at infinity the rf patch is noticeably off kilter.
With a Leica M, you can use the position of the rf patch to aid your composition to take quick shots, as it never changes in relation to the frame lines. They move together. So by glancing at your RFpatch -say when you focus, you always know your framing.
Interesting that pretty much no reviews mentioned this..
So what you have is a RF camera with a really large viewfinder that has poor RF implementation, a shutter speed display that fades out in bright daylight with a poorly placed AE lock button (it is dead center on the back top plate making it very awkward to reach - it should be under the film wind lever).
Compared to an M7 - RF patch is always visible. RF patch is always centered. Exposure readout is always visible. AE lock works perfectly with a half press of the shutter button. Shutter is much quieter/more muffled. Build quality is in a different league.
I still like the Zeiss, I'm just wondering if I will grow to like it enough to want to keep it. Would there be a situation where I'd actually want to use it over an M7?
Oh, one good thing - the VF on the Zeiss is further away from the lens center line than on a Leica. So there is much less blockage when using larger/fatter lenses. This is a big plus. My 7A 50 1.1 (w/o lens hood) does not intrude at all into the 50mm frame lines. Definitely a big plus.
🎈+📌= “whelp, there goes my preconceived notions of the famous Zeiss Ikon”
Damn Huss, you should write a book about all of this! You should do YouTube videos on all the film cameras, film and your experiences shooting in the various places you’ve been. I’d smash that bell...as those YouTubers say. You would have at least one subscriber (me)!
beardedspoooon wrote:
Forgot to close the shutter after composing, didn't notice until trying to fire the shutter after fiddling around and doing who knows what else.
Way to avoid such mistakes is to make it a habit to test-fire the shutter every time just before pulling the dark slide off of the holder. It helps to test the actual speed and also forces to close the shutter before the exposure
Alpha_Geist wrote..Also, I gave the Nikon FE back to my coworker. I have too many other working cameras with non-shutter issues to play with and keep me busy.
Good call. I've been in that position before and while it is nice to 'rescue' gear and get it fixed, it's better to look at the big picture and ask yourself why when that item is commonplace, cheap and would not be worth your while time-wise or financially.
Plus you already have the zenit of that line in the FM3A.
SergeyT wrote:
Way to avoid such mistakes is to make it a habit to test-fire the shutter every time just before pulling the dark slide off of the holder. It helps to test the actual speed and also forces to close the shutter before the exposure
Good tip! I had been sort of obsessively test firing, but I don't have any habits set yet, still easy for me to forget or not think about stuff.
). Also, I gave the Nikon FE back to my coworker. I have too many other working cameras with non-shutter issues to play with and keep me busy. 
