Post your recent film shots!
p.842 #1Post your recent film shots!
Canon EF-M + ZE 25/2 Distagon + Ilford XP2 400
Little Truck Syndrome 2.0
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Little Truck Syndrome 2.0
Mar 26, 2021 at 04:44 PM
p.842 #2Post your recent film shots!
Rolleicord V, Kodak 400TX (expired 2013), developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 6 minutes.
2021.02.20 Roll #271-05917-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
2021.02.20 Roll #271-05917-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
Mar 26, 2021 at 09:00 PM
p.842 #3Post your recent film shots!
67 + 105/2.4 + Expired Fuji Velvia 50, cross processed w/ C41
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Mar 27, 2021 at 09:46 AM
p.842 #4Post your recent film shots!
Alpha_Geist wrote:
I see your pink flowers, and raise the stakes.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51065649393_2f2923b205_o.jpg
No shutter issues.. ergo Leicas are more reliable than Nikons!
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.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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg🎈+📌= “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)!
And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Leica R8, Summicron 50, Kodak ProImage 100I see your pink flowers, and raise the stakes.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51065649393_2f2923b205_o.jpg
No shutter issues.. ergo Leicas are more reliable than Nikons!
). 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 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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg
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)!
And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.
Mar 27, 2021 at 09:56 AM
p.842 #5Post your recent film shots!
Desmolicious 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. 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?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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg🎈+📌= “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)!And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was...Show more →
I didn't want to s**t on your new purchase, but now that you have come to the same realization that I did, I can say that I had looked at the ZM for a long time before picking up the M6. At the time, they were going for about $700-$800, had a longer rangefinder base, purportedly better viewfinder, and aperture priority so seemed like a great option over the Leica. However, so many came up with shutter issues, spacing issues, etc and combined with the lack of service options led me to the M6.
Long story short, I really, really wanted to like it. Deep down, I'm a Zeissaholic... But I'm glad I held out & did my due diligence. Which is not typically my modus operandi at all.....
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
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 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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg
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)!
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was...Show more →
I didn't want to s**t on your new purchase, but now that you have come to the same realization that I did, I can say that I had looked at the ZM for a long time before picking up the M6. At the time, they were going for about $700-$800, had a longer rangefinder base, purportedly better viewfinder, and aperture priority so seemed like a great option over the Leica. However, so many came up with shutter issues, spacing issues, etc and combined with the lack of service options led me to the M6.
Long story short, I really, really wanted to like it. Deep down, I'm a Zeissaholic... But I'm glad I held out & did my due diligence. Which is not typically my modus operandi at all.....
Mar 27, 2021 at 10:06 AM
p.842 #6Post your recent film shots!
helimat 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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg🎈+📌= “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)!And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.I didn't want to s**t on your new purchase, but now that you have come to the same realization that I did, I can say that I had looked at the ZM for a long time before picking up the M6. At the time, they were going for about $700-$800, had a longer rangefinder base, purportedly better viewfinder, and aperture priority so seemed like a great option over the Leica. However, so many came up with shutter issues, spacing issues, etc and combined with the lack of service options led me to the M6.
Long story short, I really, really...Show more →
I just had to scratch that itch, and I knew if I didn't like it I could sell it for more than I bought it for.
It's one thing reading about it, it's another experiencing it.
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
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.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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg
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)!
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.
Long story short, I really, really...Show more →
I just had to scratch that itch, and I knew if I didn't like it I could sell it for more than I bought it for.
It's one thing reading about it, it's another experiencing it.
Mar 27, 2021 at 10:32 AM
p.842 #7Post your recent film shots!
Desmolicious wrote:
I just had to scratch that itch, and I knew if I didn't like it I could sell it for more than I bought it for.
It's one thing reading about it, it's another experiencing it.
Agreed, it came close myself. I'm just glad that one of my rare cases of self-control paid off.
It's also nice to have it validated by someone who tested it first hand & whose opinion I respect.
I just had to scratch that itch, and I knew if I didn't like it I could sell it for more than I bought it for.
It's one thing reading about it, it's another experiencing it.
Agreed, it came close myself. I'm just glad that one of my rare cases of self-control paid off.
It's also nice to have it validated by someone who tested it first hand & whose opinion I respect.
Mar 27, 2021 at 10:41 AM
p.842 #10Post your recent film shots!
Kraken 617 Rodenstock Grandagon-N 90mm TMAX 400
Shawn
Shawn
Mar 28, 2021 at 11:30 AM
|
p.842 #11Post your recent film shots!
Taking in the view by Graham Gibson, on Flickr
Mar 28, 2021 at 11:57 AM
p.842 #12Post your recent film shots!
grahamgibson wrote:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51078921326_e331ab25dd_h.jpg
Taking in the view by Graham Gibson, on Flickr
That's a keeper.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51078921326_e331ab25dd_h.jpg
Taking in the view by Graham Gibson, on Flickr
That's a keeper.
Mar 28, 2021 at 12:02 PM
p.842 #13Post your recent film shots!
Fun morning.
Low speeds on the focal plane shutter wouldn't work, so opened it up and hoped I wouldn't find a can of worms.
Cleaned and lubricated the governor, and I think it works. I didn't make it any worse, so win win.
Mine is apparently from between 3/26/47 and 11/12/47 based on the serial number.
Speed Graphic, Arista Edu 400
Low speeds on the focal plane shutter wouldn't work, so opened it up and hoped I wouldn't find a can of worms.
Cleaned and lubricated the governor, and I think it works. I didn't make it any worse, so win win.
Mine is apparently from between 3/26/47 and 11/12/47 based on the serial number.
Speed Graphic, Arista Edu 400
Mar 28, 2021 at 03:23 PM
p.842 #14Post your recent film shots!
New to me Mamiya 6 with HP5 and Tri x. All the good things said about this are true. Meter, focusing and handling are great.
First two are HP5
First two are HP5
Mar 28, 2021 at 05:14 PM
p.842 #15Post your recent film shots!
Desmolicious 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. 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?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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg🎈+📌= “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)!And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was...Show more →
Thanks for this and your previous post about the Zeiss Ikon ZM. I've been playing with a borrowed Bessa T with a view to getting a Bessa L to pair with my Snapshot-Skopar 25/4 LTM. As you are no doubt aware, both the M mount T and the LTM mount L lack a viewfinder window since they have been designed for use primarily with ultra wide lenses and an appropriate external viewfinder. (The Bessa T does have a separate 1.5x rangefinder.)
A friend alerted me to the existence of the Zeiss Ikon SW which is Zeiss's spin on the same concept i.e. a ZM without the viewfinder window. I wondered if the AE exposure mode and superior build quality would be worth spending five times as much as for a Bessa L. It would appear not.
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
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 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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg
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)!
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was...Show more →
Thanks for this and your previous post about the Zeiss Ikon ZM. I've been playing with a borrowed Bessa T with a view to getting a Bessa L to pair with my Snapshot-Skopar 25/4 LTM. As you are no doubt aware, both the M mount T and the LTM mount L lack a viewfinder window since they have been designed for use primarily with ultra wide lenses and an appropriate external viewfinder. (The Bessa T does have a separate 1.5x rangefinder.)
A friend alerted me to the existence of the Zeiss Ikon SW which is Zeiss's spin on the same concept i.e. a ZM without the viewfinder window. I wondered if the AE exposure mode and superior build quality would be worth spending five times as much as for a Bessa L. It would appear not.
Mar 28, 2021 at 06:08 PM
p.842 #16Post your recent film shots!
Maybe there's some truth to this whole flat earth stuff. The underside of Europe and Asia are beautiful.
Leica M6 + Zeiss 35mm f/2.8. TMax100 in HC-110.
Leica M6 + Zeiss 35mm f/2.8. TMax100 in HC-110.
Mar 28, 2021 at 06:12 PM
p.842 #17Post your recent film shots!
genji 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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg🎈+📌= “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)!And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.Thanks for this and your previous post about the Zeiss Ikon ZM. I've been playing with a borrowed Bessa T with a view to getting a Bessa L to pair with my Snapshot-Skopar 25/4 LTM. As you are no doubt aware, both the M mount T and the LTM mount L lack a viewfinder window since they have been designed for use primarily with ultra wide lenses and an appropriate external viewfinder. (The Bessa T does have a separate 1.5x rangefinder.)
A friend alerted me to the existence of the Zeiss Ikon SW which is Zeiss's spin on the same concept...Show more →
I have the Bessa L. Actually this is the second one - the first one (brand spanking new) failed straight out of the box with film transport issues. The second one has been fine, but I am very gentle with it when I wind on the film. The Zeiss Ikon I briefly had seems to share a lot of parts in that area. I would not buy an SW version, get the Bessa L. It still has the TTL meter albeit manual, and as the shutter is mechanical not electronic like on the SW there may be a better chance of longevity.
I like the Bessa L, partially because I bought it for $90 new a few years ago when a distributor unearthed a whole stash of them and unloaded them. But it is fun to use and if it breaks, well, it was 'only' $90.
Not sure how much they are going for now, but an alternative that I also use are the Leica 1g and the MDa. Downsides is neither have a meter.
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
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.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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg
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)!
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.
A friend alerted me to the existence of the Zeiss Ikon SW which is Zeiss's spin on the same concept...Show more →
I have the Bessa L. Actually this is the second one - the first one (brand spanking new) failed straight out of the box with film transport issues. The second one has been fine, but I am very gentle with it when I wind on the film. The Zeiss Ikon I briefly had seems to share a lot of parts in that area. I would not buy an SW version, get the Bessa L. It still has the TTL meter albeit manual, and as the shutter is mechanical not electronic like on the SW there may be a better chance of longevity.
I like the Bessa L, partially because I bought it for $90 new a few years ago when a distributor unearthed a whole stash of them and unloaded them. But it is fun to use and if it breaks, well, it was 'only' $90.
Not sure how much they are going for now, but an alternative that I also use are the Leica 1g and the MDa. Downsides is neither have a meter.
Mar 28, 2021 at 09:47 PM
p.842 #18Post your recent film shots!
Hasselblad 500 C/M, Ilford FP4+ 125 film, developed in Xtol
Hasselblad-Zeiss 180/4 CF T* lens
Mar 29, 2021 at 04:58 AM
p.842 #19Post your recent film shots!
Desmolicious 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. 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?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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg🎈+📌= “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)!And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was...Show more →
Wow, your experience with the Zeiss Ikon ZM seemed almost nothing too short of a dumpster fire. How “new” was the ZM before you shipped/sold it? I never heard any of these issues before and like helimat mentioned, I briefly thought about getting one but thankfully went with the M6 as my first RF film camera six years ago. The good news is that your itch has been scratched, you’re getting your investment back (or more!) and you have some photos (that I’m sure you’ll share on this board *nudge*nudge*wink*wink*) to remind you of the camera and all it had to offer.
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
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 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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg
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)!
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was...Show more →
Wow, your experience with the Zeiss Ikon ZM seemed almost nothing too short of a dumpster fire. How “new” was the ZM before you shipped/sold it? I never heard any of these issues before and like helimat mentioned, I briefly thought about getting one but thankfully went with the M6 as my first RF film camera six years ago. The good news is that your itch has been scratched, you’re getting your investment back (or more!) and you have some photos (that I’m sure you’ll share on this board *nudge*nudge*wink*wink*) to remind you of the camera and all it had to offer.
Mar 29, 2021 at 08:55 AM
p.842 #20Post your recent film shots!
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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg🎈+📌= “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)!And back it goes...
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.Wow, your experience with the Zeiss Ikon ZM seemed almost nothing too short of a dumpster fire. How “new” was the ZM before you shipped/sold it? I never heard any of these issues before and like helimat mentioned, I briefly thought about getting one but thankfully went with the M6 as my first RF film camera six years ago. The good news is that your itch has been scratched, you’re getting your investment back (or more!) and you have some photos (that I’m sure you’ll share on this board *nudge*nudge*wink*wink*) to remind you of the camera and all it had...Show more →
It was basically new in box, as he had bought it as a back up for the one he was using.
The seller was very nice to work with and refunded my shipping costs.
Comparing it to something cheap like a Nikon FM or FE2, or even Pentax SuperA, you'd never guess the Zeiss was the expensive camera.
Edited on Mar 29, 2021 at 05:51 PM · View previous versions
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Alpha_Geist wrote
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.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.
1st pic shows position of RF patch at infinity:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51063576457_2413846cec_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066662096_0136d81943_c.jpg
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)!
First roll of film had uneven frame spacing, but perhaps more worryingly, a couple of times the shutter wasn't cocked/activated even though I gave the film advance lever the full throw as I always do. It required a second slight increase of pressure to activate the shutter (it is electronic and the vf exposure leds don't light until it is properly cycled).
I first chalked this down to possible user error, but I think at this time of my life I know how to work the film advance lever on a camera.
2nd roll - and this one was pretty much to test the camera more thoroughly instead of assuming it was fine because it was in perfect cosmetic condition - this time it malfunctioned consistently every 4th shot.
Interestingly with no film in it, it works just fine, so obviously the additional load/tension of having to move film through the camera upset things. But that's why we buy cameras, no?
More interestingly (that's good grammar dammit!) I had a Voigtlander Bessa L that brand new out of the box had film transport failure. The replacement has been fine, but I have been distinctly gentle with it. Eyeballing the inners of the ZM, it looks remarkably much like that $90 brand new Bessa L. I'm not saying it's exactly the same, but I'm pretty sure an awful lot of those dainty plastic gears are shared by Cosina.
It is interesting to now go back and compare it to a Leica M. My impressions - and I'm sure others have a different opinion - is that this is a cute cheap camera that is built for part time wanna be Leica shooters, who didn't really have much interest in (or weren't able to) pony up the frankly breathtaking prices for a Leica M. But cheap being relative, because this is still a $1500 + camera.
And yet, when you hold it and feel that lighter build - which has been excused as a design choice by intentionally using lighter weight metals - and feel that lighter and less precise film advance, it seems to me that that impression is very real. It isn't deceptive, this thing is not built to a Leica standard. Or a Nikon standard. My old Nikon S2 rf camera shades this Zeiss in build quality and use. There is zero impression that it can be broken by anything but kid glove use.
In testing the RF accuracy (which by the way was great), I switched between several lenses - Zeiss 50 Planar, 50 Sonnar, CV 50 2.5, Rollei 40 2.8, 7A 50 1.1. Every one of them were not tight when mounted. They went on a little too easily, and there was a little play after they were locked on.
On any of my Ms, all these lenses went on much more firmly, and had zero play when locked. It gives, again, a much higher quality impression. Once the lenses lock on, the camera/lens interface feels a solid unit.
So I'm going to update my view on the Zeiss Ikon ZM.
It is a cheaper RF camera, with a poorly implemented RF mechanism, that has very hard to see exposure LEDs, with a poorly placed AE lock and fragile build quality.
Perhaps mine was a lemon. Perhaps. But all that eliminates from the above is the film transport issue. Now that I have experienced that twice with Cosina products, I'm not so sure.
It was basically new in box, as he had bought it as a back up for the one he was using.
The seller was very nice to work with and refunded my shipping costs.
Comparing it to something cheap like a Nikon FM or FE2, or even Pentax SuperA, you'd never guess the Zeiss was the expensive camera.
Edited on Mar 29, 2021 at 05:51 PM · View previous versions
Mar 29, 2021 at 11:26 AM