Rich B NYC Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 Today I had a short hands-on with a Zeiss Ikon rangefinder at the Hasselblad booth at Photo Plus Expo in New York City. Everything that follows is completely subjective based on this very short experience. With a 50mm Planar T attached, it seemed to weigh a little less than my M6 with the current Summicron 50. The film advance felt ?ratchety? compared to a Leica and the squared-off body was a bit odd after being used to the more rounded M. I really liked the viewfinder with one exception. Although it might just be my unfamiliarity with the camera, the display could only be seen clearly by carefully centering my eye. On a positive note, it seemed at least as bright as a Leica M and the rangefinder spot was very clear. I pointed it at a very bright light about 10 feet over head and the finder didn?t flare at all. The Planar felt like it had a shorter focusing throw than my Summicron and the image snapped in and out of focus more quickly. The focusing and aperture rings felt very precise. As good as a Leica lens, in my opinion. Shutter noise seemed a bit higher than an M but quieter than any SLR I?ve ever used. It did NOT sound like a Bessa. Overall, the camera felt very solid. The best news is that the Hasselblad rep told me that it should be generally available by January 2006. At the price, it?s clearly an option to an M7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart_richardson Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 Wow, January now? Last I heard was the date was October 29th for Japan...or was he talking about the non special edition (the first chrome ones are supposed to be a "limited edition" I believe). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_lehrer Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 Richard-- So the mock-up had a nice quiet click noise, great! I'll be looking forward to seeing it on 29 October, or January 2006, or February 31st, 2006. Whenever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_.1 Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 Well, Leica will lose some M7 sales from this (maybe what's bothering Leicaphiles), and wasn't Zeiss doing an initial run for a few months- some sort of ltd. ed., and then the regular run will occur after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_marshall1 Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 I was told by the same rep that the limited editions are being shipped from Sweden the first week in November. Series production will follow after the limited editions are sold out, which is anticipated to be after the first of the year. I think that this is the reference to january. Series production will include a black version, whic will however be available immediately in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max_fun Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 Hi Richard, Can you tell me what sort of information they show in the viewfinder display? I hope that it's not that cluttered like most modern displays. Also, could you comment about the 28mm frame lines? Are they easier to see than the ones on the 0.72 Leica Ms? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_dai Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Hi, Max ... I have the Japanese book about the Zeiss Ikon, I just scanned the viewfinder illustration for you - the 28mm frameline will be rather hard to see - at least that's the case on paper! <img>http://www.simondai.com/tmp/ikon-vf.jpg</img> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_evans4 Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 <p><a href="http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/co/ikon/index.html">This page</a> tells us that the silver-bodied version will be out (in Japan) on 29 October and says nothing about this being a "limited edition"; it adds that the black one will be out in November.</p><p>The Zeiss Ikon is (yet again!) the main story in one of the big camera mags here (<cite>Asahi</cite> or <cite>Nippon</cite>, I forget); among the nuggets I learnt was that the center-ND filter (the filter to counter light fall-off toward the corners) for the 15mm lens isn't included with the lens and instead will cost ¥50,000. That's about double the average of what I've paid for LTM lenses (the C/V 15mm included).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart_richardson Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Man, over 400 bucks for a filter, that is harsh. I am definitely looking forward to the 21mm lens though...i wish they would release it already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul t Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 OVer at the RFF forum it was mentioned that the delay was due to Cosina production not being up to Zeiss's standards, and that the first production run is being adjusted - improvements primarily to the rangefinder - at Oberkochen. <p> I wonder how much of a strain this will put on the new relationship between Zeiss and Cosina? And whether they're regretting that $1600 price point, now that the cameras obviously demand more production time than was forecast. <p>My last question. Jerry, what are you gonna eat when people get cameras from the first production run in their hands?I don't think your hat will be enough. How about your wardrobe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich B NYC Posted October 21, 2005 Author Share Posted October 21, 2005 Let me clarify. What the rep told me was that the bodies will be GENERALLY AVAILABLE by January '06. I understood that to mean that I could then (if I wanted to) walk into B&H and come out with one. As we all know, the announced date of release and the day on which you can actually buy an item are not always the same. The DMR is a perfect example of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 The 15mm Voigtlander works just fine with no center filter. I still often edge burn my prints when printing my 15mm negatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johns1 Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Richard, Thanks for an interesting report. The black model might tempt one . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_marshall1 Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Max, the viewfinder is not cluttered at all. The only information is a white number along the lower right side of the frameline, indicating which frameline is in view, and a red number on the left indicating the shutter speed. If you are in manual mode & have selected a different shutter speed than the AE recommends, there will be a second red, flashing number on the left to tell you the camera's recommendation. Ther red number(s) is small & unobtrusive. Regarding the 28 mm frames, they are not as easy to see as I had remembered from last year. They can be seen without glasses if your eye is pressed up against the viewfinder. They cannot be fully seen with glasses. It reminds me of the 28 mm view through my SLR. The 35's can be readily seen. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_lehrer Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 To Paul T.--- If those cameras actually come out and are sold (beyond the Beta testing quantity), I will eat a plate of sushi and several sakes on the rocks! Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_elek Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Actually Paul T., the comment about quality was an unsubstantiated rumor, which the original poster than went on to explain was false after speaking with the Zeiss rep. Even so, it's quitely likely that Cosina and Zeiss had different expectations when it came to product quality. I agree that "be generally available" refers to the regular production, not the initial Limited Series model, which Zeiss claims to have sold out (just 1,200 cameras). Jerry, which sake to you prefer? I used to have dinner with my Japanese neighbor, and he usually brought out several types of sake. By the fourth or fifth glass, I lost track of the minute differences. It was always an enjoyable evening though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul t Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 That is an honorable forfeit, Mr L. And I declare that if there are not 1200 cameras delivered to schedule by January, I shall eat humble pie - or, if that's not available on the menu, soft shell crab tempura, washed down with cold Sapporo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason_b. Posted October 22, 2005 Share Posted October 22, 2005 I saw the Zeiss Ikon at the show yesterday. The body didn't feel well made. My Nikons are way more solid, as is my G2. Maybe they will get it right, but I wouldn't buy one, even considering the price being pretty good. The lenses are a different ball game though - very nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_svensson Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 I guess I'm the third poster to report from Photoplus on the Ikon. I agree that the build quality does not inspire a great deal of confidence, but otherwise, I thought it would be a very desirable piece of machinery. The shutter is not much louder than an M, and appears very well dampened - I couldn't feel any shake at all. Quite different from the Bessa R3A. The view finder is very good too. Uncluttered, and I could see the 28 frame quite well despite wearing glasses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus_peer Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 I'm sorry, if my question is off-topic. But about Zeiss (Ikon) I only know, that they are making greath lenses. But now i want to get an image of that 'quality': Is it near the 'softness' of the Leica pre-Asph lenses? Or more the sharpness of the nowadays Leica Asph lenses? Or different from what i've mentioned here? Who can give clearness to this? Allready thanks. - Marco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eliot_rosen1 Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 Erwin Puts has a series of lens test reports comparing the ZI M lenses to the corresponding Leica lenses. You can go to his website for that information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_marshall1 Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 <a href=http://www.imx.nl/>Link</a>\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus_peer Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Thanks. Except that i read that the lenses are very good, the text is also too technical for me. What works better for me, is to go look for some photobooks. So can who tip me photographers, who use the Zeiss-lenses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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