Ikonta A vs Zenobia

I've been shopping for a Ikonta A but being a cheapskate by nature I'm

not yet willing to pay the going rate. From my research it seems that

the Zenobia is a post WWII knock off of the Ikonta A. Any Zenobia

experts out there? How does it compare with the A?

I happen to have both. While the Ikonta is definitely much more solid (especially the bellows) I like the images from the Zenobia much better. My Zenobia has the Neo-Hesper lens, a four element tessar copy made in the fifties which is well coated. My Ikinta A is a pre war uncoated Tessar, while they are both very sharp it's no surprise that the Zenobia has better contrast and makes a lot snappier images. I've posted a few Zenobia pic's <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=288091">here</a> and if you do a search for past postings from C.E. Nelson he has done quite a bit with his Zenobia.

I do not have a Zenobia but one or two of the many, many other Ikonta A520 imitations made in post-war Japan. Mechanically there are hardly any differences. I think in many cases a pop-up finder is better to use than the sometimes tiny "integrated" viewfinders. The lenses in most cases seem to be decent performers - there is not too much a lens designer could do wrong when designing a triplet lens. Some of the shutters are not very well made - they mostly are copies of the Prontor II shutter. They need a thorough cleaning in most cases (just as the original). I found that Compur shutters are more reliable over time - the one on my A520 got back to life with a few drops of lighter fluid on the speed escapement and now could be used to calibrate a shutter tester. The japanese shutters sometimes are severely off spec but will be sufficiently accurate for b/w photography. I found that there is hardly any japanese camera with completely intact leatherette - in many cases they used a cheap paper-based stuff.

I have several Ikonta, Nettar, Zenobia and Pearl cameras in 6X4.5 format. I use the Zenobia most often. It has a Neo-Hesper (4 element) lens and Daiichi-Rapid shutter. I like it because the lens is marked in feet and there's a shoe to hold a separate rangefinder. Image quality is a bit better than the Ikonta/Nettars, but they have three element lenses. They're all fun to use and the b&w prints are incredibly good, even from the Nettar 515 of 1930! The picture is from that ancient Nettar (cost: $5.00 CDN) and is about half the frame.<div></div>

Just as a note, not all the Zenobias have the Neo-Hesper lens. I had one with the Hesper lens, a three-element version. While it was still good, the one with the Neo-Hesper is even better.

The only down side to the Zenobia is its more fragile bellows. (it's also slightly bulkier than the Ikonta when folded, doesn't fit a blue jeans pocket like the Ikonta does)

 

I have to say, though, that I've found that prewar Tessar to be bitingly sharp, and very contrasty for an uncoated lens (but i don't shoot them in color)

 

:)=

My Zenobia lens is a Hesper Anastigmat (not "Neo-"), but it is a 4 element Tessar type. Some of them might have been triplets....

 

:)=

I've got one of each... A Zenobia with Neo-Hesper, and an Ikonta 521 with Tessar lens. This time I've got the Ikonta with me, just because it's a little smaller.

Ole...Is it bigger overall or just thicker?...what about the weight? Is the Ikonta heavier?

My Ikonta A 6x4.5 1935 pre-war Tessar is my absolute favorite little folder. Picked it up off eBay for $35 about three years ago - never had a CLA and still running!

 

<p><center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/2315427-md.jpg"></center></p>

<center>Fuji Astia 100, handheld at 1/100 second at F11.</center>

Dimensions of the Zenobia and Ikonta are similar, but the Zenobia is a bit bigger. This is mainly because it has a cast aluminum body instead of stamped sheet metal, so the walls are thicker throughout and the corners are a bit more sharp edged. Add to this the extra height of the top cover with fixed viewfinder. I'm not sure what all this adds up to in inches, but I can carry a 6x6 Ikonta B in my hip pocket with no problems (as long as I don't sit down) but with the Zenobia I have to fight to get it into the pocket and then it's just as hard to get it back out.

 

If you don't try to carry it in your pocket, the dimensions are pretty much the same for practical purposes.

Note to Jenifer.

 

That's a fantastic shot. I love it.