Desert Classic

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<p>Many of America's more prominent antitrust and consumer lawyers and government officials have learned to expect me toappear at bar association meetings with some strange old camera hanging from my neck. This past weekend's meeting was near Tucson, Arizona, and I was happily sporting a Zeiss-Ikon Ikonta 521/16.<br>

The Ikonta had arrived in December as part of a box of old cameras generously sent by a friend who had learned of my classic camera addiction. It was potentially the best in the box by far, with a Tessar lens in Compur Rapid to 1/500, but it came with some issues. Fungus had attacked a couple of the lens elements and the shutter was sticky. Luckily, the fungus was mainly confined to the back of the focusing element and the front of the next element. These were easily enough accessed and cleaned, although the fungus had eaten some of the coating and there was still a little haze elsewhere in the lens. The shutter unstuck with some gentle prodding. But the first test roll, shot in New York City, was disappointing. I had guessing, without breaking out my electronic timer, that the shutter speeds were about 1 stop slow. But they really turned out to range from 1.5 to more than 2 stops off. My tester later found that "1/500" was really 1/170, "1/250" was really 1/80, "1/100" was really 1/30 and so on.<br>

Still, as long as the speeds are known and consistent and at least one or two are fast enough for hand holding, one can make do. Armed with this information, I took the Ikonta to Arizona for a real tryout. Now that I knew how to expose the Ektachrome correctly, the Tessar came into its own. You can appreciate the colors in these downsampled pics, but not really the sharpness or detail. Looking at the lovely big transparencies, you worry about pricking yourself on those cacti.</p>

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<p>This last shot convinced me that the lens really needed to be taken apart and cleaned more thoroughly. I like the other-worldly feel of it, but really want more clarity around the sun and rays.</p>

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<p>Following the meeting I did some shooting at the Pima Air Museum south of Tuscon. Here the Ikonta poses on a Beech C-45. These two items are very much contemporaries. Both are based on designs first produced in 1937 and refined through the 1950s. This particular Ikonta was manufactured between 1948-53; the plane is probably a few years older, say 1943-45. Most of the planes on display at the museum are younger than my camera.</p>

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<p>My old cameras always get a lot of approving comments at air museums. People who appreciate one kind of fine old machine generally appreciate others as well.</p>

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<p>Planes are inherently horizontal subjects so when I'm shooting square format, I focus on studies of parts and details.</p>

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<p>Joining the Ikonta for the museum part of the trip was my Nikon EM. My copy of this infamously condescending "Nikon for women" from the early 1980s came in an ebay auction some time ago as a "rear lens cap" to the Nikkor 50/1.8 Series E lens that I wanted, and this was my first outing with it. It's a nice handling, reliable camera, and although the only exposure mode offered is aperture-priority, the ISO setting wheel is so large and easy to turn that it can readily be used as an exposure comp dial, enabling full control over exposure settings. Besides the 50/1.8, I brought along a 20/3.5 (probably my favorite Nikkor) and a Kiron 80-200/4.5. I was shooting Sensia and Astia slides.</p>

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<p>Even with all the correction and processing involved in scanning and posting the pics, you can see the difference in the way the old Tessar and the modern Japanese lenses render things. The Ikonta gives a lower contrast and undefinably vintage look even with newer film. You can't say the Ikonta is soft, but the sharpness doesn't bite you the way a Nikkor does. The Ikonta pics also are bluer, but that's mostly because of the Ektachrome.</p>

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<p>The Sonoran desert is a dramatic place to shoot, no matter what the subject. I did not darken any of these skies in post-processing. This is how they looked in the finder and how they look on the slides. Even the digital shots I took as a backup look a little like this except of course, being digital, flat and lifeless.</p>

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The temp was only about 20C but the sun was pounding out on the museum lot. The restrooms had sunblock lotion dispensers next to the hand dryers. I used them!<br>

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The museum is next to the Air Force's storage "boneyard" and about half of its 300 planes came from there. Many of the smaller planes have been restored, but when you have B-52s -- three of them! -- it's too much of a project, so they look just like the boneyard planes. The boneyard is also part of an active base and there were many F-16s, A-10s, C-130s and choppers flying around, which adds to the atmosphere. The planes that were overhead 20 years ago, when I made my last visit, are now museum pieces on display.<br /><br />I returned from the lab well satisified with the pics from both cameras, but something bothered me about the Ikonta. It was usable, but with only two viable handheld shutter speeds maxing out at 1/170, only marginally so. And there was that foggy lens. Given the number of folders I have in better condition, this camera was not destined to see much use. But I was starting to take a shine to this little sweetheart, and it came from a friend, and it had that sharp Tessar. Having done nicely for me in Arizona, it deserved better than to be semi-repaired and semi-retired. So out came the tools.<br>

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I haven't opened up one of these folders in quite a while. After getting the focusing element, middle group and front plate off, I decided to stop short of removing the speed ring if I could get away with it. I'll go all the way in with some of the simpler rim shutters, but these Compurs have so many tiny parts to lose. Indeed these shutters are so marvelously complex that I could see why my model didn't have a self-timer or even a flash connector -- there's just no more room in there. With the shutter exposed to this extent, I could do a thorough Ronsonol flush.<br>

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Actuating the shutter after the Ronsonol dried up, there was a lot of binding and it almost seized completely. A lot of experts will tell you these rim shutters are designed to run without any oil. Don't believe it. Do a good flush like I did, and you'll see oil deposited on the shutter blades. It came from somewhere and it needs to be put back. Not just on the escapement pins but wherever metal is rubbing next to metal, which is a lot of places in these tightly packed Compurs. I figured out where to lube by putting small drops of Ronsonol on various places. Ronsonol has a lubing effect before it evaporates, and where it temporarily made things better, I knew oil was needed. The experts are right that you should use a very tiny amount. I ended up putting oil in 8 or 10 places in the shutter, but the total amount was far less than what you would think of as a drop. Just wet the tip of a metal wire (straightened paper clip) and touch the surface. My oil was Holton's No.1 Slide Oil meant for trombones and such.<br /><br />When it felt, when cocking the shutter, as if nothing was resisting the lever except the springs, I tested the shutter speeds again. Dramatic improvement! Now none of the speeds was more than 1 stop slow, and the top end was 1/300. In my experience, that's as good as these old rim shutters perform even after a pro service, and certainly past the point where the risks outweigh the benefits from any further tinkering.<br /><br />I left the shutter alone for a couple of days to make sure the improvement was stable. Then: clean up all lens surfaces, reassemble, collimate. Carefully! Nothing in camera repair hurts worse than breaking something in the home stretch. Finally it was back together. While I was at it, also lubed the stiff body shutter release linkage. Now it feels like a new camera and should be good for another 30 years, or as long as we can get 120 film. <br /><br />You guys will be seeing more pics from the Ikonta. It's going to become my pocket folder for a while, traveling anywhere there might be something worthy of MF film.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the shots and story. The EM is truly a "hidden gem", and the Ikonta - well, now that you got it working again, should be a real treasure. I look forward to future shots with it.</p>

Great shots. Glad to still see someone shooting slides these days. Thanks for posting.

<p>Those are lovely colors. Thanks for sharing.</p>

<p>Nice post: thrills (the pictures), chills (the dis-assembly), who could ask for more?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I really like the first airplane picture with the camera in it. Even though it's taken in a desert, I can't help but think of the guys who land planes on the Arctic and Antarctic snowfields. Even the spots on the wing surfaces look like ice floes on a blue sea.<br>

I'd really like to get a 20mm Nikkor. I had a 24mm but it just never quite seemed to get anywhere near where I wanted it to, in terms of that sweeping perspective that your pictures exhibit. Rarely used it versus a 28mm - not enough of a change in effect.</p>

<p>Very nice work with both cameras. It's hard to pick favorites here, but the second cactus shot has fine colors.</p>

<p>August,<br>

Thank you for the wonderful photographs; they are great, and made my day much more enjoyable.<br>

I have thought of getting some 120 film and using it in my Mamiya C330, which I have not used for a very, very long time. I may try some slide film too.</p>

<p>Mammoth effort, <strong>August</strong>, much appreciated. I can't imagine anything much more photogenic than old aircraft in a desert setting, and you've made the most of it. Lovely old Ikonta, and your explorations into it's internals would scare the hell out of me! Thanks for a great post.</p>

<p>A great post thanks, brilliant pictures and some much appreciated real-world experience of restoring the camera.</p>

<p>Great read! Anyone who thinks you need to have the latest and greatest technology to produce fine shots needs to be referred to this article.</p>

<p>Funny that you happened to shoot the Pima Air & Space Museum. Starting next weekend they will have an art exhibit on display in which a number of artists from around the world show off their creative work in the form of painted airplanes (<a href="http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/the-boneyard-project-pima-air-and-space-museum-preview-photos-part-2">http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/the-boneyard-project-pima-air-and-space-museum-preview-photos-part-2</a>). I know some will discount this as defacing some of America's great old birds, but I plan to check it out - camera in hand.</p>

<p>August -- Wonderful story and photos to go with it. The cacti shots with the Ikonta look like something from an old coy of Arizona Highways.</p>

 

<p>August, thank you for sharing. Beautiful landscapes, beautiful camera, beautiful shots.<br>

The cactus shots seemed like the color was off a little.. was that before you knew what the actual shutter speeds were?<br>

I have a little Ikonta A but the rangefinder wont stay put.</p>

<p>Great story. Using a classic machine to capture images of classic machines is perfect. Your pictures also remind me why I'm going to really miss Astia.</p>

<p>I enjoy going to the March Air Museum at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Ca. I worked across the freeway from March AFB in 1979, right under the flight path. The sound of those eight non-bypass jet engines on the B-52's at full throttle less than a thousand feet overhead as they took off--wow! Loud doesn't describe it. It wasn't a rumble-- it was like the sky was being ripped apart.</p>

<p>August,</p>

<p>Wonderful shots and story on your repair adventure. I got out of the Air Force some 40 years ago. Some of these planes don't look so old to me. It is amazing to me to see what aircraft can be resurrected if one has the time, expertise, and money. I'll bet some of these airplanes will make it back into the air.</p>

<p>Thanks for your pictures.</p>

<p>Love it! Old camera and old aircraft....you got me. Good luck with the rejuvenation, great to see that there are still people prepared to bring these old troupers back to life.</p>

<p>Take precautions using "Ronsonol"! It is benzine.It is banned in most places! Similar is starter fuel for camping. As a watchmaker we used it liberally! Many watchmakers suffered Leukemia as a result. Wear gloves, a face mask and work in a well ventilated area.<br>

Your photos are superb. Simply magnificent. A wonderful set of interesting photos made better by a good eye, a steady hand and the great look of medium format(10%). The rest is you. TY.</p>

<p>Jason - Ronsonol is Naptha, not benzene. Naptha is also called "white gas" and is what was/is used in the old Coleman stoves and lanterns.</p>

<p>Excellent work <strong>August</strong>; as usual, per your class. I was there in the Cactus landscape in 1977. Can appreciate that, immensely. sp.</p>

<p>Awesome shots! </p>

<p>Wonderful story and great shots of the airplanes, no matter how bitter sixteen years of aircraft assembly have left me.</p>

<p>This is what I love about this forum! Excellent photos, great story, lovely Ikonta.</p>

<p>A couple of years ago I was also given a Zeiss Ikonta (531..?) from an estate that my brother in law was handling for his family. It is a beautiful 6x9 model from about 1936 with a Tessar lens. It also looks almost new. The shutter was completely frozen from lack of use. I sent it to Midwest Camera Repair in Wyandotte, MI. They CLA the shutter for about $100. It now performs perfectly. <br>

Unfortunately it competes with my Rolleicord IV for my attention. The Rollei is so light and easy to hand hold (strap around your neck and fire shutter with cable release) it usually gets favored when I am leaving the house with a camera. </p>

<p>"...the fungus had eaten some of the coating..."<br>

What coating? Isn't this a pre-WW2 camera?</p>

<p>Nice presentation. Great photos and info to go along with them. Interesting and informing. <br>

Keep it coming !<br>

SA</p>