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Zeiss Ikon Mess Ikonta 524/2 and Linhoff lenses


federico_prieto

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<p>I am biddng for a Zeiss Ikon Mess Ikonta 524/2 and I want to know if the lenses from the Linhoff Technika of the late 40's or early 50's can be used in the Zeiss Ikon.<br>

I make this question because the lens from my Linhoff looks very similar to the novar anastigmat 1 : 3,5 , f = 105 mm that comes with the Zeiss Ikon.<br>

Thanks in advance<br>

fp</p>

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You can, of course, remove the lens from the folder and replace it with another leaf shutter lens. It doesn't often work. The following are some of the major issues. The distance from the lens board to the film plane is not adjustable on these folders and it is unlikely that the new lens, even of the same focal length, will require exactly the same distance. To achieve focus, you will either have to insert spacers if the lens needs more distance, or somehow move the lensboard back if you need less (good luck with that). Next, the Novar is a pretty small lens and you probably will need to bore out a bigger hole in the metal lensboard. There is a good chance that the struts of the camera will not provide clearance for the new lens. You can probably forget about the camera still being foldable. Overall it may not be worth the effort. Ask me how I know all this and I will show you my closet full of folders with no lenses and lenses with no cameras!
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<p>The Mess Ikonta is a folding camera, basically a regular Ikonta w/an uncoupled rangefinder, therefore the important things to check are that the lens is in proper alignment when the camera is unfolded (struts, etc. can be damaged or bent) & that the bellows are intact w/out holes (Zeiss Ikon bellows tend to hold up pretty well). Of course, as w/any other camera, you should also make sure that the glass is good, shutter works, etc.</p>
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<p>Thanks Chris.........OK I got the camera for 35 US $. The external apareance is ok, the lens is better than I imagined and the bellows looks OK too..... the shutter speed works well but have little problems (I guess) with 1/1 and 1/2 ...it does not close correctly after the shot....I believe it just need a good cleanning and voila.....<br>

I believe the camera is a 524/2 model, but I am not 100% sure.... It is a 6x9 format and the lens is the novar anastigmat 1 : 3,5 , f = 105 mm and looks exactly like this one<br>

<a href="http://elekm.net/pages/cameras/ikonta524-2.htm">http://elekm.net/pages/cameras/ikonta524-2.htm</a><br>

Has anyone here a manual or user guide of this Zeiss Ikon model?<br>

warm regards<br>

federico</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>Federico, I have the same camera with the same lens as yours. Of the manuals available on Mike Butkus's site, the closest probably is for the Nettar:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.butkus.org/chinon/zeiss_ikon/zeiss_ikon_nettar/zeiss_ikon_nettar.htm">http://www.butkus.org/chinon/zeiss_ikon/zeiss_ikon_nettar/zeiss_ikon_nettar.htm</a></p>

<p>I'm not sure about the "Ikonta III", I actually have never heard of that. I do know about the "Super Ikonta III" which is not the same as the Mess Ikonta; it has a coupled rangefinder, so that setting the rangefinder also sets the lens. With the Mess Ikonta's uncoupled rangefinder, you align the split image in the rangefinder, read the distance off the rangefinder's scale, then transfer that manually to the lens by turning the front element. Except for the rangefinder (which works like any accessory rangefinder) the operation of the camera is therefore more similar to a Nettar or a plain (non-Super) Ikonta than to a Super Ikonta III.</p>

<p>People have pointed out various things that can be wrong with a cheapie folder like this, but the only one that I really encounter frequently is slow shutter speeds. You can hear it at the ones that are an audible fraction of a second, but the chances are that the faster speeds are a little slow too. I electronically test the shutter speeds of all of my antique cameras and often find them 1/2 to 2/3 of a stop slow across the board. A cleaning will likely help, but often will not get the camera all the way there. If you don't have a shutter tester, bracket a few exposures on your test roll and see which one ends up exposed the way you expected. I prefer to use slide film for these tests; its narrow latitude gives you a better sense of how far off you are. You only need to bracket downward; these old shutters are almost never faster than their rated speeds!</p>

<p>Good luck, it's a fine camera and the Novar can produce surprisingly sharp and contrasty pictures.</p>

 

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