Super Ikonta

[Florian Peitz]

ZeissIkon's top product line of folding medium-format cameras were badged Ikonta and were generally of superior quality compared with corresponding folding camera models of Zeiss-Ikon's Nettar product line.

About 1940 the 520 series gave way to the 521 series, which added a shutter release on the body and double exposure prevention. Only the A, B, & C models continued. In the early 1950s the 523 was launched for the B & C models. A chrome top plate with an integral finder and an accessory shoe was added. The 524 series added an uncoupled rangefinder and was also called the "Mess" Ikonta. Hubert Nerwin designed the Ikonta 35, a viewfinder camera, for 35mm film. Nerwin created versions with a rangefinder, the Contina with separate optical viewfinder, and the Contessa with a big optical viewfinder plus superimposed Super-Ikonta-like coupled rangefinder. The Ikonta 35 and the Contina were soon renamed Contina and Contina II.

Variants which included a coupled rangefinder which were named Super Ikonta. The early Super Ikonta rangefinder cameras especially were copied by competitors and concurrents, as they included an ingenious way to couple the rangefinder by means of one optical element of the rangefinder mounted on the lens standard. An example of such a copy is the Moskva-2.

The final Super Ikonta folders were the Super Ikonta III and Super Ikonta IV. Both were in 6x6 format and had the advantage of a film winding mechanism that allowed the film to be advanced without use of numbers in the red window. The only difference between the III and IV was that the latter had a selenium meter. Their catalog numbers were 531/16 and 534/16, respectively.

After World War II the Ikonta cameras were produced in West Germany's Zeiss-Ikon plant in Stuttgart. The East German Zeiss-Ikon in Dresden continued production of a traditional Ikonta model, naming it "Ercona".

Ikontas were fitted with a wide range of lenses and shutters, and the cameras were originally priced accordingly. The primary difference between Ikontas and Nettar models was often the lens and shutter combination.

The lenses were f/6.3 Novar f/4.5 Novar, f/3.5 Novar, and f/3.5 Tessar. The focal length was 75mm for 6x6 format cameras and 105mm for 6x9. Novar lenses were a triplet design outsourced to another German optical company, typically Rodenstock or Steinheil. The f/6.3 Novar was dropped after the 520 series. Tessar lenses were a 4-element design made by Zeiss. They were uncommon on Ikonta or Mess Ikonta models and more often found on Super Ikontas.

Lenses after the war were coated, which reduced light reflections between the elements. Uncoated lenses may flare more often and can lead to distorted colors if used with modern color film. Postwar shutters usually had flash synchronization. Immediately after the war some models were fitted with Schneider Xenar lenses.

BUT, the M7II is a truly modern metered rangefinder with excellent lenses available - Mamiya makes outstanding MF optics that are super sharp with high resolving power and excellent correction of all aberrations.

That Zeiss Tessar lens is truly wonderful - evn my colour images are good. BUT it is single coated and does not have the full advantage of today's coatings and glass and computer aided design assisting correction of aberrations. You cannot expect it to have the same resolving power, nor the same colour renditions, nor the same sharpness, nor the same resistance to flare etc. etc.....

So, while the Zeiss Super Ikonta is still an excellent camera (especially to those who appreciate its classic status) it is not a modern camera so it does not have the features that the M7II has - overall the M7II will give better images if you define better as: sharper, more detail captured off axis, higher colour saturation/contrast, more resistance to flare etc etc...

So, while I do not own a Mamiya but use one a bit, I own Hasselblad 6x6 gear - I would not be using any of my Ikontas for the images I take with my Hasselblad. The same would apply if I owned a Mamiya 7 II.

If you buy a Mamiya 7, I strongly recommend you buy the 7 II version. It has very desirable features not available on the version I - as you'd expect with the second version. If you have the budget use it on the later model. But, if you don't there is no need to worry - just check the specs and see if the extra features are useful to you before you buy either model.

Finally the Mamiya 7 / 7 II are wonderful for travel and hiking - ideal as they are relatively compact and light - a good choice. An SLR MF camera can be a bit inconvenient on hiking trips or days of lots of foot work unless you keep the number of components very limited.

The latest Super Ikontas had automatic film advance, so no need for observing film via red window. But still Mamiya 7 is obviously in its own class if compared to Super Ikontas that were designed for advanced amateurs and were never used by professionals. More fair would be to compare Mamiya 7 with Plaubel Makina or Rolleiflex and still Mamiya 7 would be the winner. In optical quality and ergonomics. I am not saying that these classics are bad but there is 50 years difference in design date and it obviously can be seen. In structure too, classics are of solid metal and Mamia 7 mostly of plastic.

Two of the latest ones had automatic film transport, Super Ikonta III and IV. They were the last Super Ikonta models manufactured. On the other hand that automation is sometimes difficult mith modern film and back paper thickness, frame spacing can come rather limited. It helps a little if film is turned an inch or two further than indication marks do suggest to make the taking spool slightly thicker.

my 75 yearr old Super Ikonta 530/16 has a hotshoe... but what kind of flash does it trigger.. I've slotted in several 40 year old single pin flash units, there also seems to be a synch pot on the side of the lens... but that doesn't seem to achieve much either... what gives...?

Originally posted at 3:34AM, 7 March 2012 PDT(permalink)

Jirrupin edited this topic ages ago.

Sadly i don't own a 533/16 myself but when i read the instruction manual here :

www.davidrichert.com/zeiss_super_ikonta_ii_533_16.htm

i don't see much mentioned about a flash unit, only a small reference on page 46 that writes that you can buy an optional add-on flash synchroniser.

The "hotshoe" you mention is in fact an accessoire shoe to mount i.e. another optional viewfinder.

It is however possible that a flash sync contact has been retrofitted on the shutter of your camera, i saw this before on other folders from that period.

Could you show us an image of that contact on the shutter ?

Originally posted ages ago. (permalink)

Hans Kerensky edited this topic ages ago.

seems you're right about the mount, but i find a few references to flash with the ikonta... although some advice is that you simply mount a flash, set to bulb, and presumably manually fire the flash while the shutter is open? but then why is there this thing that looks like a synch...

here I am optimistically plugging in an old sunpak into what appears to be a pc synch on the side of the lens...

the ikonblitz of the era is a formiddable looking little dish flash, even it has a synch cord....its of a similar vintage..?

perhaps it is a failed retrofit though... looking around I don't really see the port on any other pictures of this camera...

Originally posted ages ago. (permalink)

Jirrupin edited this topic ages ago.

Yours is a pre-war version, probably with Compur Rapid shutter. The lens serial number indicates production year 1935 so the flash should be synced for M-class bulbs and not X-synced for electronic flash.

It should actually fire the flash you have fitted, though I'm not sure what shutter speeds will work best. The nipple you have connected your flash lead to is correct and is the only such flash socket, taking the older pc flash leads only.

I have a 1953 Super Ikonta BX II 533/16 which has a swich for M-class bulbs or electronic flash, but I like to use some old bulbs now and again:

I would advise testing a roll of film (effectively wasting it) with your elecronic flash and working through the shutter speed range until you find a speed that works best.

ages ago(permalink)

Thanks for the info, you are of course quite correct, mine is pre-war, compu rapid ( uncoated lens, seperate range finder and viewfinder)

m/x? does that means it basically pre fires to accommodate the greater delay the bulbs have?

I've seen many icon blitz flash units from the era, many claim to be in working order... but none seem to actually have bulbs... are they obtainable?

I bought several $1 rolls of expired film at a swap meet on the weekend and have burn't them all trying to find a combination or flash/shutter speed that works... to no avail

Originally posted ages ago. (permalink)

Jirrupin edited this topic ages ago.

i'm giving up with the electronic flash for now.... I just found myself a beautiful little blitz flash and ordered some old pf1 bulbs to see if I can get something happening with those :-)

ages ago(permalink)

I just bought a Super Ikonta III 531/16 that's in very nice shape, but the rangefinder is completely horizontally out of line. Infinity is just about right, but the rangefinder patch hardly moves at all between about 2m and the minimum focusing distance of 1.2m. I paid a decent price for it, but it was by no means a bargain, and the seller has offered to take it back for any reason, so I'm trying to decide what to do.

I could just send it back, and try my luck with another camera, but I really like this one, and would like to avoid that if possible. I haven't done any camera repairs myself, though I'm usually able to do fine work like that without too much trouble. Do any of you with experience in such matters think this is a project that a beginner could take on? If so, are there instructions anywhere on the net? Otherwise, about how much would it cost for me to get someone else to do it for me? Could you recommend anyone?

Thanks!

7:58PM, 21 April 2009 PDT(permalink)

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