Zeiss Ikon / Cosina
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| Zeiss Ikon ZM with Planar T* 2/50 image by Scott Allan Wallick (Image rights) |
The 21st-century Zeiss Ikon models are manufactured by Cosina in Japan, for Carl Zeiss. It is derived from Cosina's 35mm Bessa series, but most parts are very different and differ in design philosophy.
There are two models one is a rangefinder camera Zeiss Ikon or commonly referred to as Zeiss Ikon ZM, however greatly redesigned compared to the Bessas, particularly in its viewing system. The other is a interchangeable viewfinder camera called Zeiss Ikon SW for Super Wide.
These cameras are designated ZM for Zeiss M Mount; in other words they can accept lenses originally made for the Leica M bayonet. With this camera, Carl Zeiss introduced a full lens collection in the ZM Mount. Most are made in Japan by Cosina, although some more complex designs may be built by Zeiss in Oberkochen, Germany.
Contents
Zeiss Ikon
The Zeiss Ikon is the official name of the rangefinder model. Since it is a very generic name it is also referred to as Zeiss Ikon ZM, and Zeiss Ikon rangefinder. It was designed as a modernized 35mm rangefinder camera. It has a TTL center-weighted meter with a range of 0 to 20 EV (ISO 100). It has a modernized quicker film loading without having to remove the base of the camera. A film reminder window is on the back. The film rewinding crank it is designed similar to the Leica CL and is located on the base of the camera.
The viewfinder has a 0.74 magnification with auto parallax correction. The bright lines are automatically based on the lenses used. This is different from the Cosina Voigtländer Bessa series that are manually selected. It is compatible with the most commonly used focal lengths of 28, 35, 50 and 85mm. There is no 75mm or 135mm lens compatibility with this finder. There is also manual frame selector lever on the face of the camera. This can be handy to preview frame lines with other lenses. It has a RF base length of 55.5mm a bit larger than the M7. The viewfinder is also friendlier to corrective lens users as the large eyepiece supports diopters with a range of ±2. It uses the same ones available for the Cosina Voigtländer Bessa.
It has an electronic vertical traveling metal focal plane shutter, with speeds from 1/2000 sec to 8 seconds in A mode (Aperture priority) and 1/2000 sec to 1 sec plus Bulb in manual mode. The flash sync is very usable at 1/125 sec. compared to 1/50 of a sec on Leica M6 or M7. It does not recognize DX encoded films automatically. The film speed is set manually on the shutter dial.
It supports aperture priority exposure along with manual exposure modes. Exposure compensation is available in A mode at ± 2 EV at 1/3 increments. Rotate the shutter dial so A is pointing to the value desired. Enabling exposure compensation will make the indicator LED blink. A handy AE lock function is available, located on the camera back right below the shoe. It can be used in A mode, but times out after 20 seconds of inactivity. Manual exposure mode is assisted with the light meter. The viewfinder displays the selected shutter speed as well as a blinking metered shutter value. Change the aperture or shutter speeds to match the blinking value.
Zeiss Ikon SW
The Zeiss Ikon SW is a viewfinder camera that does not have a built-in finder. It has two shoes one in the centre for attaching a finder and another one for attaching accessories like a flash or level. It shares similar specifications to the rangefinder model with an electronic metal focal plane shutter, with speeds from 1/2000 sec to 8 seconds in A mode (Aperture priority) and 1/2000 sec to 1 sec plus Bulb in Manual mode. Flash sync is 1/125 sec. There is a light meter, it is a LED based meter system with three lamps, red, orange and green. It uses CR 1/3 N, 2x LR44 or 2x SR44 batteries.
| Meter (A mode) | |
|---|---|
| LED | status |
| Red (blinks) | underexposure |
| Red | 1/8 ~ 1/15 |
| Orange & red | 1/15 ~ 1/30 |
| Orange | 1/30 ~ 1/60 |
| Green & orange | 1/60 ~ 1/125 |
| Green | 1/125 ~ 1/2000 |
| Green (blinks) | overexposure |
| Meter (M mode) | |
|---|---|
| LED | status |
| Red (right) | overexposure 1+ EV |
| Green & red | overexposure 1 EV |
| Green | correct exposure |
| Red & green | underexposure 1 EV |
| Red (left) | underexposure 1+ EV |
Lens
- Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/15 ZM Made in Germany
- Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 4.5/21 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Biogon T* 2.0/35 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Planar T* 2.0/50 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 4/18 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/25 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 2.5/35 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Tele Tesser T* 4/85 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/21 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/28 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM Made in Japan
- Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 2.0/85 ZM Made in Germany
Finders
- 15mm
- 18mm
- 21mm
- 25/28mm
Links
- Zeiss Ikon camera and lenses at Zeiss website
- The Zeiss Ikon SW camera; 35mm precision in the digital age - Zeiss Ikon SW review by Joe Farace at Shutterbug
In Japanese:
- Cosina page on the Zeiss Ikon system, at Cosina website
