Ercona

Zeiss Ikon Ercona image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)

The East German VEB Zeiss Ikon resumed production of folder cameras after the war in 1948 with the Ercona. It is a 6x9 format camera based on the Zeiss Ikon model 521/2, the Ikonta C. It inherited the Ikonta's smooth fast unfolding mechanism, and its unfolding release button releases also the unfolding of the collapsible optical viewfinder.

The earliest batches of the Ercona were almost identical to the Western Ikonta. This simple model was then developed further in Dresden, and later batches are equipped with a dual format system, allowing the photographer to chose between 6x9 or 6x6 format. These cameras are equipped with two red windows, a removable 6x6 mask in the film chamber and an additional flip-up square mask in the finder. There is also a shutter lock against double-exposure. A red point appears near the film winding key on the top when the next shot becomes possible.

The Ercona I can be found with Novar (later Novonar) 4,5/110 or Tessar 3,5/105 lenses.

The simplest models have self-cocking shutters from Gebrüder Werner (GW), with three shutter speeds (1/25, 1/50 and 1/100) plus B mode, and without flash connector. Early cameras can be found with Compur shutters, while later models (from c.1952 onwards) can have either a Tempor or a Prontor-S, all with shutter speeds from 1 to 1/250 sec.

Zeiss Ikon Ercona I Images by Antonio Carlos Castejón. (Image rights)

Ercona II

Pentacon Ercona II image by OZBOX (Image rights)

The Ercona II from 1956 was very similar to the Ercona I, but the finder was now built into a chrome top. It can be found with the same Novonar or Tessar lenses as the Ercona I, but only with Tempor shutters with speeds from 1 to 1/250 sec., or a (somewhat rare) Prontor-SVS with speeds from 1 to 1/300 sec.

The Exona was not an export version.

Pentacon Ercona II image by Hans Kerensky (Image rights)

Links

• Ercona and Exona at zeissikonveb.de (in German)
• Ercona (I) instruction manual at Butkus.org