ZEISS IKON

Review and photo example of the COSINA ZEISS IKON film camera.

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Gallery

Lens is BIOGON ZM 25mm +Film is KODAK E100VS

Review

The Zeiss Ikon is a Leica M-mount compatible interchangeable lens rangefinder film camera released by Cosina under the Zeiss brand.

It was released in silver and black bodies, and the dedicated ZM lens was also available in two colors, silver and black, but the German-made Distagon 15mm and Sonnar 85mm were only released in black.

It has been 18 years since this product was released, but as of 2024, it is the latest design for a rangefinder film camera for which no new products have been released. The M6 reprint and M-A have been released, but there are almost no changes from the old M6, so it cannot be called a new product.

The Zeiss Ikon is equipped with a viewfinder with a baseline length of 75mm (effective baseline length of 55.5mm) that allows for accurate focusing even on the telephoto side, but the viewfinder frame on the most telephoto side is 85mm, which may be a bit of a sticking point for Leica users. However, Leica users will likely not be very interested in this machine, and it is true that there is almost no difference between the 85mm and 90mm frames.
The viewfinder frame is 28,85 / 35 / 50 to match the lineup of ZM lenses. Thanks to the absence of the 75 / 135, which feels a little noisy in Leica viewfinders, the 35 and 50 frames are clean and I feel that it is preferable.

I used it with various lenses, but I did not feel any major problems when shooting with any of the lenses.
The exterior is completely new, but the design taste is a simple hexagonal shape reminiscent of the Leica M5, and the film winding crank is equipped at the bottom of the camera. This is the same style as the LEICA CL / MINOLTA CLE. It is a dedicated lens, so it is natural, but the combination of the Zeiss Ikon and the ZM lens fits well as a total coordination. I really like this camera that has refined and sublimated the characteristics of past rangefinder cameras.

As for the camera mechanism, the shutter mechanism seems to be the same as the Bessa, and the sound when the shutter is released is the dry sound of a metal blade. Those who like the dull, nostalgic sound of the Leica M’s cloth-curtain shutter will probably find it annoying.

Because I bought it at almost full price shortly after it was released, the price of used cameras since the beginning of the 2020s, which is two to three times the full price, and the rising cost of the film itself, make me hesitant to buy it again.

Specification and Competitor

Camera	Rollei 35 RF	Zeiss Ikon	HEXAR RF
Finder Mechanisim	Real-image reverse Galilean perspective finder	←	←
Viewfinder Magnification	x0.7	x0.74	x0.6
Finder Frame	40 / 50 / 80	28,85 / 35 / 50	28,90 / 35,135 / 50,75
Baseline length(mm)	37	75	69.2
Effective baseline length(mm)	25.9	55.5	41.5
Shutter Mechanisim	Vertical travel laminar metal focal plane shutter	Electronically controlled vertically moving metal focal plane shutter	←
Shutter speed(sec)	1/2000〜1	1/2000〜1	1/4000〜16(Auto) 1/4000〜1(Manual)
Photometry method	Center weighted TTL average metering upon light depression of shutter release	←	Shutter curtain, TTL direct metering
Battery	LR44/SR44 x2	CR-1/3N x1 SR44 x2 LR44 x2	CR2-3V x2
Size(mm) W x H x D	135.5 × 81 × 25.5〜33.5	138 × 77.5 × 32	139.5 × 80 × 35
Weight(g)	440	460	560
Release date	2002 (2006 sales end)	2005.10	Normal (1999.1） Limited（2001）

Options

15mm Finder
21mm Finder
25mm Finder
Hand Grip

ZM Lens

Focal length	Lens name	Release date
15mm	DISTAGON	2005
21mm	C-BIOGON	2007.6
21mm	BIOGON	2005.10
25mm	BIOGON	2005.7
28mm	BIOGON	2005.4
35mm	C-BIOGON	2008.5
35mm	BIOGON	2005.3
50mm	PLANAR	2005.1
50mm	C-SONNAR	2006.8
85mm	SONNAR	2006.?
85mm	TELE-TESSAR	2009.4