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Yeah, I know … I'm a Leica-user. I love my M bodies. I love my M lenses. They've treated me well and I can always depend on them to make the photo I want to make.
That said … I understand it costs a lot of money to produce these photo-making-machines. I know. There are those who cannot afford such machines even though I think they deserve to make photos with these types of machines.
I don't know why I'm quoting Scott but we were talking the other night, "The best camera is the one right next to me."
Kinda true.
Depending upon one's favourite genre … one can make compelling photographic images with almost any camera. A digi. A film-SLR. A point-and-shoot. A Holga. I've seen amazing examples of photography made with any of those and many others.
The camera "right next to me" for the most part is a rangefinder. It's another appendage. And 95% of the time – for me, at least – it's a Leica. And 80% of that time it's my venerable Leica MP with a 35/1.4 Summilux ASPH. Just to get in the door with something like that it's gonna set you back about US$7000. That's not a little money. Even if one was to give up a stop and go with the 35/2.0 Summicron it's gonna be almost US$6000.
Unless one is fully committed or just rich as shit and wanna pull out "a cool camera," which undoubtedly means said person pulling out said cool camera "must know how to take a picture," it's an expensive proposition.
I mean … especially when one takes into consideration one can spend less than US$3000 and get an amazing digital setup. That's what the kids do today. Check out friggin' flicker or any of the other places the hoards post digital photo after digital photo after digital photo and have an account which says "Pro" kinda denoting that they're an actual pro, which is far from the fucking truth.
Whatever. Be that as it may.
I handed my camera to a d.j. the other night, who actually has a degree in photography. He shot it. He previewed it and it looked like shit, "What … you're on all manual?"
I like manual. No matter how good a camera is … I don't want the bitch telling me what to do.
I know that a great number of people want an "automatic capability." I know unless they are a purist-asshole like myself … they probably aren't going to buy a Leica MP. Almost four grand u.s. for a manual camera? To me it's cool but I'm in a different position than most mulling that decision.
Yeah, Leica has the M7 … but it's the same price as the MP and purchasing that with a lens … it's allotafucking money.
And, yeah, I know … there are Bessa's at the other end of the spectrum. Yeah, you can make any photograph with almost any camera. My problem with the Bessas are their rangefinding base length. It's too short for me to use any of my M-Lenses. Some it's cool. With all at anything other than wide-the-fuck-open, yeah, cool. They're nice cameras; don't get me wrong. They just aren't "it" for me.
Seriously, Mercedes-Benz has their "budget class" (the name of which escapes me right now), Audi has the A3's, VW has the new Rabbit. Why Leica hasn't come out with their Volks-Leica instead of blundering into the digital world with something like the DM-R, amazes the hell out of me. Seems like some R&D budget could have been spent way way way better, no?
Let the Japanese have the SLR market; they do it better.
I'd never gotten to play around with the Zeiss Ikon besides when a friend showed me one and a couple of the lenses. I asked if they'd send me one to test out for a while … and … they did …
The Ikon feels lighter than the M7 or my MP – let the MTF-freaks get out the grams scale to tell you the exact difference. I don't care.
The Zeiss Ikon feels very nice in the hand. In fact, I love the grip attachment. And for a hot-second I thought about one for the MP but forgot that it's a bottom-loader and that would be a pain in the ass. I already deal with a lot of pains in the ass … so … I don't think so.
After feeling it … putting the Zeiss Ikon up to the eye is a treat … it feels like looking through my old Nikon F5's. Coming from Leica M's … that is one goddamned big-ass viewfinder. Damn.
I hope my eye isn't queered because of the size of that damn viewfinder. Very nice. My eye made very much sexy time with that viewfinder!
*slaps himself for saying that*
I didn't notice much difference in their respective form factors…
Will my MP ever forgive me?
Jamie calls it "camera porn."
Whatever.
Where I did notice a difference in between the Zeiss and the M7 was in the area of LED display inside the camera. The M7 is bright as hell and can be seen in any kind of light. It's just like my MP and the M6's. The Ikon on the other hand … well … in really bright daylight … it was difficult to see the display. Perhaps it's because the Ikon's display is frame-right and the Leica's are all at the bottom of the frame. Dunno. Maybe it's a robustness of brightness thing. Dunno. All that said … I don't usually wake up until the afternoon so … most of my street shooting starts in the late afternoon but I prefer dusk to evening. It may have something to do with the angle your eye is looking into the viewfinder as well.
With fast-ass glass, of course.
Before I talk about the glass … The Ikon's metal shutter was quiet enough. Not quite as quiet as the M7 or the MP but I never really got caught making photographs. I don't think the difference in sound is going to tip off any prospective subjects. The rangefinder is all about the form factor. I feel you can make street photographs easier with a rangefinder. If you feel you can do the same with an SLR, good for you!
Zeiss included both the C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM and the Biogon T* 2/35 ZM to shoot to my heart's delight.
There's a certain quality to a photograph made with Leica glass. Conversely, there's a certain quality to a photograph made with Zeiss glass. Besides having shot Hasselblad when their glass wasn't made by Fuji, I have Zeiss ZF glass for my film-Nikons. I liked what I saw, which was another reason I wanted to try out the ZM glass both on a Zeiss Ikon body and my Leica bodies.
I mean … seriously … the Biogon 35 is a little less than a thousand u.s. dollars – you can find deals out there – and the C-Sonnar is just about a grand and change.
Yeah, so what, they were made in Japan.
I'm alright with that.
I applaud Zeiss for partnering with a Japanese company to make their bodies and glass – except for the 85 and the 15, which are made in Germany by their cine group. Ask anyone using Arri cine equipment if they like their glass. I already know what you're going to hear.
Like the ZF glass I own and have used … there's a special quality to it.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
Note: my lab screwed up some of my scans and I am not going to do it myself. Just so you know.
At 1.5 the Sonnar-50 displayed really nice bokeh! Plenty nice enough for me to consider having in my bag.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
My MP with the Sonnar 50 shooting Jamie with the ZM and some Leica glass.
Sciulli shot Shearer with the Sonnar 50, too …
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
Light is everywhere! I love light. Like gives me joy … even when we're guarding our spots in the SouthWest A-line …
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
Even whilst there are guys with odd pinky rings waiting behind us …
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
My friend Randall shot me … Randall is fancy …
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
I shot Davis and some fashion-publisict-assistant-dude.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
I just liked what I saw. Ya' know.
Instead of the MP or the M7 or one of the M6's … I took the Zeiss Ikon to Fashion Week. Okay, my fashion week consisted of one show before getting on a plane.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
That's Tara, the designer of Imitation of Christ.
She's cute.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
She's cute, too! Even with black lipstick.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
Tara getting her own makeup applied. Even though she didn't need much!
Most, if not all, of the preceding photographs were made at f/1.5 or close to it – depending upon the lens, of course, but almost always wide-the-fuck-open. Honestly, I really don't care about how shit looks at f/5.6 or f/8 … all lenses pretty much look alike at those apertures. It's either wide-the-fuck-open-or-forget-about-it for me.
I didn't just shoot the 50 …
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
She seemed to be in that damn chair forever.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
Is than an uncomfortable hug or is it just me?
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
I like atmosphere. Especially whilst dragging the shutter – which the Zeiss Ikon did quite friggin' nicely.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
I'm so happy a camera met my eye and I didn't end up being hair and makeup. Those poor fucks work their asses off … and … all I have to do is "note what I saw."
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
She made lotsa photos of herself. Hope she has an uber-page instead of a vapid myspace page. Uber will end up kicking myspace's ass.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
I really like the bokeh at f/2.0 with the Biogon!
I never bought a Summicron 35/2.0 … I'm seriously considering the Biogon for my thirty-five f/2.0 lens.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
And, again, my lab fucked up my some of my scans and I'm not prepared to fire up the film scanner. No way. Again, that said, I love making the photographs which most others really don't make the effort to make. I think this a bit tighter than f/2.0.
What's interesting … because it's not digital … I had to rely on my mind for "what it probably looked like" as I didn't have any real ZM-mount visual experience. I would have liked to have processed this material, looked at it and then went street shooting in Vegas … but … that's not the way it happened.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
Amazing how one can walk past something supposed to be Paris on their way to something supposedly New York. This guy looked really bored.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
Funny how bald-ass heads intrigue me. Dunno why. But that Sonnar has beautiful bokeh!
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
I know … I love hipshot-kinda photography. Don't care if you don't like them. I do.
And that's really all which matters.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
And homey thinks I'm shooting him! Waiters in Vegas are not actors; costumed Romans are.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
The remnants of an American lunch at Denny's.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
This was the only time I put it on Aperture Priority. I think it was f/8. And … without any exposure compensation the Ikon body did pretty damn well. See … I'm not afraid of Auto.
Truth be told … I couldn't see the LED display inside the Ikon body and just put it on A so that I could make a photo!
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
Shadow play! With tourists! My favourite fucking people in the world!
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
Jamie got roped into making a photo for a couple of nice tourists! Seriously, they were very nice. 2 out of 250,000 that's really not that bad.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
On any given Saturday in Vegas … you will see legions of people tying the fucking proverbial fucking knot. Yes, odd.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
And you will see tourists attracted to just about anything they haven't seen in the Midwest. This tiger … he's gotta be thinking … "if that friggin' glass weren't there, I'd eat you. All of you fuckers." That … and he has a pretty nice friggin' pool.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
The dolphins are friendly …
(Zeiss Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
And the tourists love them. Actually, I love tourist in the context of they give me compositional elements. When they're not walking seven across on the sidewalks next to the strip. What gives anyone the right to walk seven across? Stupid drunk tourists.
And … really … who the hell brings kids to Vegas?
Dumb tourists, that's who.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
More shadow play. I like seeing the contrast abilities of lenses.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
The blinds in Denny's … they show mystical sites!
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
Vanishing points are fun, too! Thank God they give me rooms within twenty feet of elevators! Ever walked to the end of the hallway in a giant hotel? With gear? With luggage? Whist drunk out of your mind?
Sucks.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
Can't wait for Jamie to cull through my SouthWest airlines photographs; she has a plan.
She's a cute planner!
And … she loves me … even when I'm a geek making a photo of myself and the lady next to me …
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
Self-portrait-ability. Check.
This is Logan the d.j. at PURE nightclub – well … he's one of a few…
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
I think he was supposed to be manning the lighting board but he was probably listening to music …
While DJ Vice was spinning …
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
While making "camera porn" of the Ikon and the M7 for comparison … I noticed one of the horse's halters …
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
I don't have a brick wall to photograph … I'll just stick with hay.
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
C is kinda motivated by food. She dances for it, too!
(Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM)
And she loves B. B taught her to dance. Guess it's better than playing dead.
(Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM)
I like the Biogon 2/35 for street. Well-lit streets are totally good enough for f/2.0. Such a versatile lens. And if you want to push 400 to 800 … pretty damn nice.
The point of this wasn't to say the Ikon is better than the M7 – or any other Leica for that matter. Nor was the point of this to say that Zeiss ZM glass is better or worse than Leica M glass.
I'll digress. I wish anyone who's interested in photography suited for a rangefinder tries a rangefinder.
It's difficult to say that to someone, though, when you know the entry point to Leica rangefinder photography – on a newly purchased basis – is very very expensive. When you put down the seven grand for a new Leica body and lens you will, no doubt, have a camera which will last a lifetime. If you're so inclined, you can make amazing photographs with it. Sadly, though most Leicas sit in safes and are only taken out to be fondled or for the odd birthday or anniversary.
Many people are afraid of buying used. I understand that.
So if you're afraid of buying used and want to buy new and decided that Bessa's, although nice, may be a bit of the bottom of the ladder as it were and you want to acquire a new rangefinder …
I seriously suggest you try the Zeiss Ikon. I've heard from people that their sales suck. I don't know if that's true or not but I don't think that should be the case. Is the M7 built better? For sure. Is the M7's LED display in the viewfinder better? Totally.
But is it worth an extra money? Yes and no. Granted, I have beaten the crap out of all of my Leica gear. My tired-looking MP …
Yeah, she looks tired but she's ready for another 10,000 rolls. I don't know exactly how tough the Ikon is or will be. I've heard that their rangefinders are easily knocked out of alignment. Dunno. I treated the Ikon I have right now as I'd treat any of my other gear. It got knocked a few times; it still focuses well.
I think it'd still break someone's nose if swung properly should said someone try and take it away from you.
I mean … as listed by B&H Photo in NYC a new Leica M7 lists for US$3495.00 and a new Leica 35/1.4 ASPH lists for US$3395.00. Together that's US$6890.00. The same new Leica M7 with a new Leica 35/2.0 ASPH would cost US$5790.00.
Conversely, a new black Zeiss Ikon at B&H in NYC lists for US$1574.00 and the fastest 35mm is that of Zeiss Biogon T* 2/35 ZM which lists new for US$1042.00 totaling US$2616.00. Um … that's still less than the almost-six-grand it would cost to go for the same outfit with Leica. In fact, it's still US$800 less than eight hundred less than an M7 body alone. Not bad. Then again, if you got the Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM at the same time for about US$1063.00 you'd only be spending about four hundred more than a Leica M7 body alone … and still be US$2000 less than an M7 and 35 Summicron. Not only … but you'd have two lenses instead of one. And you'd still have money left over for film.
And processing.
Maybe even a decent scanner.
I'm not saying the Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM is better than the Leica 50/1.4 ASPH.
I'm not saying that the Zeiss-anything is better or worse than Leica-anything.
All I'm saying is that they're different.
I know when I'll use the Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM. It achieves a certain look which I like very much.
And if you were to only have the Zeiss ZM system at your disposal for some street shooting or any other kind of shooting … you'd be very well-equiped.
What I Love About the Zeiss Ikon
That amazing viewfinder!
The bang for the buck.
Access to world class lenses at an amazing price point.
It's not a bottom-loader.
A pretty decent meter.
Great rangefinder base length.
What I Would Change About the Zeiss Ikon
The LED display.
The price difference between the silver and black bodies.
I applaud Zeiss for partnering with a suitable Asian partner at Cosina. I applaud Cosina for upgrading equipment in order to produce the Ikon body and the ZM lenses.
Zeiss got it right! As much as I wish the equipment – besides the 15mm and the 85mm – were made by my European brethren I understand why it couldn't given the price it's currently available.
I know that everyone who shoots a rangefinder dreams of – if they're not shooting with one already – owning a Leica. It's a nice dream. One I've realized. One I realized I wanted to realize after having shot a Contax G2 for a couple years.
Luckily, I make my living making photographs. For magazines. For brides. For corporate clients. For wire services. Because of all of this I was in a position to acquire my Leica gear.
That having been said … I know acquiring Leica gear is daunting.
And I think both my personal and commercial work has benefited by my personal work done with a rangefinder.
The Zeiss Ikon is an excellent rangefinder. And, it actually compliments what I already have in my bag.
Will I buy a Zeiss Ikon? Yes, I think so. I'm very much enjoying the 50-Sonnar and the 35-Biogon. Not to mention the Ikon body.
I think this system is amazing. Having Zeiss lens formulations available for use on my existing Leica M bodies makes it all that much better. When I think of a photograph I want to make I now have a an additional lens signature to think about. A different way of seeing things. For that I'm stoked. I'm stoked that people who are interested in rangefinder photography can get something totally world class … for half of what I would have cost to go world class before.
This camera – like any camera, of course – in skilled hands in front of experienced eyes will be able to make exceptional images. And like exceptional cameras … in the hands of someone with no ability the photos will look like really sharp crappy photos.
Disclaimer: I only quoted B&H Photo because they have pretty low prices. I only buy expendables, filters, film, and cables from them. Most of my equipment is acquired through a local Los Angeles dealer and Tony Rose at Pop Flash. You can also go to RangeFinderForum and look for sponsors with different deals, Tony, being one of them.
Another Quick Disclaimer: I have no experience with Zeiss' warranty service. I didn't use the camera for a year and break it – like I do often – and have them repair it. I know Leica's service department does an amazing job. I've broken bodies and lenses quite often and they've always come through for me.
So … this wasn't really meant as a review as it was my impressions after using the Ikon and the wonderful lenses for a while. I think everyone should experience rangefinder photographer and the Ikon is a great way to introduce themselves to this world.
Hope it helps out!
And … I hope everyone is very well.
Cheers from Los Angeles!
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glad i decided to come onto DA for a bit.. it sure beats studying literature right now
whether you're a professional or a complete amateur like me.. it helps and thanks for sharing.. loved the photos and glad j's full name has been revealed as well
the shot of C jumping up.. half her body in the light was incredible.. it really made my day
glad she made yours too!
very very nice example ones!
the ikon looks fucking sick ... especially for its price.
i need to buy a piggy bank and start saving.
which sunglasses are those?
anyways i gotta go clean my lenses ... i'm covering nelly furtado's concert here in toronto soon!! i'm soooooo excited!!
ciao!
the glasses are persol.
and cheers to the piggy bank filling up quickly!
I was looking to a Leica, and still would, but I ain't rich. Additional options are always key. Thanks!
Now if only I weren't a poor college student...
my nikon fm and 35/2 is loud but still small. nice lens too. cant complain, the lens is borrowed indefinately and the body was AUD200!!
thing is... just went to canon for digital. because thats where we make the money these days. 5d and some glass.
and reading this review made me feel great.. cause those clandestine street moments or that special someone moments (without a CLACK) may just be that much closer with the ziess stuff.
cheers,
morgs
[link]
half the price you mentioned.