$2000 CAD!!! I bought my 530/2 with Tessar for about £200 three years ago. It was sold by a private seller on eBay, as if it were their late grandfather's belongings. So I don't think it was professionally serviced but it has been working perfectly! So I bought the 645 version of 530 as well. It also comes with Tessar 7cm and I got it for about £150. The 645 version is much smaller and lighter and takes 16 images on a 120 film roll. I've been using it a lot and I'm extremely happy with it.
I just today purchased a used Agfa Record II folder. Focus ring was totally stuck, so I had to take it apart and give it a good clean. It'll be exiting to see how it works now it runs very smoothly :). Folders are old but still a lot of fun to shoot with.
Very nice video! A few months ago I was able to buy a 531/2 with the Tessar 3.5 lens for a nice price. The price was nice because it was in a very poor shape. Today I finished restoring the camera, I repaired the coupling mechanism between the release button and the shutter, I cleaned the glass, repaired and adjusted the shutter and calibrated the viewfinder. The bellows also had a few pinholes that needed attention. The body is still showing signs of intensive use but mechanically it is fine now. Looking forward very much to go out and shoot a roll of film with it!
I have just purchased one by end of year 2023. I shall try a roll or two colour negatives. Is there any comment or advice of the performance of this 105mm Tesser f3.5?
Was happy to find a fellow Southern Ontario Film Photographer and one so eloquent and well versed in it too! (Also I appreciate the darn we living through some questionable times throwback haha) I have got way too many folders.... I don't have the 6x9 Ikonta 531/2 but I have the much smaller 6x4.5 version which is so super cute and compact. My other folders: 6x6: The Zeiss 533/16 which is very heavy for its size, but neat. Though I really dislike how easy it is to get a blank shot if you forget to cock the shutter (at least on my copy). Honestly I think the more complex folders are the ones that held up less well lol. The Mamiya 6 (not the automat but a late version with the auto film wind). Love this little thing. Super light for a 6x6 folder and takes great photos. Honestly my top recommendation for anyone looking for a 6x6 folder. The Certo 6- Heavy like the 533 but if a bit of a collector's piece I suppose. Mine has a few niggles (that even Mr.CertoSix couldn't fix) but no doubt it is a very sophisticated camera for its time. The Dacora Royal - My newest 6x6. Kind of cute light thing. Still need to try it out but neat how it has a winder that cocks the shutter too (though mine has some niggles doing that at the moment). Has a rangefinder but it is not coupled so you gotta read and input the distance. 6x9: Franka Rolfix II 6x9 with the Rodenstock Trinar. - Sometimes these go for very inflated prices but I got one for less than a 100 bucks. No rangefinder but very capable and super light folder Voigtlander Bessa II with Heliar - This is my most pricey folder, but I love this fine piece of engineering. It has a coupled rangefinder but for composing honestly the pop up viewfinders like yours or my Franka are much easier. Still this takes great photos and feels like a marvel.
Hello I have the same camera but mine has a back side with two windows... one for 6x9 and one for 6 x 4.5 cm. But it is strange because the holes are on the same side. On the modern film the numbers for the smaller pictures are not on the same line. So it is not possible to shot in the 6 x 4.5 cm. Do you have some instructions about this? Thanks.
Sadly I don’t have a manual for this, nor have I found one online. Also to note that you need the reduction mask as well, which is a rare find these days. Thanks for watching 🍻
@@AlexLuyckxPhoto I've just found the solution and it genial. You have to read the numbers first on the right and the on the left.. so there will be 1 on the right hole.. then 1 on the left hole etc. etc. I have the reduction musk.
You are right to not dismiss the Novar lens, in everyday use they are excellent. I have a Super Ikonta 530/2 with a Tessar lens and recently bought a 531 with Schneider Kreuznach lens, and indeed they are both excellent. The coupled rangefinder certainly increases confidence in obtaining correct focus, and then there is the satisfaction of using such an exquisitely designed and engineered camera. My first folder was a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 518 with a Novar lens and without a coupled rangefinder. It too produces wonderful images, the old triplet design has a charm all of it's own. On this camera I use a simple clip on cold shoe rangefinder and it works well. None of these cameras are designed for fast work, so little is really lost by using the more basic models without coupled rangefinders. They do have a 'snapshot' setting whereby you use the red dots on the aperture ring and on the shutter dial, and this is mostly ideal on a bright day. It really is worth the time getting to grips with these old folders, as they will repay with excellent images. In a similar vein, I have an early Zeiss ikon Ikoflex II TLR. Despite having the basic spec uncoated f4.5 Novar and a Klio shutter which only reaches 125th sec, it consistently produces atmospheric images. Novar lenses are excellent, and probably undervalued due to comparison with their more glamorous Tessar stablemates.
Agreed about the Novar lens. I have a 105mm f/3.5 Novar lens on my Ikonta 523/2 and it's capable of taking lovely photos. Being a triplet lens, the images aren't fully sharp from edge to edge, but if you stop down to f/8 or beyond, you can get some very crisp shots. Mine being an Ikonta, not a Super Ikonta, I use a vintage accessory rangefinder to measure my focusing distance, which I then dial onto the lens. If you want to blow out the background, shooting the 105mm lens, focused even reasonably close, at f/5.6 or wider is the ticket.
Great video! I got the one recently, and the functionality part of your video helped me figure out how to use it. Mine seems to have an issue though: The double exposure safety doesn't seem to go off (turn red) no matter how many times I rotate the winding key. It sometimes does but seemingly at random. Is this because I don't have any film in the camera? Could you know if it's something I did wrong, or if it's just broken? Otherwise it's in perfect condition, I just need to order some film and start to shoot.
Mine has the issue where the double exposure lock doesn’t always disengage despite being rotated enough! Both of our cameras may need a good once over! Get the film and enjoy and thanks for watching 🍻
My favourite camera is a 1937 Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 with an f6.3 lens. I do get a bit of vignetting, but the images are pretty good for what would have been the budget end of the range.
I have one of those (one of my favorites) and a much later 6x6 model Super Ikonta. I found mine at an antique store for $40US. It worked but needed help so I sent it in the U.S. to Juergen Kreckel who fixed it for under $150. He has a source for new bellows and replaced the end strap also.
Looks like you have quite a bit of camera shake on those, I think bellow 125th it becomes hard to shoot it without a tripod. I have a the Tessar and I'm getting super sharp results when things goes well.
Oh yeah, mostly because it takes a lot of effort to fire the shutter from the body release. Need to get that looked at! And excellent! Yes Tessar is a great lens design! Thanks for watching 🍻
I have a Nettar 517/2, which is a postwar 6x9 model with coated Novar lens, no rangefinder, but a cold shoe! With an accessory rangefinder in the cold shoe I've got something about as functional as an Ikonta for a fraction of the price. The Nettars go for under $150 these days, but the mechanics are the same as the Ikonta AFAIK. One tip I've learned that really makes a difference is not winding to the next frame until after unfolding and just before taking a photo. This has two benefits: less dust settles on the film if the bellows are already unfolded, and the negative is held taut and not sucked loosened out of the focus plane by the vacuum action of unfolding. Zeiss doesn't have a good record of its behavior during the fascist period. I don't seem to be able to insert links in comments, but I've read in Slate about their ill treatment of Staubel, one of the inventors of the planetarium, and one of their key designers of the Biotar (picked up by Operation Paperclip) had informed on a Jewish colleague.
Yeah I need to keep the bellows opened in dim light then wind it and keep it open. And I know the article you speak of, not the company’s finest hour. Thanks for watching 🍻
I enjoyed the video. I occasionally shoot my Zeiss Ikon Ercona I, also a 6x9 camera. Also not a rangefinder...you should try the Voigtlander Perkeo I sometime...it is a wonderful little 6x6 folder!
Nice! I had a cheaper less featured tlr that maxed out at around 1/200 shutter speed and it got a bit tricky on occasions when I had iso 400 film and constantly had to go for f16 or f22 for a good exposure! Then I got a Rolleicord III with a 1/500 max shutter speed and things got so much easier! Also with the rolleicord i didn't have to deal with the dreaded red window where i very easy could skip a frame by forwarding the film to far! Agreed on the great music in this video! Keep up the good work!
I think I have always had a weakness for MF folders. All but one of mine ended up being from the port-war era, but at one time I Jonesed for a Super Ikonta BX (post-war, 6x6, Tessar). Fairly common 40 years ago, but the price range around $225 back then and it's old over-aged design and features put me off. The variety of lenses offered with the Super Ikontas of various formats was simply a matter of cost and pricing. The slow Novar 3-elements lenses were cheaper than the 4-element Tessars. Lens quality was not a big shopping issue in the 1930s, as almost all photos taken with this class of camera were snapshots, in the sense that the negative was contact printed to a same sized positive print, often ending in an album. Enlargement of any size were usually professionally shot on a view or field type camera. No one really cared about resolution charts and enlarging until post-war when 35mm started becoming the most common consumer, then professional, format. The primary competitor for this camera was the Voigtlander Bessa RF. The Bessa outclasses it with a modern mechanically coupled rangefinder replacing the very expensive optical system on the Super Ikontas, unit lens focusing rather than front cell focusing, a much cleaner and (for then) modern appearance, and a standard lens which was significantly superior to the best lens Zeiss could offer. (My most coveted folder: Konica Pearl IV, 645 format from 1958. Most used: Fuji GS645, 1982.)
I myself Hate Modern Style Camera's that are in your phone(s) I myself just bought this same model but with a 3.8 lens but nearly Killed me as with the exchange rate was about 750$ AUD and was/is also tested. I bought this as a replacement as I know my Mamiya RB67 would kill me taking on Holidays for family photo's. I have a lot to learn when using this camera as Never used anything older than the old APS Camera's
Good looking photos, good looking camera. Dig the music (and the stylish intro, too)
Cheers! And thanks for watching 🍻
$2000 CAD!!! I bought my 530/2 with Tessar for about £200 three years ago. It was sold by a private seller on eBay, as if it were their late grandfather's belongings. So I don't think it was professionally serviced but it has been working perfectly! So I bought the 645 version of 530 as well. It also comes with Tessar 7cm and I got it for about £150. The 645 version is much smaller and lighter and takes 16 images on a 120 film roll. I've been using it a lot and I'm extremely happy with it.
@@masaradon8448 oh yeah the prices I see today for these cameras are insane! But 200 quid is an amazing price! Thanks for watching 🍻
Thank you for this very clear video ! I can finally try to use my grandfather's Super Ikonta !
@@elisamonje7569 You’re welcome and enjoy! Thanks for watching 🍻
Mine is 1937 - Tessar 105mm - a great camera and a sharp lens even by todays standards.
@@jamesmoore9511 ooo the Tessar version nice! 🍻
I can always count on a great soundtrack on you videos. Great content!
Cheers and thanks for watching 🍻
I just today purchased a used Agfa Record II folder. Focus ring was totally stuck, so I had to take it apart and give it a good clean. It'll be exiting to see how it works now it runs very smoothly :). Folders are old but still a lot of fun to shoot with.
Awesome that you got it working! Enjoy and thanks for watching 🍻
Very nice video! A few months ago I was able to buy a 531/2 with the Tessar 3.5 lens for a nice price. The price was nice because it was in a very poor shape. Today I finished restoring the camera, I repaired the coupling mechanism between the release button and the shutter, I cleaned the glass, repaired and adjusted the shutter and calibrated the viewfinder. The bellows also had a few pinholes that needed attention. The body is still showing signs of intensive use but mechanically it is fine now. Looking forward very much to go out and shoot a roll of film with it!
Oh wow! Glad you were able to restore it! Hope the first roll goes well! Thanks for watching 🍻
Ps. I also use a Gossen meter like yours - plus the variable angle spot metering attachment.
@@jamesmoore9511 that spot attachment is great! Thanks for watching 🍻
I have just purchased one by end of year 2023.
I shall try a roll or two colour negatives.
Is there any comment or advice of the performance of this 105mm Tesser f3.5?
Any lens is a fine choice, the Tessars are the top tier, lots of contrast and rendering. Thanks for watching and enjoy your camera 🍻
I've been occasionally trying to find one of the Zeiss 35mm folders. Not much luck with finding ones that are operational.
Those can be rare birds in functional conditions!
Was happy to find a fellow Southern Ontario Film Photographer and one so eloquent and well versed in it too! (Also I appreciate the darn we living through some questionable times throwback haha)
I have got way too many folders....
I don't have the 6x9 Ikonta 531/2 but I have the much smaller 6x4.5 version which is so super cute and compact.
My other folders:
6x6:
The Zeiss 533/16 which is very heavy for its size, but neat. Though I really dislike how easy it is to get a blank shot if you forget to cock the shutter (at least on my copy). Honestly I think the more complex folders are the ones that held up less well lol.
The Mamiya 6 (not the automat but a late version with the auto film wind). Love this little thing. Super light for a 6x6 folder and takes great photos. Honestly my top recommendation for anyone looking for a 6x6 folder.
The Certo 6- Heavy like the 533 but if a bit of a collector's piece I suppose. Mine has a few niggles (that even Mr.CertoSix couldn't fix) but no doubt it is a very sophisticated camera for its time.
The Dacora Royal - My newest 6x6. Kind of cute light thing. Still need to try it out but neat how it has a winder that cocks the shutter too (though mine has some niggles doing that at the moment). Has a rangefinder but it is not coupled so you gotta read and input the distance.
6x9:
Franka Rolfix II 6x9 with the Rodenstock Trinar. - Sometimes these go for very inflated prices but I got one for less than a 100 bucks. No rangefinder but very capable and super light folder
Voigtlander Bessa II with Heliar - This is my most pricey folder, but I love this fine piece of engineering. It has a coupled rangefinder but for composing honestly the pop up viewfinders like yours or my Franka are much easier. Still this takes great photos and feels like a marvel.
Thank you good sir! And that is a superb collection of folders you have! And thanks for watching 🍻
Hello I have the same camera but mine has a back side with two windows... one for 6x9 and one for 6 x 4.5 cm. But it is strange because the holes are on the same side. On the modern film the numbers for the smaller pictures are not on the same line. So it is not possible to shot in the 6 x 4.5 cm. Do you have some instructions about this? Thanks.
Sadly I don’t have a manual for this, nor have I found one online. Also to note that you need the reduction mask as well, which is a rare find these days. Thanks for watching 🍻
@@AlexLuyckxPhoto I've just found the solution and it genial. You have to read the numbers first on the right and the on the left.. so there will be 1 on the right hole.. then 1 on the left hole etc. etc. I have the reduction musk.
You are right to not dismiss the Novar lens, in everyday use they are excellent. I have a Super Ikonta 530/2 with a Tessar lens and recently bought a 531 with Schneider Kreuznach lens, and indeed they are both excellent. The coupled rangefinder certainly increases confidence in obtaining correct focus, and then there is the satisfaction of using such an exquisitely designed and engineered camera. My first folder was a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 518 with a Novar lens and without a coupled rangefinder. It too produces wonderful images, the old triplet design has a charm all of it's own. On this camera I use a simple clip on cold shoe rangefinder and it works well. None of these cameras are designed for fast work, so little is really lost by using the more basic models without coupled rangefinders. They do have a 'snapshot' setting whereby you use the red dots on the aperture ring and on the shutter dial, and this is mostly ideal on a bright day. It really is worth the time getting to grips with these old folders, as they will repay with excellent images.
In a similar vein, I have an early Zeiss ikon Ikoflex II TLR. Despite having the basic spec uncoated f4.5 Novar and a Klio shutter which only reaches 125th sec, it consistently produces atmospheric images. Novar lenses are excellent, and probably undervalued due to comparison with their more glamorous Tessar stablemates.
Wow! That’s a rather extensive collection! Glad they all serve well! Thanks for watching 🍻
Agreed about the Novar lens. I have a 105mm f/3.5 Novar lens on my Ikonta 523/2 and it's capable of taking lovely photos. Being a triplet lens, the images aren't fully sharp from edge to edge, but if you stop down to f/8 or beyond, you can get some very crisp shots. Mine being an Ikonta, not a Super Ikonta, I use a vintage accessory rangefinder to measure my focusing distance, which I then dial onto the lens. If you want to blow out the background, shooting the 105mm lens, focused even reasonably close, at f/5.6 or wider is the ticket.
Great video! I got the one recently, and the functionality part of your video helped me figure out how to use it. Mine seems to have an issue though: The double exposure safety doesn't seem to go off (turn red) no matter how many times I rotate the winding key. It sometimes does but seemingly at random. Is this because I don't have any film in the camera? Could you know if it's something I did wrong, or if it's just broken? Otherwise it's in perfect condition, I just need to order some film and start to shoot.
Mine has the issue where the double exposure lock doesn’t always disengage despite being rotated enough! Both of our cameras may need a good once over! Get the film and enjoy and thanks for watching 🍻
@@AlexLuyckxPhoto Cool, glad to see it's not just mine then. Cheers!
I have a Ikonta 520. It's a sweet little camera.
Aye they are! Thanks for watching 🍻
My favourite camera is a 1937 Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 with an f6.3 lens. I do get a bit of vignetting, but the images are pretty good for what would have been the budget end of the range.
I don’t think ZI produced a bad camera even in the budget range! Glad you’re enjoying the Nettar! Thanks for watching 🍻
I just got a zeiss ikon super ikonta 531...I havent been able to use it yet.. does anyone know where I can find film for it?
Awesome! It takes 120 film, look at the Film Photography Project!
Nice camera for sure! I'm just in the process of deciding which medium format camera to try! I love the idea of a 6x9 neg!
Any 6x9 folder will be a valuable addition to a bag! Thanks for watching 🍻
Great intro and great camera!
Thanks! It’s a lot of fun! 🍻
Super cool!🔥✨
Nice shots and video!
Cheers and thanks for watching 🍻
I have one of those (one of my favorites) and a much later 6x6 model Super Ikonta. I found mine at an antique store for $40US. It worked but needed help so I sent it in the U.S. to Juergen Kreckel who fixed it for under $150. He has a source for new bellows and replaced the end strap also.
Good to know! Will have to look him up in the new year to do a CLA on mine! Thanks for watching 🍻
Looks like you have quite a bit of camera shake on those, I think bellow 125th it becomes hard to shoot it without a tripod. I have a the Tessar and I'm getting super sharp results when things goes well.
Oh yeah, mostly because it takes a lot of effort to fire the shutter from the body release. Need to get that looked at! And excellent! Yes Tessar is a great lens design! Thanks for watching 🍻
@@AlexLuyckxPhoto Put your left hand underneath the bed to support the camera to avoid earthquakes.
I have a Nettar 517/2, which is a postwar 6x9 model with coated Novar lens, no rangefinder, but a cold shoe! With an accessory rangefinder in the cold shoe I've got something about as functional as an Ikonta for a fraction of the price. The Nettars go for under $150 these days, but the mechanics are the same as the Ikonta AFAIK. One tip I've learned that really makes a difference is not winding to the next frame until after unfolding and just before taking a photo. This has two benefits: less dust settles on the film if the bellows are already unfolded, and the negative is held taut and not sucked loosened out of the focus plane by the vacuum action of unfolding.
Zeiss doesn't have a good record of its behavior during the fascist period. I don't seem to be able to insert links in comments, but I've read in Slate about their ill treatment of Staubel, one of the inventors of the planetarium, and one of their key designers of the Biotar (picked up by Operation Paperclip) had informed on a Jewish colleague.
Yeah I need to keep the bellows opened in dim light then wind it and keep it open. And I know the article you speak of, not the company’s finest hour. Thanks for watching 🍻
I enjoyed the video. I occasionally shoot my Zeiss Ikon Ercona I, also a 6x9 camera. Also not a rangefinder...you should try the Voigtlander Perkeo I sometime...it is a wonderful little 6x6 folder!
I’ll keep an eye out for the Perkeo, thanks for the suggestion and for watching 🍻
Alex, the light is the same in this sunny day, so taking a reading prior to snapping the shutter is not necessary.
It’s part of my process, that’s why I keep taking the reading first. Thanks for watching and the tip on supporting the bed. 🍻
Nice cameras but i prefer their cute little 6x4.5 sisters. Thanks for the video.
Oh yeah those 645 folders are nice! Thanks for watching 🥃
Nice!
I had a cheaper less featured tlr that maxed out at around 1/200 shutter speed and it got a bit tricky on occasions when I had iso 400 film and constantly had to go for f16 or f22 for a good exposure!
Then I got a Rolleicord III with a 1/500 max shutter speed and things got so much easier!
Also with the rolleicord i didn't have to deal with the dreaded red window where i very easy could skip a frame by forwarding the film to far!
Agreed on the great music in this video!
Keep up the good work!
Cheers! Thank for watching 🍻
I have that exact model. Love it.
They’re excellent cameras 🍻
@@AlexLuyckxPhoto I guess not the exact. I have the Tessar.
@@thomaspopple2291 Tessar! Nice!!
I think I have always had a weakness for MF folders. All but one of mine ended up being from the port-war era, but at one time I Jonesed for a Super Ikonta BX (post-war, 6x6, Tessar). Fairly common 40 years ago, but the price range around $225 back then and it's old over-aged design and features put me off. The variety of lenses offered with the Super Ikontas of various formats was simply a matter of cost and pricing. The slow Novar 3-elements lenses were cheaper than the 4-element Tessars. Lens quality was not a big shopping issue in the 1930s, as almost all photos taken with this class of camera were snapshots, in the sense that the negative was contact printed to a same sized positive print, often ending in an album. Enlargement of any size were usually professionally shot on a view or field type camera. No one really cared about resolution charts and enlarging until post-war when 35mm started becoming the most common consumer, then professional, format. The primary competitor for this camera was the Voigtlander Bessa RF. The Bessa outclasses it with a modern mechanically coupled rangefinder replacing the very expensive optical system on the Super Ikontas, unit lens focusing rather than front cell focusing, a much cleaner and (for then) modern appearance, and a standard lens which was significantly superior to the best lens Zeiss could offer. (My most coveted folder: Konica Pearl IV, 645 format from 1958. Most used: Fuji GS645, 1982.)
Worth mentioning the soviet Moskva camera copies as well.
Totally! I do have a line to borrow a Moskava for next year’s review cycle!
I myself Hate Modern Style Camera's that are in your phone(s) I myself just bought this same model but with a 3.8 lens but nearly Killed me as with the exchange rate was about 750$ AUD and was/is also tested. I bought this as a replacement as I know my Mamiya RB67 would kill me taking on Holidays for family photo's. I have a lot to learn when using this camera as Never used anything older than the old APS Camera's
They certainly knew how to make cameras with style! Enjoy your super Ikonta and thanks for watching 🍻