I've recently received an ikoflex and loaded it by the manual which you can find online. The window in the bottom of the door is not for 127 but for 120 film. All you do is do your initial loading the film until the top spool engages the film, close those door and spool until the 1 shows in the bottom red window. Reset the counter and you're ready to go. I just have to wait to get my first roll developed and will comment again. Your explanation of the other mechanisms helped me a lot to understand the other mechanics. Thanks :D Also I find the focus dial does not move much from one end to the other which can make fine focus tricky. On the Rolleiflex the focus knob will travel a lot more. What I loved on the ikoflex though was the really bright screen.
Thanks for this video, David. I've just entered the medium format world by getting a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex I (850/16) at a great price, and it's great to have these Video Manuals as a resource to really understand how these cameras operate. Keep up the good work! Cheers, Rick
David, nice vid! Thanks! Arjen is right, you load it the normal way... I have the same model with the black label on the front and a Compur Rapid (1/500top speed). Your camera is actually quite unique as it has a Tessar and the Compur shutter, this combination officially doesn't exist. According to the small numbers scratched in the inside of my camera it had at least four repairs! Finally, a crazy repairman put a red window exactly there where you were showing it in the video. My frame counter mechanism is broken, so I have to use the red window. BII8 is the German designation for 120 film, 117 as you mentioned is BI6, used in Rolleiflexes until the Standard, never in the Ikoflex models. This particular model was listed in the catalogues of Zeiss Ikon from february 1938 to May 1944. Earlier models before 1939 have the silver label, after that turned black, so your camera (as mine) is a later one. Most of these I have seen with Tessar lenses have Nubers starting with 23.... on the lens
Thank you! And that's neat to know about my camera's lens-shutter combo! What book were you looking at? I've been trying to find a good resource for Zeiss info.
Wow! I'm glad that my Ikoflex is a post-WWII IIa,late model. (Actually, I own two - both my dad's and grandpa's old cameras!) The user-friendliness really improved in the 50's, also the Tessar lens is rather nice and contrasty. The downside for me is that you more or less need a tripod to get accurate focus, but that goes for almost all TLR's. Great video! Now I know why the red-window is in the bottom of the camera, because it's for 117-film! I've always thought it was some clever idea to use the 6x9 framing to line up the film (which works splendid!) before you reset the counter. :)
At 15:30 you say that there are plastic bands connected by strings to show the shutter speed and aperture. This is incorrect. Each of those indicators is a plastic wheel with the numbers written around it. They are gear driven from the levers that you move up and down. I agree that they should not be jerked around as you may strip the brass gears on the wheels. Excellent video for a quirky camera. Also you can turn the counter knob backwards until you get to 1 after you have your film placed at the correct starting point.
Wow! I thought the loading sequence for my Kodak Medalist II was complicated but now it doesn't seem that bad.The Ikoflex looks like an interesting camera.I'll have to watch for one.By the way,I'd like to see you do a video on the Medalist I or II.My Medalist II is my favorite old camera so far.
M Poole No videos for any Medalists yet. After I did this video, I learned a slightly easier way to lead the Ikoflex. All you need to do is line up the "1" in the red window on the bottom and reset the frame counter. Then all the images are lined up.
The Medalist is similar.You open the red window.Then you wind the film until you just barely see the 1 start to show.Then you close the window,set the counter to 1 and wind until it stops.Once it's loaded you don't need the red window.
Hi David... I found an Ikoflex at an old bookstore, and bought it for aprx $50.00, and your video helped me a lot to understand the mechanics of it, especially the film loading mechanism. the difference between 117 and 120 film is something i would never find out by myself. probably would waste several rolls without knowing the reason. but luckily i watched your video before loading my first roll. Thanks again!
You're very welcome! It turns out the red window on the bottom, if you line up the "1" that appears there and then start the frame counter aligns images properly, too. I learned that fairly recently (I wish I'd known it before I did this video.)
David Hancock I had perfect luck loading the camera the way you stated in the video. When I tried loading it on my last roll by looking through the window on the bottom, the number 1 perhaps wasn't aligned perfectly and I never saw it scroll past until I was at frame 2. Maybe I just missed the little number 1, but how, if I saw the number 2? I'll keep loading it the way you mentioned in the video from now on instead.
I have one of these! The 852/16 Only mine says "Compur-Rapid" underneath the lens whilst yours only says "Compur". Mine also has the black surounding the name Ikoflex but doesn't have the flash port. It also has that little sticker saying: 6x9 film so that wasn't put in by the owner. It's still in perfect working order. I bought it in Prague, in a weird little shop down an alley somewhere :)
EdEditz Nice find! The Compur-Rapid is, I think, a better and faster shutter than the Compur. As for the 6X9 film, I figured that out. The 6X9 number 1 is supposed to align with the red window on the bottom when the first frame is properly aligned. Then the user resets the frame counter and the film advances properly.
David thanks for another excellent video! I acquired an Ikoflex 1A with a dirty screen and mirror, and poked around enough to see how delicate the mirror attachment mechanism is. I can see that this 1A might have the mirror askew. I also had a problem with infinity focus which I adjusted with the taking lens. It is all too easy to do this by unscrewing the lens, which means it can get out of alignment very easily. The best thing to do would be to take the camera apart and clean everything and then check for focus at the film gate. I want to suggest that anyone who acquires any of these cameras insure that infinity focus is there -- that might explain why some folks are seeing very un-sharp images from the camera. Also, checking your log of videos, I didn't see one -- but would you consider doing a video on how to check focus at the film gate of TLRs with an easy method -- (perhaps cellophane tape ) -- bet you have a most clever method!
Hello good day. Thank you very much for your video. The model of my Ikoflex camera does not exactly match the one you show in the video. It could be earlier. It has a red film counter viewfinder and is located on the back of the camera. Do you know her Do you have information about her? Thanks!
That's probably an earlier model. Most likely that's the frame count window. If the red window is in the center of the back, you'll stop the film each time the film counts up one notch.
I have a Zeus ikon ikoflex and the shutter doesn’t open when I engate the button do you know what to do? Also the viewfinder is stuck it opens but the ones folded in are getting stuck
hi! i have a camera model "zeiss ikon ikoflex IIc", and actually i own every piece of the camera buuuut i've trying to looking for some information of this model and i can't find it, or too little to be important. If you can tell me anything about it i'll appreciate. Thanks!
(Cont.) and were produced in a batch in May 1938 of 7362 according to H. Thiele. So this could be the number of Ikoflex II/III with Tessars. The serial number on my camera starts with the letter E, which indicates a body produced in 1937! D was the first letter to be used on this particular model, L should be the last. I guess Zeiss Ikon had a hard time selling them. Still find it incredible that this thing is smaller than my Rolleiflex C but more heavy!
Hi David Thanks for the video, a couple of weeks ago I purchased one of these at the local antique shop, paid $75.00 for it and thought that I would just sit it on the shelf, but after watching your video I think I will give it a shot with some film, I was wondering which film it was that you used or if you have any brand that you think might work the best. By the way the model I have is almost identical to the one you have, same nameplate and a place on the side for a flash, but not quite the same in some area's, different shutter and some other minor details. It functions well so I am hoping to get some photo's with it. Thanks again for the info Mike
Mike Black It's great to hear that your camera will get some use! Any 120 film will work fine. I prefer black and white because the film is cheaper and developing it at home is significantly cheaper than using a lab. Black and white also has more exposure latitude, so using the Sunny 16 rule will deliver better results with B&W than with color or reversal film. Ultimately, it's about what you'd like the images to look like. I would avoid a film faster than 200 ISO because the shutter speed is a limiting factor.
Hi, Thank you for your video but you are wrong for your film charging procedure. I found a user guide in French that I can send you if you are interested.
Maurice Amaraggi You are correct. The red window is for lining up the first number on the paper back and then the user is supposed to reset the counter which, from there, keeps track. I goofed significantly on that aspect of this video.
Thank you so much! I found one of these on the attic of my grandfather, I tought the shutter was broken.
Made my day!
+Bruno Tardaguila Van Doorselaer You're welcome!
Same here. I bought one at an antique store, had it serviced, and still thought it was broken until I watched this.
I've recently received an ikoflex and loaded it by the manual which you can find online. The window in the bottom of the door is not for 127 but for 120 film. All you do is do your initial loading the film until the top spool engages the film, close those door and spool until the 1 shows in the bottom red window. Reset the counter and you're ready to go. I just have to wait to get my first roll developed and will comment again. Your explanation of the other mechanisms helped me a lot to understand the other mechanics. Thanks :D Also I find the focus dial does not move much from one end to the other which can make fine focus tricky. On the Rolleiflex the focus knob will travel a lot more. What I loved on the ikoflex though was the really bright screen.
Thanks for this video, David. I've just entered the medium format world by getting a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex I (850/16) at a great price, and it's great to have these Video Manuals as a resource to really understand how these cameras operate. Keep up the good work!
Cheers, Rick
Riccardo Mori Thank you! These are really stunning cameras and, despite the complexness, still fun to use.
David, nice vid! Thanks! Arjen is right, you load it the normal way... I have the same model with the black label on the front and a Compur Rapid (1/500top speed). Your camera is actually quite unique as it has a Tessar and the Compur shutter, this combination officially doesn't exist. According to the small numbers scratched in the inside of my camera it had at least four repairs! Finally, a crazy repairman put a red window exactly there where you were showing it in the video. My frame counter mechanism is broken, so I have to use the red window. BII8 is the German designation for 120 film, 117 as you mentioned is BI6, used in Rolleiflexes until the Standard, never in the Ikoflex models. This particular model was listed in the catalogues of Zeiss Ikon from february 1938 to May 1944. Earlier models before 1939 have the silver label, after that turned black, so your camera (as mine) is a later one. Most of these I have seen with Tessar lenses have Nubers starting with 23.... on the lens
Thank you!
And that's neat to know about my camera's lens-shutter combo! What book were you looking at? I've been trying to find a good resource for Zeiss info.
Thank you so much for this! Just picked one up yesterday for $100. Never would have loaded it right if it weren't for you. Cheers!
BTW, also ran a roll through it and it performed perfectly.
Wow! I'm glad that my Ikoflex is a post-WWII IIa,late model. (Actually, I own two - both my dad's and grandpa's old cameras!) The user-friendliness really improved in the 50's, also the Tessar lens is rather nice and contrasty. The downside for me is that you more or less need a tripod to get accurate focus, but that goes for almost all TLR's.
Great video! Now I know why the red-window is in the bottom of the camera, because it's for 117-film! I've always thought it was some clever idea to use the 6x9 framing to line up the film (which works splendid!) before you reset the counter. :)
At 15:30 you say that there are plastic bands connected by strings to show the shutter speed and aperture. This is incorrect. Each of those indicators is a plastic wheel with the numbers written around it. They are gear driven from the levers that you move up and down. I agree that they should not be jerked around as you may strip the brass gears on the wheels. Excellent video for a quirky camera. Also you can turn the counter knob backwards until you get to 1 after you have your film placed at the correct starting point.
Nice! Thank you, too. I thought they were bands. I wonder if I read that somewhere or if it was an assumption on my part.
Wow! I thought the loading sequence for my Kodak Medalist II was complicated but now it doesn't seem that bad.The Ikoflex looks like an interesting camera.I'll have to watch for one.By the way,I'd like to see you do a video on the Medalist I or II.My Medalist II is my favorite old camera so far.
M Poole No videos for any Medalists yet.
After I did this video, I learned a slightly easier way to lead the Ikoflex. All you need to do is line up the "1" in the red window on the bottom and reset the frame counter. Then all the images are lined up.
The Medalist is similar.You open the red window.Then you wind the film until you just barely see the 1 start to show.Then you close the window,set the counter to 1 and wind until it stops.Once it's loaded you don't need the red window.
Hi David...
I found an Ikoflex at an old bookstore, and bought it for aprx $50.00, and your video helped me a lot to understand the mechanics of it, especially the film loading mechanism. the difference between 117 and 120 film is something i would never find out by myself. probably would waste several rolls without knowing the reason. but luckily i watched your video before loading my first roll. Thanks again!
You're very welcome! It turns out the red window on the bottom, if you line up the "1" that appears there and then start the frame counter aligns images properly, too. I learned that fairly recently (I wish I'd known it before I did this video.)
David Hancock I had perfect luck loading the camera the way you stated in the video. When I tried loading it on my last roll by looking through the window on the bottom, the number 1 perhaps wasn't aligned perfectly and I never saw it scroll past until I was at frame 2. Maybe I just missed the little number 1, but how, if I saw the number 2? I'll keep loading it the way you mentioned in the video from now on instead.
I have one of these! The 852/16 Only mine says "Compur-Rapid" underneath the lens whilst yours only says "Compur". Mine also has the black surounding the name Ikoflex but doesn't have the flash port. It also has that little sticker saying: 6x9 film so that wasn't put in by the owner. It's still in perfect working order. I bought it in Prague, in a weird little shop down an alley somewhere :)
EdEditz Nice find! The Compur-Rapid is, I think, a better and faster shutter than the Compur. As for the 6X9 film, I figured that out. The 6X9 number 1 is supposed to align with the red window on the bottom when the first frame is properly aligned. Then the user resets the frame counter and the film advances properly.
@@DavidHancockI don’t see any number in the red window
@@HistoryColourized is the film loaded and properly aligned?
David thanks for another excellent video! I acquired an Ikoflex 1A with a dirty screen and mirror, and poked around enough to see how delicate the mirror attachment mechanism is. I can see that this 1A might have the mirror askew. I also had a problem with infinity focus which I adjusted with the taking lens. It is all too easy to do this by unscrewing the lens, which means it can get out of alignment very easily. The best thing to do would be to take the camera apart and clean everything and then check for focus at the film gate. I want to suggest that anyone who acquires any of these cameras insure that infinity focus is there -- that might explain why some folks are seeing very un-sharp images from the camera. Also, checking your log of videos, I didn't see one -- but would you consider doing a video on how to check focus at the film gate of TLRs with an easy method -- (perhaps cellophane tape ) -- bet you have a most clever method!
Thank you!
And yeah, I think the one I had displayed some infinity focus issues, too. That may be a common issue with these.
Hello good day. Thank you very much for your video. The model of my Ikoflex camera does not exactly match the one you show in the video. It could be earlier. It has a red film counter viewfinder and is located on the back of the camera. Do you know her Do you have information about her? Thanks!
That's probably an earlier model. Most likely that's the frame count window. If the red window is in the center of the back, you'll stop the film each time the film counts up one notch.
I have a Zeus ikon ikoflex and the shutter doesn’t open when I engate the button do you know what to do? Also the viewfinder is stuck it opens but the ones folded in are getting stuck
Sounds like the shutter needs a repair. I might check with the Fix Old Cameras channel and see if he has any ideas.
hi! i have a camera model "zeiss ikon ikoflex IIc", and actually i own every piece of the camera buuuut i've trying to looking for some information of this model and i can't find it, or too little to be important. If you can tell me anything about it i'll appreciate. Thanks!
Thanks for this video. Have the exact same camera.
Nice!
(Cont.) and were produced in a batch in May 1938 of 7362 according to H. Thiele. So this could be the number of Ikoflex II/III with Tessars. The serial number on my camera starts with the letter E, which indicates a body produced in 1937! D was the first letter to be used on this particular model, L should be the last. I guess Zeiss Ikon had a hard time selling them. Still find it incredible that this thing is smaller than my Rolleiflex C but more heavy!
What if B and T settings won’t work?
That's not unheard of in old leaf shutters. It probably requires a professional repair.
Hi David
Thanks for the video, a couple of weeks ago I purchased one of these at the local antique shop, paid $75.00 for it and thought that I would just sit it on the shelf, but after watching your video I think I will give it a shot with some film, I was wondering which film it was that you used or if you have any brand that you think might work the best. By the way the model I have is almost identical to the one you have, same nameplate and a place on the side for a flash, but not quite the same in some area's, different shutter and some other minor details. It functions well so I am hoping to get some photo's with it.
Thanks again for the info
Mike
Mike Black It's great to hear that your camera will get some use! Any 120 film will work fine. I prefer black and white because the film is cheaper and developing it at home is significantly cheaper than using a lab. Black and white also has more exposure latitude, so using the Sunny 16 rule will deliver better results with B&W than with color or reversal film.
Ultimately, it's about what you'd like the images to look like.
I would avoid a film faster than 200 ISO because the shutter speed is a limiting factor.
There was also a lla model.
Thank you!
what is the deferense from Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex IIa
I don't know the IIa well enough to know.
Zeiss had its own flash system until the Contax iia red dial when it switched to normal lash sink.
Thank you!
The flash port is an ASA bayonet connection. I’ve seen them on other cameras. The familiar 3mm PC connection came out about 1950.
Hi,
Thank you for your video but you are wrong for your film charging procedure. I found a user guide in French that I can send you if you are interested.
Maurice Amaraggi You are correct. The red window is for lining up the first number on the paper back and then the user is supposed to reset the counter which, from there, keeps track. I goofed significantly on that aspect of this video.
Thanks but I think I will keep my Rolleis.........
Harry Stevens You should. They're very nice cameras.
stop taking cameras go take pictures ! (ansel adams)
solid sender I promise that I'm taking a lot of photos, too.