snaggs
Established
Source is Carl Zeiss
You can also download a 6meg tiff to print out if you have a large format printer.. (goes to hang it on wall).
Zeiss Ikon Hi-Rez download page
Daniel.
You can also download a 6meg tiff to print out if you have a large format printer.. (goes to hang it on wall).
Zeiss Ikon Hi-Rez download page
Daniel.
snaggs
Established
Looks like Vulcanite doesnt it?
Just looked at the TIFF, be still my heart. Look at the build quality.
Just looked at the TIFF, be still my heart. Look at the build quality.
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Terence T
Where'd my Bessa go?
I wonder why there's that raised hump on top of the viewfinder. Seems to spoil its clean lines a little. The base plate looks raised too (or is it some kind of support used for the product shot?). Either way, it's still a sweet looking body. Would be great if Zeiss plans to release a black one soon.
snaggs
Established
I think the reason for the raised hump is a really large chunk of glass in the rangefinder 
I havn't seen a photo of the rear of the camera yet.
I havn't seen a photo of the rear of the camera yet.einolu
Well-known
That looks live a very nice viewfinder.
So were does the USB cable plug in? ;-)
So were does the USB cable plug in? ;-)
W
wlewisiii
Guest
Pretty, but I still want to use my pre-war collapsable Sonnar 50/2 with it...
(Actually I really would be tempted if it didn't require me to get all new lenses... )
William
(Actually I really would be tempted if it didn't require me to get all new lenses... )
William
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
The rewind is on the bottom, hence the structure on the bottom, I think.
Trius
Trius
Huck Finn
Well-known
I handled a prototype last fall. The hump is the housing for the eyepiece & is necessary becaue the eyepiece is extra large, compared to a normal sized eyepiece. The extra large size allows you to see the 28 mm frame lines comfortably even with the .74 magnification.
snaggs
Established
Wohoo, now that does sound good. What other tidbits of information can you give us Huck, and how did you get the opportunity to try it out?
Daniel.
Daniel.
Huck Finn
Well-known
Daniel, Hasselblad brought a prototype to photokina in Germany last September, to New York, in October, & to a number of other camera shows since. It was not the finalized version of the camera, but it was finished enough to get a good idea. The main thing missing was the LED symols in the viewfinder for selected shutter speeds and the warnings for out of range shutter speeds & low battery.
I have stayed in touch with Hasselblad in Sweden since with numerous questions. They tell me that changes have been made since the development of the prototype, but that they are internal. I highly recommend contacting Hasselblad with any questions. They unfailingly respond within one business day & are exceedingly patient with even the smallest inquiries.
My impressions at the time were that the viewfinder is the cameras biggest asset. It is the largest & brightest of any rangefindeer I have seen. And I could walk right over to the Leica booth & look through the viewfinder of an M7 immediately afterwards. On the ZI, the 28 mm frame lines were easily viewable even with my glasses on. The viewfinder is parallax corrected even for the 28 mm frame lines, which are used with the Zeiss lens that focuses down to 0.5 meters (19.5 inches). The other thing that impressed me was the rangefinder. With its long effective base length, lenses mounted on the camera snapped right into focus. Bingo!
Build quality seemed comparable other recent, all metal Cosina bodies like the Bessa R2/3A, which are quite good. Like those bodies, it uses some plastic internal parts. The take-up spool, for example, can be easily seen to be platic as can the back door lock - an added feature which the Bessa bodies do not have. Frankly, the back door lock looked a little flimsy to me. The film advance lever & frame selector lever on the front ot the body both seemed a little thin to me. The frame selector mechanism was not working properly when I saw it - it only held the frame lines loosely in place so both frame lines were sometines displayed. This was only a prototype & the camera had been handled by hundreds of people (at least) in at least two different camera shows by that time. Who knows if it had been dropped, kicked, bumped, etc. Bottm line, however, is that I would have like these features to have been sturdier.
I will be looking for user reports re these features when the camera gets into circulation. The test for this camera will be to see how well Zeiss & Cosina have paid attention to detail. Most of the problems I have seen reported with Cosina cameras have not been due to poor build quality but to quality control & damage in shipping. In this regard, I think that the role of Zeiss in the partnership is very important. QC is one of the things they are good at, so I hope that there will be improvement in this area. I hope that the testing process will be rigorous so that little details like the ones I pointed out will be addressed if they don't hold up in testing. Finally, I hope that everything will be buttoned down tightly when the cameras are packaged & shipped. These standards should be in place as part of the higher cost that this camera is selling for. In the most recent article on the Zeiss page that yo so kindly linked, Zeiss says that they wanted to build a camera that will be rugged. I hope that they have & that's what I will be expecting. I will be disappointed if they fail to meet this goal.
I have stayed in touch with Hasselblad in Sweden since with numerous questions. They tell me that changes have been made since the development of the prototype, but that they are internal. I highly recommend contacting Hasselblad with any questions. They unfailingly respond within one business day & are exceedingly patient with even the smallest inquiries.
My impressions at the time were that the viewfinder is the cameras biggest asset. It is the largest & brightest of any rangefindeer I have seen. And I could walk right over to the Leica booth & look through the viewfinder of an M7 immediately afterwards. On the ZI, the 28 mm frame lines were easily viewable even with my glasses on. The viewfinder is parallax corrected even for the 28 mm frame lines, which are used with the Zeiss lens that focuses down to 0.5 meters (19.5 inches). The other thing that impressed me was the rangefinder. With its long effective base length, lenses mounted on the camera snapped right into focus. Bingo!
Build quality seemed comparable other recent, all metal Cosina bodies like the Bessa R2/3A, which are quite good. Like those bodies, it uses some plastic internal parts. The take-up spool, for example, can be easily seen to be platic as can the back door lock - an added feature which the Bessa bodies do not have. Frankly, the back door lock looked a little flimsy to me. The film advance lever & frame selector lever on the front ot the body both seemed a little thin to me. The frame selector mechanism was not working properly when I saw it - it only held the frame lines loosely in place so both frame lines were sometines displayed. This was only a prototype & the camera had been handled by hundreds of people (at least) in at least two different camera shows by that time. Who knows if it had been dropped, kicked, bumped, etc. Bottm line, however, is that I would have like these features to have been sturdier.
I will be looking for user reports re these features when the camera gets into circulation. The test for this camera will be to see how well Zeiss & Cosina have paid attention to detail. Most of the problems I have seen reported with Cosina cameras have not been due to poor build quality but to quality control & damage in shipping. In this regard, I think that the role of Zeiss in the partnership is very important. QC is one of the things they are good at, so I hope that there will be improvement in this area. I hope that the testing process will be rigorous so that little details like the ones I pointed out will be addressed if they don't hold up in testing. Finally, I hope that everything will be buttoned down tightly when the cameras are packaged & shipped. These standards should be in place as part of the higher cost that this camera is selling for. In the most recent article on the Zeiss page that yo so kindly linked, Zeiss says that they wanted to build a camera that will be rugged. I hope that they have & that's what I will be expecting. I will be disappointed if they fail to meet this goal.
Designer
Keven
That #10000005 Biogon 25 is tempting! Don't know if it is possible to see the approx. field of view without the aux. viewfinder.
Keven
Keven
Huck Finn
Well-known
I don't know, Keven, but why not submit your question to [email protected]. They will reply promptly. The importance of framing varies depending on the type of pictures you'll be shooting. Using the built-in finder without frame lines means that your view will not be parallax corrected, which is less of a problem if you're shooting landscapes than if you're shooting up close - 0.5 meters for this lens.
Huck
Huck
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
Huck: You are starting to max out my credit card ... ouch!!!
Trius
Trius
Huck Finn
Well-known
einolu said:
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Huck Finn
Well-known
Trius said:
Mine, too!!
:bang:
aoresteen
Well-known
Ditto on what Huck said on info from Hasselblad. The told me tha the first 1,200 ZI bodies would be "limited editions" in chrome. After that they will consider a black body. I'm sure that is on the top of their list. It's really easy to do, they are making the lenses in both black & chrome, and they are aware of the Contax G1/G2 fiasco with "black" bodies.
Hasselblad has had black bodies since the 70's. They would no want to lose a sale to a Bessa 3 or Leica M7 just becase they can't paint one blace.
I'll go a step further. After production ramps up you will see olive drab, hammer tone, ect colors as well. All for a premium price mind you!
Hasselblad has had black bodies since the 70's. They would no want to lose a sale to a Bessa 3 or Leica M7 just becase they can't paint one blace.
I'll go a step further. After production ramps up you will see olive drab, hammer tone, ect colors as well. All for a premium price mind you!
S
Sawdust
Guest
Tony,
Not aware of the "G2 black body problem. More please!
Dusty
Not aware of the "G2 black body problem. More please!
Dusty
aoresteen
Well-known
Dusty,
When the Contax G2 finally came out in black, Yashica would sell it ONLY in a kit with 3 black lenses (28, 45, 90). They would not sell just a single black G2 body.
In 1998 I wanted to buy a full G2 kit - 2 bodies, 21, 28, 45, and 90 lenses all in black. To do so I was required to buy two sets of 28, 45, and 90mm lenses. After many emails & letters I just gave up and went on to invest in Leica equipment.
Lately large dealers have offered single G2 black bodies but I understand they are buying the kits and breaking them down them selves. Maybe now that they want to dump Contax they will sell a single black body but it's too late. They missed the market.
Very stupid marketing on Contax's part.
When the Contax G2 finally came out in black, Yashica would sell it ONLY in a kit with 3 black lenses (28, 45, 90). They would not sell just a single black G2 body.
In 1998 I wanted to buy a full G2 kit - 2 bodies, 21, 28, 45, and 90 lenses all in black. To do so I was required to buy two sets of 28, 45, and 90mm lenses. After many emails & letters I just gave up and went on to invest in Leica equipment.
Lately large dealers have offered single G2 black bodies but I understand they are buying the kits and breaking them down them selves. Maybe now that they want to dump Contax they will sell a single black body but it's too late. They missed the market.
Very stupid marketing on Contax's part.
Illustrating the bottom and back of a black Zeiss Ikon...
doubs43
Well-known
DOUG! I see finger prints on the back of that camera! Have you actually been touching it? Have you no respect for revered and legendary camera marques?
If you send it to me I promise to wipe it clean and only use white cotton gloves when I handle it.
Walker
If you send it to me I promise to wipe it clean and only use white cotton gloves when I handle it.
Walker