Who's looking forward to the Ikon

Huck Finn said:
Tony, I thought along the same lines. Didn't cameras like the M3 & Nikon SP have long base lines with the re-wind cranks on top? I don't know . . .Maybe body size was different on any of these cameras, maybe AE requires extra space somewhere. I would think they had a reason.

Cheers . . .
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Yeah, but isn't the arrangement different on the ZI? The viewfinder window is all the way to the left (from the shooter's perspective), where as on a Contax things were shifted to the right.

Trius
 
Trius said:
Yeah, but isn't the arrangement different on the ZI? The viewfinder window is all the way to the left (from the shooter's perspective), where as on a Contax things were shifted to the right.
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It is different on the ZI... perhaps as a result of the designers remembering the Contax II, and placing the two RF windows as far left as possible to avoid that old finger problem that users need to learn to cope with on the old Contaxes and Kievs. :)
 
Gee, Trius, that's a tougher challenge than coming up with the next "killer" camera feature! You best know your own SWMBO's receptiveness to various arguments...

I'll have to think up persuasive reasoning for mine too... But that can wait as I enjoy relishing the surely-to-be-realized juicy details of the forthcoming camera... 28mm framelines AND .74 viewfinder... that long easy-focusing baseline... the Zeiss quality control... compatibility with the M system... and miracle of miracles, a new film camera in this digital age!
 
Trius said:
Doug: That's what I thought. Better design. How do I get this past SWMBO?

Trius
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I dont know what that stands for, but Im guessing wife? My tip, have a another baby, and tell her you need a new camera to capture the moments.

If your a bit older, well, they do have aggressive invetereo programs now :)
 
You could always get a more understanding wife? After all, what's more important?

:angel:

(that is FIRMLY tongue in cheek, btw....)

;)
 
If you read the article in the latest ShutterBug, CV rejected the design that Zeiss came up with in their prototypes. It seems that CV had a significant input on the final design of the ZI. In any case, the camera needs some real world testing to see how it does. By September CV ought to be working on the ZI II.

I will wait for the bugs to be worked out and BLACK bodies to be made. Then I will get one so at the earliest I'm thinking Jan/Feb next year.
 
wlewisiii said:
BTW, I haven't heard anything back from Zeiss or Hassy about my query.

William
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William, I'm very surprised that they haven't replied. I'd try re-submitting it & see what happens.

Huck
 
aoresteen said:
If you read the article in the latest ShutterBug, CV rejected the design that Zeiss came up with in their prototypes. It seems that CV had a significant input on the final design of the ZI. In any case, the camera needs some real world testing to see how it does. By September CV ought to be working on the ZI II.

I will wait for the bugs to be worked out and BLACK bodies to be made. Then I will get one so at the earliest I'm thinking Jan/Feb next year.
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Shutterbug: "When they (Cosina) received the mockups from Carl Zeiss in December, 2003, they were almost appalled. There were several alternatives proposed, but what Carl Zeiss had recommended as the leading candidate had no hard edges, but instead was rounded everywhere: the edges were round, the the apron was round. . . Such a smooth design might beacceptable or even good as a domestic electric appliance . . . but it seemed totally out of contest as a camera design, or so it seemed to the Cosina team.

"In retrospect, it was the result of an attempt by the design boutique, Henssler & Schultheiss, to express a departure form the traditional Zeiss Ikon cameras, which were known by their peculiar dodecagonal body shape. Being edgy, rigid, sharp, and cold was synonymous with being "Zeissy," compared with Leica's round, soft, fuzzy, and warm atmosphere.

". . . Kobayashi and his staff were strongly opposed to the design recommended by Carl Zeiss. They believed that the sharp, edgy imagery of Zeiss Ikon cameras . . . was still alive in the consumer's mind, and it was a legacy on which to capitalize rather than be tossed away in the name of a "new departure." but at the same time it was believed that this camera should be a professional machine and its aesthetic manifestation should not be something round, fuzzy, and lukewarm.

"A dispute ensued, and it took eight months before a conclusion was reached in favor of Cosina. its present appearance . . . is edgy, square, cold, and rigid . . ."


Tony, I wouldn't read this to say that Cosina "rejected" the design that Zeiss came up with in the prototypes. I don't read any veto power here for Cosina. If anything, I'm left with the impression that Zeiss had the last word in decision making. It's important to note that Carl Zeiss is an optics company; they do not build cameras. They looked to others for design Ideas & listened to them. First, they contracted for a design from Henssler & Schultheiss. Then, they received input from Cosina. Combining this article with information from their website, I get the impression that they used focus groups both before & after the Cosina input to help with their final decision making. In the end, I think that Cosina just did a better job making their case to Carl Zeiss & that Cosina's recommendations held up better with the focus groups than did the ideas of H & S. But it was Carl Zeiss who had the last word.

I agree that Cosina had significant input into the final design of the ZI. In fact, what has emerged is that this has been much more of a partnership than we may have first been led to believe.

I think that you are wise to hold off until there is some real world field testing. Remember the Contax G & two year s later the G2? always a good idea to leth them work the bugs out on someone else's dime.
 
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