Zeiss ikon folders

[john.margetts]

On the other hand, the Zeiss folders are made from pressed steel and largely riveted together.

No, they are not. I have seven Zeiss Ikon folders and all seven have bodies made from die cast alumnium.

Edit: Yes, my Nettar 515/2 IS made from pressed steel (I just checked as my memory is not what it was) but is the only Zeiss Ikon folder of mine that is.

 

[PeterSpencer]

I've got four at the moment and they are all pressed steel, and the same with the couple of others owned in the past but none has had a die cast body. Even the Ikontas are pressed steel. Not that I'm contradicting you but that is my experience of the cameras.

 

[Ben johns]

As we are sharing....

Ross Ensign 16-20 on Portra 160 (2 shots stitched)

Catbells-Pano by Andy, on Flickr

Ross Ensign 12-20 on Fomapan 100, coincidentally the loco was built in 1954 the same year as the camera, fun fact

Weardale-Railway4 by Andy, on Flickr

And lastly the 820, massive camera, fairly heavy but a fabulous lens. Acros 100.

Mow-Cop1 by Andy, on Flickr

How much would you say the Ross Ensign 12-20 should go for? I’ve seen one that that has a much better range of shutter speeds than the zeiss I have

 

[Mr Badger]

How much would you say the Ross Ensign 12-20 should go for? I’ve seen one that that has a much better range of shutter speeds than the zeiss I have

Have a look at 'completed items' that have actually sold on eBay, bearing in mind that full working order and condition are everything! From what I've seen they seem to go for less than the 820 and the 16/20 versions fitted with the Ross Xpres lens (which was the most expensive lens option offered when new).

Oh, and try to get one with all speeds working perfectly, and don't change speed after cocking the shutter as you can damage the mechanism on the Epsilon shutter.

 

[Andysnap]

How much would you say the Ross Ensign 12-20 should go for? I’ve seen one that that has a much better range of shutter speeds than the zeiss I have

Difficult to say as they are the rarest of the three. I would happily pay £50-60 for a good condition example but I have seen them sell for a lot less and for a lot more.

There were two versions I think, the bog standard one had an albada viewfinder (just flips up a square to look through) and 12-20 special which had an un-coupled range finder in a regular viewfinder, these are rarer and more expensive. I had the ordinary version and never had a problem with framing in the viewfinder.

The latest sold items on the bay range from £65-102 for the special and £22-55 for the normal version.

They are a very well made camera and although bigger than the 16-20 they are still small enough to fit into a coat pocket.

Andy

 

[Ben johns]

Difficult to say as they are the rarest of the three. I would happily pay £50-60 for a good condition example but I have seen them sell for a lot less and for a lot more.

There were two versions I think, the bog standard one had an albada viewfinder (just flips up a square to look through) and 12-20 special which had an un-coupled range finder in a regular viewfinder, these are rarer and more expensive. I had the ordinary version and never had a problem with framing in the viewfinder.

The latest sold items on the bay range from £65-102 for the special and £22-55 for the normal version.

They are a very well made camera and although bigger than the 16-20 they are still small enough to fit into a coat pocket.

Andy

Cool cheers. I’ve seen one at £37 starting bid with the pop up square viewfinder. Also comes with a separate distance finder.

 

[Ben johns]

Have a look at 'completed items' that have actually sold on eBay, bearing in mind that full working order and condition are everything! From what I've seen they seem to go for less than the 820 and the 16/20 versions fitted with the Ross Xpres lens (which was the most expensive lens option offered when new).

Oh, and try to get one with all speeds working perfectly, and don't change speed after cocking the shutter as you can damage the mechanism on the Epsilon shutter.

Yea it says works perfectly, take that with a grain of salt until I’ve tried it if I get it!

 

[Mr Badger]

Yea it says works perfectly, take that with a grain of salt until I’ve tried it if I get it!

A shutter service (CLA) would usually cost somewhere between around £50 and £80 plus postage each way (if there's nothing broken and depending where you send it), so factor that in if you buy one with sluggish or stopping slow speeds.

 

[Mr Badger]

PS If you're wanting a small 6x6 folder then there's the Voigtlander Perkeo, which looks like a 35mm folder. If you do consider the Perkeo then I'd suggest getting one with a high spec lens (which I think might be the Color Skopar?) and full shutter speed range. They made some poverty (sorry, I mean budget!) models which had a lower spec lenses and a reduced shutter speed range. A high-spec Perkeo tends to sell for a bit more than the 12/20 though, or it did at the time I was looking and buying one a couple of years ago. Also the viewfinder is fairly small, but does it's job OK. If size doesn't matter too much I'd probably go for the Ensign version due to price and relative availability, but that's just my choice. Hope this is useful.

 

[Ben johns]

A shutter service (CLA) would usually cost somewhere between around £50 and £80 plus postage each way (if there's nothing broken and depending where you send it), so factor that in if you buy one with sluggish or stopping slow speeds.

Yea I just messaged the seller and although it was listed as works perfectly they said their not sure if there’s sluggish speeds as it was their late fathers...might be worth a punt but we’ll see.

 

[Ste_S]

I just managed to get a ikon netta to fill the hole left by my RB67 for landscapes. I really like the camera but my model is f6.3 with only 3 shutter speeds not including bulb. Is there a model that has a more usable range of speeds? I only really want a focal length of between 40-50mm on full frame and ideally 6x6

Some models of the 518/16 or Signal Nettar. There was a fair few variants produced, mine has a f4.5 75mm with shutter speeds of B,1/10,1/25,1/50,1/100,1/200

 

[niko]

out of interest do any of these old Ross Ensign folders have the threads for filters. just wandering about nd's on a bright day with their limited s.speeds

 

[Mr Badger]

out of interest do any of these old Ross Ensign folders have the threads for filters. just wandering about nd's on a bright day with their limited s.speeds

Push-on filters only, as far as I'm aware. So far I have a lens hood and a yellow-green filter for my Ensign Selfix 820, I should really measure the outer diameter of the lens on my 1620 and look round for a yellow or orange filter and lens hood for that too.

To be honest, it's probably going to be a case of using a 100 ISO film and a small aperture; having said that, I usually find it's not enough light that's the restricting factor, rather than too much.