The Diminutive Zeiss Ikon Ikonta

      At just about five inches wide, the Zeiss Ikon Ikonta is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand. What's more, at just a wee bit over a pound, it's light enough to carry around all day without breaking your back. And because it's a folder, you can even slip it into your pocket when you're not using it.

     As is true with other Zeiss cameras, the fit and finish on this little jewel are superb, and so are the mechanics. You can barely hear the shutter click when you release it. The focusing mechanism is as smooth as butter, as is the aperture adjusting ring which has no click stops.
     The front cover drops down and clicks into place securely. The film advance and rewind knobs operate smoothly. The back swings open for easy loading, and the shutter release (photo, ten o'clock ) is nicely placed.
      The Ikonta features, also, a self timer, as well as flash synchronization with an old style connector that wouldn't be a problem for me because I never use a flash unit. Another plus is that, unlike many other vintage cameras I've seen, this one has strap lugs.
   

     That said, I have to admit that the Ikonta isn't a camera everyone would fall in love with. The lens, for example, is a 3.5/45mm Novar Anastigmat, which is not exactly the gold standard among lenses. And the camera's top shutter speed is an uninspiring 1/300 second.
     Because the camera has no rangefinder, you must estimate distances when you focus on a scene. Fortunately, however, the 45mm lens offers excellent depth of field. Finally, you must cock the shutter manually either before or after you wind the film forward.

      It takes fairly nimble fingers to operate this camera. Notice how crowded the controls are. But there are advantages. At least the shutter release at the right in the photo (left) is substantial in size, and the focusing ring that encircles the lens is easily accessible and moves smoothly.     


        Interestingly,  the oversized  film advance and rewind knobs are at the bottom of the camera. To rewind the film, you push in the button on the advance knob to disengage the take up spool. Then you must reset the film counter manually. At the left in the photo you can see the tab that you push down to operate the sliding lever that opens the camera's back. Note the simple, uncluttered design.
              
        Seen from above are a very basic film type indicator dial on the left topped by a screw that supports the camera's film take up spool.
         On the right is another unit that seems to be merely decorative. I think the camera's designers added this disc to help achieve a sense of balance.
         Obviously, if speed, convenience, and automatic gizmos  are your middle name, the Zeiss Ikon Ikonta isn't the camera for you. But if, like me, you enjoy the challenge and sense of satisfaction offered by this historic image producer, then you'll probably enjoy using it