Ikoflex

Mike,

A friend of mine has an Ikoflex and I have seen very fine 20X24 prints from it on his studio wall. My only concern would be convenience at weddings. I didn't even liked using a Rolleiflex at weddings because of the difficulty of fast film changes. This would be a problem with Yashica, Rolleicord, and Minolta Autocords also. My most favorite camera for medium format wedding photography is the Mamiyaflex C cameras...they load and unload very fast, take porrofinders, and interchangable lenses, and are reasonably priced...the back just drops down even when on a flash mount. The only way to use the Ikoflex would be to keep 3 or 4 loaded all the time and just keep changing cameras like film backs, which is probably what you plan to do. Then, I see no real problem, except, just be sure they keep on working and are always in good repair.

Mike: Zeiss Ikon made Ikoflex cameras from 1934 - 1960. The better ones had Tessar f3.5 lenses and Compur shutters.You would want one with a socket for flash. Make sure it will sync with electronic flash (marked X on the camera). I have one from the 1930's and one from the 1950's. Both have reflex finders, direct view finders, flip down magnifiers but no focusing arrangement for eye level viewing. In most respects they are like the Rolleicord, not the Rolleiflex. I believe only the Ikoflex Favorit (1957 - 60) had an exposure meter, but it is better to use a separate meter with these old cameras. Like the Rolleis, the Ikoflexes were good picture takers and may show a lot of wear for this very reason.

>> Anybody have anything to say about the Ikoflex TLR.

I have an early Ikofex TLR, circa 1939. I also have a 1940's Rolleiflex with the identical Zeiss Tessar 3.5 lens. The pictures shot with the two cameras are indistinguishable. The Rollei has a few design improvements that one would expect from a later camera, but I find after much usage I really don't have a practical preference for either. Great camera.

>> Does anyone know if they have a model with a speed finder like Rollie that you can focus with the magnifer on the back and use the speed finder without having to change the hood?

My Ikoflex does have a speed finder, but it doesn't use the magnifier. Since I largely use the camera with a tripod and set up my shots, I really can't provide much feedback about its usefulness.

Let me say at the outset that I'm a big Zeiss fan, and own both a Ikoflex 1c (Novar with meter) and the restyled IIA (w/Tessar) and a few other Zeiss cameras. Both take lovely pictures. However, as a TLR neither has the "feel" of my Rollieflex (MX-EVS Type II w/ 3.5 Tessar - which is much cheaper than the Planar/Xenotar models). It is just a joy to use and I find it more intuitive and user friendly. More accessories available as well to suck up excess cash. I'm not sure what you mean by the speed finder, but both have a "frame finder", but you have to focus in advance on the ground glass or use the "red dot setting" for maximum depth of field. The rap on the Ikoflex is that they are not as durable as the Rolleiflex and I can believe it, but they are fine cameras. Get a Rolleiflex if you can, but a late model Ikoflex will do. I suggest and prefer the IIA restyled model over other Ikoflex I've handled.

Thanks guys for the input. I have 4 Ikoflex TLR's coming from E-Bay.I believe I can mount a eyelevel prizm on the top with a little fabrication. If the image is anything like the Rollie TLR I have used in the past I can get over the hassel of using and loading 2 or 3 Bodies during a Wedding shoot. It looks as if the Ikoflex is the one that everybody forgot about. I see the Yashica TLR going for some large dollars on E-Bay.I will try to get a shot of the Modified Ikoflex with Eyelevel when I am done on the net to veiw. Its great to be in back of the lens again. I just can not justify the expense of a couple thousand dollars on a rb or Mamiya 645 that does not even match the quality of the image produced from the Ikoflex. Its all in the lens not the body.

I used to own an Ikoflex. The Tessar lens is comparable to the Tessar lenses on Rollei and Minolta TLR's in terms of image quality. I believe the model I had was an Ikoflex Ia, but I didn't convince myself of that with 100% confidence.

I can't speak for the other models, but the one I had would be a very poor choice for a wedding photographer's camera. The film loading ergonomics were atrocious-- no automatic sensing of the start of the first frame like on a Minolta, Rollei, or Mamiya TLR. There is a little red safelight window for seeing the 1 show up when winding off the leader. This could cause problems with light leaks or stray fogging with color film, particularly faster film. I came to learn how to count off the number of revolutions ot the crank and get to frame 1 reliably without opening up the red safelight window, but generally, the film loading is awkward at best, so much so that I think the camera would be a risk for any on-location event shooting where time critical events require quick action by the photographer.

Accessories are hard to come by also, and you can't get CLA's anymore, another major limitation for a wedding camera since leaf shutters need to be adjusted from time to time. Regular service to be sure your camera is working properly is a normal part of the quality of service your clients will be paying for.

If you are serious about doing weddings, do your clients a favor and get a more modern, better supported camera to use. If you are on a tight budget, you can go with Mamiya TLR equipment, one of the better tools for wedding photography available anywhere.

The later Ikoflex models had actual film counters. At least my 1c and IIa (restyled) do. However, I do second Joseph's suggestion of the Mamiya for your stated needs. They are heavy, they are built like tanks, but the flexibility and reliability are excellent. Try and find a C330 Pro and take it for a test drive. Indeed a great wedding outfit.