Zeiss Ikon (the new one) in London?

vincentbenoit · 12-14-2005

Anybody knows of a store in London (or south east England) that has the new Zeiss Ikon in stock? I'd really like to get my hands on one (and my eye in the viewfinder) to make sure that it's the right camera for me.
Cheers
Vincent

MP Guy · 12-14-2005

robert white. he is a sponsor on this site

Huck Finn · 12-14-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorge Torralba

robert white. he is a sponsor on this site

And he has a great price.

Worth the trip down to Dorset.

vincentbenoit · 12-14-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huck Finn

And he has a great price.

Worth the trip down to Dorset.

Robert White, of course.

Still, Poole is a bit far away from Cambridge, and the opening hours are not the most buyer-friendly... Well, I'll just have to take a day off then.
Cheers
Vincent

Fred · 12-14-2005

Worth a visit, they generally prefer a call to say you want to pop over to check they've got what you want in stock. Oh and they don't open weekends.

Theres a chap called Trelawney who's very good, I spoke to him when I went to visit. Oh and I'm not affiliated with them or anything.

Have fun!

Plyn · 12-16-2005

Richard Caplan at 25 Bury Street, just off Jermyn Street, near Green Park tube has them in stock - I was in there on Saturday, and they are very happy to let you play.

Bill

Toby · 12-16-2005

The Classic Camera in Bloomsbury list them on their website -they're near the British Museum the price wasn't very good though (£990)

Huck Finn · 12-16-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby

The Classic Camera in Bloomsbury list them on their website -they're near the British Museum the price wasn't very good though (£990)

No, not very good at all. You can do far better in any number of other places, starting with Robert White. but it sounds like a convenient location for fondling.

vincentbenoit · 12-16-2005

Thanks Plyn and Toby for the tip. So, did you play with it?
Vincent

Plyn · 12-19-2005

Oh yes, very nice too. Good, solid build, beautifully finished, fantastic bright view-finder and feels very holistic with the 28mm lens. It was also useful to directly compare it with a used M6TTL at the same price - the M6 felt a bit denser somehow, and the viewfiner wasn't quite as bright. Given the choice I would have got the Zeiss - it had more of a tactile quality, the viewfinder was better and as a high altitude climber, the film loading would be much easier when wearing gloves. But Caplan wanted around £1,000 for it. I reckon I'll hold out for a second hand one - they are bound to come in after Christmas.

Bill

CJP6008 · 12-20-2005

I got one recently (from Robert White) with the 50mm Planar. The camera handles very nicely. As a glasses wearer I appreciate the big bright VF. The RF system seems good. A well laid out camera. Putting the rewind crank on the bottom was a smart move, allowing the RF base to be longer while keeping the body small. It is comforting to feel it brush my left hand as I wind on - always nice to know the film has taken up well.

On that subject the take-up spool has an interesting design and seems v easy to get the film leader secured in. Nice one.

My only gripe, and it is a very small one, is that the AE lock button, although aesthetically pleasing in its central position on the back of the body below the hotshoe (in the same place as the oddly located PC socket on an M6/M7), requires a thumb about an inch longer than mine to reach easily from the position my right hand takes up when shooting. (Perhaps there could be a niche market for thumb extentions for Ikon users...?)

All that said, there is not a whole lot to a camera body like that. It does what it does. The important bit is the lens on the front and I have not put enough film through it yet to have a good idea of what that is really like.

vincentbenoit · 12-20-2005

Thanks for the detailed report. The inconvenient positioning of the AE lock button had somehow escaped me... Not only do I have short thumbs

, but I'm also bespectacled and left-eyed

, so I guess this button will be very impractical to use. That's a pity, really, because AE is not very useful without AE lock.

tom_f77 · 12-21-2005

Vincent,

By the sound of it I'd say if you are left eyed you might find that you can just push the button with your nose... Could turn out to be perfect!

Tom

markinlondon · 12-21-2005

Hi, Vincent,

just been in the Classic Camera, they have ZI's (well, one anyway) in stock.

Mark

pab · 12-21-2005

I was in London last week and both Robert Caplan and Classic Camera have them.

markinlondon · 12-21-2005

Be sure to dress up if you're going to Richard Caplan, they wouldn't open the door to me last time I tried to call in there

Mark