It's now Sunday, and I've been without the Zeiss Ikon since Tuesday (Dec. 6).

I had to send the camera back to Hasselblad USA for inspection. Basically, what happened is that while I was out shooting some Ilford FP4+ last Sunday, I noticed something odd with the viewfinder. When I released the shutter, the secondary image in the rangefinder shifted slightly. From my experience, I know this isn't supposed to happen. After some correspondence with Hasselblad, I shipped the camera to them.

The design of the Zeiss Ikon's rangefinder system, as pictured in the camera's brochure. One of the pieces in my camera appears to be loose.

If this were an older camera, I simply would have pulled the top of the camera and checked it myself. I would guess that one of the pieces in the rangefinder has come loose. Possibly it needs to be tightened, or maybe it needs one or more parts to be replaced. The camera will be shipped back to Japan for inspection and correction.

The framelines don't shift, so it probably is occurring in one of the pieces marked in yellow.

We'll see what happens. It's just a camera, and life goes on. I still have to go to work. Bills need to be paid, and the dog needs to be let out. This isn't the end of Western (or Eastern) civilization. Still, it's very disappointing, and I'm not pleased that I have to return a camera that cost me a considerable amount of money.

However, maybe it's best that it happened to me, as I'm writing this ongoing review of the camera, and everyone can see the good and bad of what happens. As we know, very few mechanical devices are immune to problems.

This still doesn't diminish my opinion of the camera. It's a well-made machine. I really like this camera a lot and am very anxious to have it back.

In the meantime, I can turn to one of the other cameras in my cabinet. This week, I've been using a Contax IIa with TMax 3200, a Contarex with Kodak Gold 200 and a Rollei A110 with Agfa 200. I also scanned some film from one of my favorites, the Tenax II, which takes square 24mm x 24mm photos. The square format is a favorite of mine, and using it in 35mm is a treat.

The half case

Luigi Crescenzi, who has made a name for himself by producing a half case for the Leica and other cameras, now has one available for the Zeiss Ikon. Simply, a half case is the lower half of an everready case, although it's missing the snaps and the tripod screw that often is used to attach the everready case to the camera.

Mr. Crescenzi makes some of the nicest half cases on the market. They are priced higher than an everready case, but keep in mind that these are made by hand and in limited quantities, and that always pushes up the price of goods. 

The price for the Zeiss Ikon case is the same as what he charges for his other cases, and is available in either black or brown. You can take a look at his Web site, Leicatime.com, for further details. I purchased a black case. It probably will arrive some time this week. Of course, I won't have a camera for it. Grrrr.

As the saying goes, watch this space ...