It's been a little more than a week since the Zeiss Ikon arrived. It's a good time to stop and review the camera, now that the initial euphoria has dissipated.

Body

• Nice feel, very solid with excellent ergonomics – particularly the position and action of the shutter release.
• Learning curve is a couple of minutes.
• Great viewfinder. I occasionally misplace my eye, which makes it tough to see the selected/recommended shutter speed. That happens probably one time in 25. Not a big deal.
• Switches, dials and levers feel very positive
• In "Leica fondler" mode, film advance feels rather lightweight. Not flimsy, because it doesn't flex, just lightweight. In use, I never give it a thought. Wind and fire, wind and fire.
• Managed to lose the little plastic cover to the PC flash synchronization socket. Probably fell off somewhere in the city.
• Picked up two hairline scratches on the back. I'm glad, because now I can stop fretting about it. After all, it's only a camera.
• The offset tripod mount is fine, although as noted, it's easier when it's in the center. I'm using Manfrotto tripods and a monopod with quick release plates, which attach securely to the Zeiss Ikon. No problems.

Lenses

• Like most bayonet mounts, it's simple to switch lenses. However, one note about the M mount is that it almost requires two hands because of the placement of the release lens-button. Probably will become easier through use. I've grown accustomed to the original Contax mount, which for me was very natural.
• Focusing is very smooth, and the lobe sometimes comes in handy.
• Lens shades are very well made, bayonet tightly to the lens and are pricey. But if you're going to pay that much for a lens, you might as well go the extra mile and get the proper shade.
• I generally face the camera down when removing the lens cap. I squeeze and just let it fall into my hand. It's too difficult to try to squeeze and lift. While I'm on this, it's tough to reattach the lens caps with the shades in place. At the end of the day, I just remove the shades, put the lens cap on and replace the shades.
• Haven't been able to make the lens flare again. Must have been a freak occurrence.

Just six rolls in, I'm very pleased with the camera system and the lenses I've selected.

I was happily shooting away at the stables today, finishing up a roll of Ektachrome 200. Then I switched to "A" and immediately saw a blinking "1," which could mean only one thing: I hadn't removed the lens cap. First time in three years I managed to do that -- lost about three frames. Also finished a roll of Agfapan APX 100. Will process that after work tonight or maybe tomorrow. I'm a bit behind in my plan to try to run 20 rolls through in the first few weeks. I guess I don't have as much free time as I would like.

It was cool out – about 40° Fahrenheit (about 4.4° Celcius), so I wore gloves while shooting. Didn't run into anything untoward. I was able to focus, advance film, change aperture, shutter speeds and even rewind with my gloves on. I was shooting mostly with the 50mm Planar and just a bit with the 25mm Biogon.

Today, I was shooting a lot with autoexposure, dialing in a bit of compensation for backlit subjects. Inside the stables, I did a quick check of the shutter speed and shot mostly wide open because the light isn't as good in there.

There's a cat there that apparently likes to sit on the horses, which don't seem to mind. He also will leap onto your shoulder from the ground, so I shot a couple of photos with a cat sitting on my shoulder.

I'll now ship out my two rolls of Ektachrome from the Zeiss Ikon. Results in another 10 days.

I sent an e-mail to Luigi Crescenzi, asking about the possibility of a half case for the Zeiss Ikon. He said he'll probably do one, once he gets the camera. By the way, if you check out his site, Leicatime.com, he has an XPan that looks like it's been to hell and back. It gives new meaning to the term, "brassing." His work is very nice – also pricey.

But photography has always been an expensive hobby.

I'll post an update about the possible availability of a half case, once I hear from him.