Category: REVIEWS

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Icarex 35: the marriage of Zeiss-Ikon and Voigtlander

Zeiss Ikon Voigtlander Icarex 35CS

By the end of the sixties the final battle of the German cameras began. The competition with Japan was killing World’s leading camera manufacturer. Too complicated camera’s, too expensive, far too less innovative. And all that the Japanese cameras offered, producing high tech and cheaper cameras in many brands and designs. Zeiss Ikon and Voigtlander tried one last approach: to combine their strengths with the famous Icares series, the ultimate SLR for 135 film.

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A world apart: Voigtlander Prominent

Voigtlander Prominent

It was in 1952 the first range finder camera with leaf shutter and interchangeable lenses. The Prominent offered expert picture quality, and was much cheaper than its counterparts, the Leica and the Contax. The camera never became very popular, it just gave users not the same feeling. Maybe now is the time to change that wrongful idea. The Voigtlander is an astonishing but stubborn design which is reflected by its “all is different” approach.

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Voigtlander: Better, Best, Bessa

Voigtlander Bessa RF

A little art deco, as seen by the black glossy top with three view windows. Oversized buttons with artful black and white circles. A leather bellows held firmly in place by a cleverly engineered and sturdy cover plate. On the front, an advanced Compur Rapid shutter containing a bright Helomar lens. We are talking about the legendary 1938 Voigtlander Bessa RF Rangefinder. One of the best medium format cameras ever made.

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German ambitions from Japan: Review Mamiya C3

Mamiya C3

Japan became the heir apparent to Germany in the 1970s in terms of innovation and quality of cameras. Not surprisingly, they spent decades learning and copying from the Germans. But production, innovation and quality could be cheaper and ultimately better in Japan. Mamiya has been one of the best students of the German class. The legendary C3 is a good example in this review.

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The tale of the three Leicas

Leica M6 Barnack X1

No enthusiast camera collector will escape one or more Leicas sooner or later. Once I was a fierce opponent of Leicas, because of the absurd prices and the arrogance that radiated from the brand. But with my first Barnack, a 1934 Leica IIIa, it was love at first sight and it didn’t stop there. In the meantime I own two more cameras which this story is about and show why my Leica heart has grown even bigger.

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