Zeiss Ikonta 520/16

A stunning little folder from 1937/38!

It's Bank Holiday Monday here in the U.K. Why not post another blog? My millions of readers will be sat there with nothing vintage photographic wise to look at and this little folder was sat right next to the Butchers Carbine, doing nothing, so here we go! This Ikonta was bought years ago at a local house clearance auction in Ilkley West Yorkshire. There was no evil bay then, if you wanted to find nice cameras you had to get out there and find them! Hard work, very time consuming but great fun! Oh and the cameras were much more affordable then too.

The Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 520/16 was produced in 1937 to 1938 in Dresden in Germany. It took 12 6x6 (2 1/4 square )images on 120 Roll Film. This particular example has the 7.5cm Novar f3.5 Anastigmat lens in what is I think a Compur shutter although there are no markings on it, with the following speeds, T, B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 300, so a really good fully speeded shutter of its time.

The shutter today sings as sweetly as it did in 1937, no hesitations on the slow speeds, no stuttering, no jamming, just purring away as if it was made yesterday, not 88 or so years ago.

I think this is why today, a Zeiss Ikonta, Nettar or Super Ikonta should be the first choice if you are wanting a vintage folding camera to use. Everything about them speaks quality, the chrome and nickel plating, the lens, the shutter, the body covering, the leather bellows, even the cases were all made of top quantity materials.

I mean these camera bellows are 88 years old, look at them, no pin holes tares or cracks, this leather is still perfect in 2025. If this was an Agfa Isolette, which are lovely well made cameras, the bellows would be full of holes and and chrome would be dull and rubbed off. If it was a Balda the chances are it would have a few mechanical faults, even an Ensign Selfix, one of my favourite folders, would not be as good today as this Ikonta.

Look at some of the nice details, they did not have to make these so elaborate, yet they did.

A plain flat plate would have sufficed, but no, the people at Zeiss did it right! This is a viewfinder!

The Zeiss Ikon logo shown proudly on the struts, both sides.

And embossed into the baseboard covering.

Made in Germany. Industria Alemana.

No mistaking the Zeiss models with their number code system. Very Germanic.

Inside the camera back.

Don't use anybody's films, use Zeiss Ikon film of course. I wonder who made the film for them, or was it their own?

The body number on this particular camera is B 43695, the lens or shutter number seems to be obscured by the aperture plate, there is definitely a number underneath it.

The camera is very pocketable though quite heavy at 551g, but it is much better than lugging a big TLR around with you for those 6x6 images. I used the 16 on 120 version of this camera extensively in the 1980's for black and white landscape work, it also had the Novar lens and was capable of giving fantastic results. Top quality medium format in your pocket. This one is crying out to be used, so I better shape myself and get some film put through it. I can't wait!

Even the case was of top quality. It still has the sale room lot tag on it from when I bought it. It is a shame I never used it at the time, but there is no excuse now !

Let us see what it can do !

I hope you enjoyed this quick post. The Ikonta and the Toyoca 66 are the next two 120 film cameras I'm planning to use, as for 35mm, well the 1959 Praktica IV has been repaired, the shutter and mirror faults all sorted, I'm just waiting for it to come through the post, so that will be the next 35mm one to use. I have managed to sort the sticky shutter on the Toyoca 66 thanks to some good advice from Ed, one of the million subscribers to this Blog! Cheers for that Ed.

I'll leave you with this 1930's oven, complete with period cameras!

Enjoy what is left of your Bank Holiday,

Take care,

Phil