When a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex Ic twin-lens reflex, “6×6” medium-format camera arrived, I was excited to try it out, at last! I guess what had me quivering with anticipation was the gorgeous glass — twin Novar Anastigmat f/3.5 75mm viewing + shooting lenses — and of course, the Zeiss Ikon reputation for great engineering and overall build quality.
The Ikoflex Ic TLR was manufactured between 1956-1960; discontinued the same year my mother was pregnant with me. Turns out that by 1961, Zeiss Ikon had abandoned medium-format cameras, the same year my mother delivered my small-format self into the world. Out of death, came life. One door shut, another opened… You get the point — it was a time of transition — deeply sorry about the tortured, maudlin metaphors! 🙂
Anyway, the Ikoflex Ic is another of my favorite cameras produced from the late 50’s to early 60’s, which seems to have been a great time for producing cameras (and babies). Here are some photos of the Ikoflex Ic I tested (see film info below), which will have a new owner/home by the time you read this post:
What film to test it with? Well, I generally prefer using expired film for testing vintage cameras, because it’s cheaper to buy (have you seen new film prices recently?) and I enjoy the risk/reward and random results when using film that was intended for exposure long ago. I mean, you don’t want to test an old camera, which may malfunction or not work at all, with fresh, full-priced film, right? Unless you’ve got money to burn…
So, I pulled an old roll of Kodak Verichrome Pan (black-and-white) 120/medium-format ASA 100 film, from a box of them I recently acquired at auction. Each roll of film was still “sealed” in its original box, but the boxes were all dog-eared, water-stained, and smelled of must and mildew. What could go wrong?!
The roll of old 120 film yielded 12 good negatives from this 6×6 square-format camera, six of which I’m pleased to share with you below. The other six were sort of lame, meh, duds, typical of when even a decent photographer is rushing to test an unfamiliar camera. We’ll just skip the duds and just show you the six good exposures:
Camera:Â Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex Ic TLR (Twin-Lens Reflex) 120/medium-format
Film:Â Kodak Verichrome Pan 120 (expired in 1998!) B&W/monochrome
Photographer:Â Russ Murray
Film Processing + Scans: Nice Film Club
Links with more info about the Ikoflex Ic:
- Pacific Rim Camera / Photographica Guide
- Ikoflex Ic Review / Matt’s Classic Cameras
- Matt’s Ikoflex Ic Video Tutorial/Walk-through
- Ikoflex PDF Manuals on Butkus.org
Thank you for checking out this post about the Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex Ic TLR along with my test photos shot using expired Kodak Verichrome Pan film!
Cameras+Films 