The Super Ikonta series from Zeiss Ikon started their life in 1934. In that year, Zeiss Ikon released three Super Ikonta cameras for the 120 format. They were remarkable cameras and continue to be so until present day. A good Super Ikonta has unprecedented image quality, they are the Rolls Royces in build quality when it comes to medium format folder cameras.
The three cameras that were launched in 1934 very nicely had their own strengths and there was a model for every wallet.
Read on to see if the Super Ikontas fit your bill!
There was the Super Ikonta A, which gave 16 6cm x 4.5cm shots per roll. The next model was the Super Ikonta B and it had a 6×6 format. The camera had an auto framing mechanism and there was no need for a little red window that you had to line the frame number up with. However, this went at the expense of one frame, so the Super Ikonta B put 11 shots on a roll, rather than 12. Then there was the Super Ikonta C. This camera delivered just eight shots on 120. There’s a lot of negative in that 6×9 size! Downside, it’s a pretty large camera and hefty too, weighing in at almost 800 grams.
I prefer the Super Ikonta B, for its smaller size, its 80mm 2.8 Tessar lens and its square format. It’s the perfect companion to a Rolleiflex actually.
Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikonta B, 1937. The Way-Back Portrait Machine.
Photo gallery
The Garden Shed
Shot in the back yard of my in-laws, on Kodak E100G slide film. You can see the light fall-off in the corners, usually I’d correct it in software but for this case I kept it since it adds to the historical feel of the shot. I love the colors from the uncoated Tessar with this slide film, unfortunately I’ve shot my last roll of it…
Cemetery Tour Guide
A portrait of my dear friend Lucas, which was slightly overexposed (see the man in the background still glow?) but I was able to correct it to a very sharp and beautifully colored portrait. The Tessar is very well-corrected for its age, this is a pre-war lens and it hardly swirls in the background. I love Zeiss glass.
Here’s what the camera can do, shot from a train window at station Rheine, on the way to Berlin in summer 2015, Kodak Portra 160.
Anyway, here’s a table with all the most seen guises of the Super Ikonta models, their year of ‘birth’ and some specifications on them. So you can get your story straight, should you decide to get your own Super Ikonta!
| Camera model |
Year | Film Format | Specifications and Details |
| Super Ikonta A |
1934. | 6×4.5 on 120 | Model 530 with Compur shutter and uncoated 75mm 3.5 Tessar. Some models have Klio shutter. |
| Super Ikonta A |
1937. | 6×4.5 on 120 | Model 531 with Compur Rapid shutter and uncoated 75mm 3.5 Tessar ( some with Novar ). |
| Super Ikonta A | 1948. | 6×4.5 on 120 | 1948. Model 531 with Compur Rapid shutter and 75mm 3.5 Xenar. Mostly coated lenses. |
| Super Ikonta A | 1950. | 6×4.5 on 120 | Model 531 with Compur Rapid X shutter and coated 75mm 3.5 Tessar. |
| Super Ikonta A “MX” |
1952. | 6×4.5 on 120 | 1952. Model 531 with Synchro Compur shutter and coated 75mm 3.5 Tessar. |
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| Super Ikonta B | 1935. | 6×6 on 120 | Model 530/16 with Compur Rapid shutter and uncoated 80mm 2.8 or 3.5 Tessar. |
| Super Ikonta B |
1937. | 6×6 on 120 | Model 532/16 with Compur Rapid shutter and 80mm 2.8 Tessar. Postwar versions have coated lens. |
| Super Ikonta B “MX” |
Year | 6×6 on 120 | Model 532/16 with Synchro Compur shutter and coated 80mm 2.8 Tessar. |
| Super Ikonta III | 1954. | 6×6 on 120 | Model 531/16. Late model version of the “B” with revised rangefinder. Synchro Compur shutter and 75mm 3.5 coated Tessar or Novar. |
| Super Ikonta IV | 1956-60. | 6×6 on 120 | Model 534/16. Similiar to Model III but includes meter. Synchro Compur shutter and 75mm 3.5 coated Tessar. |
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| Super Ikonta BX | 1937. | 6×6 on 120 | Model 533/16 with Compur Rapid shutter and uncoated 80mm 2.8 Tessar and uncoupled exposure meter. |
| Super Ikonta BX | c. 1946 | 6×6 on 120 | Same as the model above but with a coated 80mm 2.8 Tessar and uncoupled exposure meter. |
| Super Ikonta BX “MX” |
1952. | 6×6 on 120 | Model 533/16 with Synchro Compur shutter and coated 80mm 2.8 Tessar and uncoupled exposure meter. |
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| Super Ikonta C |
1934. | 6×9 on 120 | Model 530/2 with Compur Rapid shutter and uncoated 105mm 3.8 or 4.5 Tessar (some have a 120mm F4.5 Triotar lens and a Klio shutter ). |
| Super Ikonta C |
1937. | 6×9 on 120 | Model 531/2 with Compur Rapid shutter and 105mm 3.8 Tessar unit 1938, then 105/3.5 or 4.5 Tessars. Postwar versions have coated lenses. |
| Super Ikonta C “MX” | 1952. | 6×9 on 120 | Model 531/2 with Synchro Compur shutter and coated 105mm 3.5 Tessar. |
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| Super Ikonta D | 1934-36. | 6.5×11 on 616 | Model 530/15. Uncoated 120mm 4.5 Tessar. |
Recently I acquired a Super Ikonta BX that has an uncoated lens, but over time the glass ‘bloomed’ a bit, providing natural coating. I will be shooting that camera with B&W film soon, to see what it can do! Looking forward to that!
Saved as a favorite, I like your blog!
Trying to consider which model to buy from what is available and your list has been invaluable! Thank you.
Really nice article, example shots and a great summary of the different Super Ikontas at the end.
One slight correction: I have a Super Ikonta A, Model 530 from 1936 (pretty certain of this as I cross-referenced the lens and shutter serial numbers). The Tessar lens focal length stamped on the lens rim is 7cm (70mm) rather than 75mm.
Whatever the focal length, it takes fabulous images for a camera fast approaching its 90th birthday!