C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta C (catalogue number 530/2) is a 6x9cm medium-format folding camera introduced in 1934, fitted with a coupled rangefinder and a Carl Zeiss Tessar 105mm f/3.8 lens. It is the largest member of the Super Ikonta family -- larger and heavier than the Super Ikonta B (6x6) and considerably larger than the Super Ikonta A (6x4.5) -- and produces 8 exposures per roll on 120 film.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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About this camera
The largest Super Ikonta -- a 6x9 coupled-rangefinder folder with Tessar 105mm optics, introduced in 1934.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120, 6x9cm (8 exp per roll) |
| Lens | Carl Zeiss Tessar 105mm f/3.8 (fixed) |
| Catalogue number | 530/2 |
| Years | 1934 -- postwar (exact end date unconfirmed) |
| Shutter | Compur leaf: 1s -- 1/250s + B |
| Flash sync | Varies by example; later units have PC socket |
| Meter | None (some accessory mounts on later variants) |
| Battery | None |
| Viewfinder | Optical direct with coupled rangefinder |
| Focus | Self-erecting bellows with rangefinder coupling |
Zeiss Ikon introduced the Super Ikonta family in the early 1930s, with various models covering the major roll-film formats of the era. The Super Ikonta C of 1934 addressed the professional demand for 6x9cm output -- the largest practical format on 120 film -- in a folding body with accurate coupled-rangefinder focusing. The Tessar 105/3.8 was a proven formula: the four-element Tessar design had been in production since 1902 and was well-established as a sharp, reliable lens for medium-format work.
Production of the Super Ikonta C continued through the late 1930s and was disrupted by World War II. Zeiss Ikon resumed production postwar, and versions of the 6x9 Super Ikonta continued to be manufactured in West Germany into the 1950s. Later postwar examples may carry updated shutter designations (Synchro-Compur) and PC flash sync sockets that the original 1934 body lacked.
The Super Ikonta C competed directly against the Plaubel Makina IIr in the professional 6x9 folder market of the mid-to-late 1930s. Where the Makina used a strut mechanism for greater rigidity, Zeiss Ikon relied on the precision of its self-erecting hinged design and the brand authority of Zeiss glass.
The Super Ikonta C is historically significant as one of the most capable professional folding cameras of the 1930s. The combination of a coupled rangefinder with the 6x9 format and a Tessar lens gave working photographers a genuinely precise tool at a time when accurate focus in a compact, transportable camera was not trivially achieved.
The Tessar 105/3.8 is a well-regarded lens on modern film stocks: sharp from f/5.6, with characteristic slightly warm rendering and good contrast. The 6x9 negative at 105mm gives a field of view approximating a mild wide angle in full-frame terms -- a natural fit for portrait, documentary, and architectural subjects.
For collectors, the Super Ikonta C sits at a useful intersection: it is more common and less expensive than the Plaubel Makina IIr, equally capable in practical use, and supported by a broader pool of technicians familiar with Compur shutters and Zeiss Ikon body designs.
BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta C
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