Danger: More GAS and the Zeiss Ikon ZM Rangefinder Camera

Self-control Failure

Yes, I utterly failed GAS control again. I bought another rangefinder camera, a Zeiss Ikon ZM. I used Leica M3 and M2 cameras for 40 years. They did not have built-in light meters, and I wanted extra convenience in a busy setting, such as city photography (or when the relatives were impatient). What camera body would provide auto exposure with M-mount lenses? Choices in 2025 were limited.

1. Minolta CLE from the 1980s. No, too old.
2. Leica M7. The luxury option - tempting! Nice!
3. Zeiss Ikon ZM from 2005.
4. Bessa R2A or R3A. My friend in town said repairs were an ugly experience, and he thought they felt rather discount. And now they cost $1200+ from the Japanese vendors. No.
5. Konica Hexar RF. Rare and may not be totally compatible with Leica M lenses (a controversial topic among internet warriors). No.
6. Rollei 35RF "Classic Edition," 2002. Special edition of the Bessa R2 camera. Rare.  

In 2025, Glazer's Camera in Seattle, Washington, listed a clean ZM for an acceptable price. I drove north and bought it. 

Zeiss Ikon ZM with 21mm ƒ/4.5 Zeiss C-Biogon lens and Leica 21mm viewfinder

Zeiss Ikon ZM

Zeiss started selling the ZM in 2005-2006. The camera was about the same size as a Leica M but was a bit lighter. It has a brilliant clean viewfinder. The auto-exposure function allows quick field work. Cosina in Japan manufactured the body, but it was significantly different than the Bessa bodies that Cosina also built. I will not review the technical details of the ZM because they are available on sites such as at Camera-Wiki and Casual Photophile. 

Some users complained that the rangefinder patch blanked out if their eye was not directly centered in the finder. This seldom was a problem for me. 

Zeiss also introduced a series of ZM lenses in Leica M mount. Many reviewers say the ZM lenses offer similar performance to Leica lenses but at lower price. I have the Zeiss ZM 21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon lens and love it. As of 2026, some of the ZM lenses are still available new. The 50mm ƒ/1.5 C-Sonnar is a modern update to the classic Sonnar formulation. 

Alas, despite the technical excellence, the ZM body did not sell well, and Zeiss ended production in 2012. Their timing was rough because the digital tsunami was overwhelming the photography world during the early 2000s. Very few new film cameras sold then, and the market was awash with used film cameras that people were clearing out from their homes and studios. (That was the time to buy great bargains.)

 

But today, the ZM appears to be selling well. It is an alternative to the much more expensive Leica M7. 

 

Zeiss Ikon body with 5cm ƒ/2 Summitar lens

Top view showing large shutter speed control

 

Incompatible M-mount Lenses 

The Zeiss Ikon body will accept most Leica M mount lenses as well as older thread-mount lenses with the appropriate LTM-M adapter. I have used mine with my 1950 5cm ƒ/2 Summitar lens and a 1962 Soviet Юпитер-8 lens. In fact, the Summitar performs better on this ZM body than it does on my Leica IIIC body (the latter has some problem in its lens mount). 

Leica M bodies have a rangefinder base length (meaning the distance from the middle of the viewfinder window to the middle of the rangefinder window) of 69.25mm. Leitz set this in 1954, and all Leica M cameras since then have used 69.25mm. The ZM has a base length of 75mm. Therefore, Leica lenses with auxiliary goggles will not work properly because the goggles will not align with the ZM's windows:

• 35mm ƒ/3.5 Summaron-RF
• 35mm ƒ/2.8 Summaron-RF (6-element design with lanthanum glass)
• 35mm ƒ/2 Summicron-RF (the famous 8-element design)
• 135mm ƒ/2.8 Elmarit

From personal experience, I know that the 50mm ƒ/2 Summicron-DR (dual-range) lens will not mount correctly on the ZM body. That is my favorite 50mm lens. Instead, I can use the Type 4 Summicron.

 

The body of the ZM is about the same width and depth as a Leica M. But the ZM is a bit taller. The film rewind is on the bottom, so the left side of the ZM is smooth. A Pentax MX camera is smaller in all dimensions except for the hump of the prism. 

 

The Pentax MX really is a gem of compact engineering. (I like geeky pictures like this. But, of course, they have little to do with real photography out in the field.)

 

Minor Repair

 

The shutter speed control lost its click detents. I do not know what shutter speeds it set, and I ruined part of a roll of film. Fortunately, the technician at Camera Solutions in Portland, Oregon, was able to repair it. But this was a simple mechanical issue; what about a more major failure, such as the electronic shutter?? 

Film Examples

 

Here are samples from Oregon and western Washington with various lenses. Click any picture to enlarge it.

 

 

Gift store, Newport Beach, Oregon (35mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens)

Post office, Menlo, Washington (5cm ƒ/2 Summitar lens)

House with posters, Naselle, Washington (21mm ƒ/4.5 Zeiss Biogon-C lens)

Attack flamingos guarding the property, Central Street, Olympia (21mm Biogon-C lens)

Graffiti, below Henderson Park Lane, Olympia (21mm Biogon-C lens)

Rail line, Henderson Park Lane (90mm ƒ/4 Elmar-M lens)

Motel, 1st Street, Shelton (50mm ƒ/2 Summicron (Type IV) lens)

Alley off Broadway, Aberdeen (35mm ƒ/4 Summicron lens)

 Summary

 

This camera is fun. The Zeiss Ikon ZM is easy to use and is lighter than Leica M bodies. All my lenses focus correctly. The 1950 Summitar lens performs remarkably well when  mounted on this body. The auto exposure system seems foolproof. 

 

Final thought: Highly recommended so long as you can accept the fact that the ZM is an electronically controlled device. It does not seem to be as robust as Leica M film cameras. If the ZM breaks, possibly only Zeiss in Germany will repair it (and at quite a price). 

 

Industrial Museum: The Georgetown Steam Plant, Seattle, Washington (Sea 13)

 

Georgetown Steam Plant, July 2019 (from Google® Maps)

Early in 2026, some Seattle-area film photographers posted an invitation on the Photrio forum to meet at the Georgetown Steam Plant. That was a nice idea to meet other photographers from the Puget Sound area.   

The Seattle Electric Company built the Georgetown Steam Plant in 1906-1907 to provide electricity for the city's electric streetcar system and for the interurban trolley. The plant was built near the Duwamish Waterway in the Georgetown area of Seattle. 

The Steam Plant is a National Historic Landmark, a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark, and a City of Seattle Landmark. According to the GEORGETOWN STEAM PLANT Community Development Authority (CDA), "We use SHTEAM (Science, History, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) to inspire the Community to envision and create a future where we all belong, and this historic building  generates Community Power." HistoryLink has a detailed history. 

Six or seven of us wandered around in the fascinating setting of pipes, machines, valves, ladders, and catwalks. It was like time travel to another era. My friends had a variety of cameras, mostly medium format. I used Kodak Tri-X 400 film in my Hasselblad 501CM camera with 40mm, 50mm, and 80mm lenses. My compact Linhof ProfiPort tripod supported the camera for all interior exposures. The light was directional from high distant windows, so all my exposures were in the ½ to 2 second range.

 

The mid-level catwalk may be the best way to get a sense of the scale of the machinery and piping.

 

One of two vertical Curtis steam turbines (40mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens)

Near the base of the Curtis turbine (40mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens)

Access gantry

Boilers (40mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens)

Steam piping. Is that asbestos sheathing?

 

Steam piping with access ports (80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens)

 

Classic precision gauges (80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens)

Dear Readers, maybe I showed you too many pictures. But I love the shapes, shadows, and textures of old industrial sites. And it is rare that you can enter a place like this legally. 

 

My 40mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens was very handy for this setting because of the tight spaces. My 80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens works well for both close and distant subjects. This is an 6-element double-gauss design. 

 

Northeast Photographics in Bath, Maine, developed the film and scanned it. The files were very contrasty. Tri-X 400 should have handled the range of exposures with normal development, but I could have specified N-1 to reduce the contrast. Regardless, the TIFF files contain plenty of data to manipulate with a curves tool. 

 

When you visit Seattle, take time to see the Georgetown Steam Plant at 6605 13th Ave. South. The Steam Plant is open to the public every second Saturday.

A Jewel in the City: Lake Union, Seattle, Washington (Sea 12)

 

Lake Union in June, 1995, view northeast from the Space Needle (Kodachrome 25 slide)

 

Overview

 

Lake Union is a freshwater lake entirely within the city of Seattle. The lake is a glacial basin, scoured out by the Vashon Glacier about 12,000 years ago. It receives fresh water from Lake Washington to the east and discharges to Puget Sound via the Lake Washington Ship Canal that leads west. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (Ballard Locks) maintain the level of Lake Union and allow boat traffic to transit from salt water to fresh water. 

 

Lake Union view NW with Queen Anne Hill to the left.

(2004 panorama taken with Hasselblad XPan panoramic camera with 40mm lens)

Lake Union view west towards Queen Anne Hill

(2004 panorama taken with Hasselblad XPan panoramic camera with 40mm lens)

 

November on Lake Union, view west to Queen Anne Hill

(Kodak Ektar 100 film, 50mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens at ƒ/2.8)

East Side  

 

When I lived in Seattle in the early 1970s, much of the shore around Lake Union was industrial, with shipyards, warehouses, a power plant, and miscellaneous boat activities. Today, the area south of the lake has transformed into condos, hospitals, cafes, and tech worker office buildings. The west shore below Queen Anne Hill has condominiums and restaurants.  

The east side of Lake Union along Fairview Avenue East is still industrial and interesting. Let's concentrate on this area. We will start near the Silver Cloud Hotel and walk north.

Seattle Seaplanes with Queen Anne Hill in the background

Seattle Seaplanes (Kodak Tri-X film, Rolleiflex 3.5E Xenotar)

You can rent a seaplane for a tour. The office is on the old yacht. 

 

Shed (floating?) at 1501 Fairview Ave. E. (Fuji Acros II, 25mm ƒ/4 Snapshot Skopar lens)

Lake Union Drydock Company

It looks like a homeless person occupied this old camper.

Howe and East Blaine Stairs

 

Seattle is hilly. The glaciers left drumlins throughout the Puget lowland. Early in the 20th century and continuing to recently, the City built stairs on the edges of many bluffs and hills. Sometimes, a street stops, and the stairs ascend or descend to the continuation of the street at a different elevation. Seattleites in the know use the stairs for exercise. 

A handy book, SEATTLE STAIRWAY WALKS, An Up-And-Down Guide To City Neighborhoods by Jake & Cathy Jaramillo, lists 25 of the best neighborhood walks in the city. 

If you are exploring east Lake Union, take the Eastlake, North Capital Hill, and Portage Bay walk. You walk under the I-5 pilings and ascend the East Blaine steps. Then you walk to the top of Capital Hill, past magnificent early 20th century mansions, descend to Portage Bay, then reascend and finally descend to Eastlake via the Howe steps. 

 

Underneath I-5 below the Howe steps (25mm ƒ/4 Snapshot Skopar lens)

East Blaine steps at Lakeview Blvd. E., 

Garage on Broadway East (50mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens)

Après Exploring

 

 Exploring the shore and walking 3.2 miles and about 800 steps is tiring. What do you do? Well, of course, you go eat seafood at Duke's Seafood South Lake Union. And drink a pale ale or two. Ahhh...

 

Health food Seattle style

 

The 2004 panoramas are from a Hasselblad XPan camera with 40mm lens. I had rented it at Glazers Camera for a project. I should have kept it longer and taken more panoramas around the city. The 2024 and 2025 photographs are from Rolleiflex, Pentax MX, and Leica M2 cameras with Tri-X and Fuji Acros film.

 

Ai Statement

 

The photographs and text above are mine, complete with flaws and strange syntax. I am not using Ai for any verbage. And all photos are from some place on earth with no Ai manipulation or removal/addition of "features." I consider that intellectual fraud. Here on Urban Decay, you will see the setting with all its warts and excess power lines and trash. I sometimes clean lint and chemical blobs from scans due to processing errors, and, of course, I crop frames as needed. But the scene in the frame is genuine, the photons that fell on some place at some time.

 

Dear Readers, thanks for your support. All comments/criticisms/scorn welcome. 

 

 

 

 

More Industrial South Seattle (Sea 11)

Short Note. Today is July 4, 2026. Happy 250th to all you readers. I remember the Bicentennial celebrations, which were for all Americans. We saw the Tall Ships in Providence, Rhode Island, and in Boston Harbor. Good times. They seem so long ago. Dear Readers, please stay optimistic and hopeful.

 

Central South

 

Seattle from South Holgate Street, Oct. 12, 2025

(Fuji Acros II film, Sears KSX Super camera, 135mm ƒ/3.5 Pentax-M lens, orange filter)

South of Seattle's downtown is an extensive industrial area of warehouses, manufacturing, railroad yards, concrete plants and Boeing Field. Fortunately, some public streets provide some good viewpoints.

 

View north from Spokane Street between 1st and 3rd Avenues (note Smith Tower in the distance)

I took this picture from under the Spokane Street viaduct, which connects to the West Seattle Bridge. There is no sidewalk on the bridge where you can take an elevated view of the scene. I suppose I could stop my car on the viaduct and and hope that I would not be smushed. 

 

S Holgate Street view east (mind the train)

(Sears KSX Super camera, 135mm ƒ/3.5 Pentax-M lens, orange filter)

Scrap metal rail cars, S Utah Street at Denver Ave.

(Leica M2, 90mm ƒ/4 Elmar-M lens, yellow filter)

Shed, Carlton Ave S, next to Connections Museum

(50mm ƒ/1.4 Pentax-M lens)

 

  

East Marginal Way South 

 

Former UPS warehouse, 11231 Tukwila International Blvd. 

(90mm ƒ/4 Elmar-M lens) 

Aero Motel, 7240 East Marginal Way S.

(Fuji Acros II film, Leica M2, 50mm ƒ/2 Summicron-DR, yellow filter)

South Garden Street from East Marginal Way South

East Marginal Way South, view north 

Fence near Aero Motel

Track parallel to East Marginal Way South (50mm ƒ/1.4 Pentax-M lens)

This ends our quick look at the industrial area south of Seattle's downtown business district. I took most of these pictures on Fuji Acros II film with Leica M2 and Sears KSX Super cameras. 

The Sears could be a decent camera, but of three that I tried, one was broken on arrival, and two others broke quickly. They just were not robust internally, which is a real shame. The winding geartrain may have included some plastic gears. No more wasting time with these Sears consumer bodies. Surprisingly, the 50mm ƒ/1.7 lens, made by Ricoh, is excellent. It is a classic 6-element double Gauss design, with multicoating at least on the front element.

 

One of the now defunct Sears KSX cameras. 

One could keep buying these inexpensive bodies on eBay in hopes of finding one that lasts, but they waste time to load film and test. It is better to just buy a Nikkormat, Nikon F, Pentax Spotmatic, or Leica M body that you know will be reliable.