Zeiss Ikon Ikonta D (c. 1938)

Documentation on the Ikonta D is thin, and the naming makes it worse. Period listings call the camera both the “Ikonta D” and the “Ikonta D 520/15.” A closely related model, the Ikonta 520/2, shows up more often in surviving listings and sales. The research record does not establish how these designations relate. The D might be a specific sub-variant, a regional marketing name, or just one iteration in the 520 line. The page flags that gap rather than blurring it.

Here is what is reasonably established. The Ikonta D 520/15 was a folding medium-format camera, with at least one surviving example dated to 1938. A period YouTube title (cited as a source, not a review) identifies an Ikonta D 520/15 fitted with a Tessar 12cm f/4.5 lens and a Compur shutter. The exact shutter speeds are not recorded. Period listings describe the finish as black with chrome trim. The related 520/2 carried a Novar-Anastigmat 6.3/10.5 lens, which suggests the Ikonta line came with different lens tiers depending on the variant.

The Ikonta name sat at the top of Zeiss-Ikon's folding camera line. As Camerapedia notes, the Ikonta badge denoted generally superior quality compared to the corresponding Nettar models, the budget line Zeiss-Ikon also produced. These were the better-built folders of their era, even if the history of the D variant has largely slipped from the written record.

Surviving examples do turn up on the collector market. A Dutch listing offered a 520/2 with case at €75. A French listing showed a generic “Zeiss Ikon Ikonta” at €29, though it doesn't name the exact model. No original launch price for the Ikonta D is documented.

Known specs, such as they are:

• Type: Folding medium-format camera
• Model designations found: Ikonta D 520/15; related 520/2
• Lens (520/15): Tessar 12cm f/4.5
• Lens (520/2): Novar-Anastigmat 6.3/10.5
• Shutter (520/15): Compur (speed range not recorded)
• Finish: Black with chrome trim
• Date: One surviving example dated 1938

Gaps remain: no full production span, no dimensions or weight, no viewfinder specifications, and no film format confirmation beyond the general “medium format” designation of the Ikonta line. If you own an Ikonta D and can add to the record, the Archive would welcome the details.

Similar items on eBay

No exact Zeiss Ikon Ikonta D listings are live right now — these searches show current Zeiss and similar vintage camera gear on eBay:

As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.

Related Models

• Zeiss Ikon Ikonette (504/12) (1929)
• Kodak Junior Six-20 (1935-1937)
• Kodak Vollenda 620