Released 1937
This wonderful camera is one of the oldest in my collection, and yet I bought it specifically to use, not to look at. I wanted a medium format travel camera, because my medium format SLRs are too heavy to cycle with comfortably. This Super Ikonta folds up to a size barely larger than a modern digital compact, yet still produces 6×4.5cm negatives.
This camera was in quite bad condition when I bought it, but I had it restored. I wrote some notes about the Super Ikonta.
See all photos taken with the Super Ikonta A 531.
At a glance
| Lens | Tessar 7cm f/3.5 |
|---|---|
| Film | 120 |
| Focus | Coupled rangefinder |
| Meter | None |
Jonathan Gazeley 
Writing this in 2025. I still carry one of these in my backpack for my SE Asia travels. At my age (late 70s) carrying a lot of heavy gear, whether film or digital, is rather a chore, and the A531 fits the bill to near-perfection (98%).
Mine is a later model from the early 1950s. The Tessar produces wonderful colors if I meter carefully. We (the Ikonta that is, and of course I) have just returned from a week in Cambodia, most of which time I was at the fabled Angkor Wat temple site. Can I cheat a little and say I also took along a digital camera (my trusty Fuji XE2) with one lens, the 18-55 zoom, a few accessories, plus the 531 and my now-ancient Weston Euromaster which is almost as old as I am but still functions nearly as new. Oh, and 12 rolls of film, Ilford XP2, which gives me the exposure latitude I need in the tropical light.
Old cameras go on and on forever. I am convinced my A531 will outlast my Xpro2. It will also probably outlast me, but let’s not go there…
Very best regards from DANN, now in Surabaya Indonesia
LikeLike