Exa I

image by Raúl Sá Dantas (Image rights)

This camera started production in 1963. It was built by Ihagee in Dresden. There was a latter model with strap eyelets. It incorporates a flash pc connection for electronic or bulb flashes. The range of speed shutters is very limited, 1/30 to 1/175 and B. The E. Ludwig, Meritar, 50mm 1:2,9, lens is of the preset type. One uses a ring to preset the f number, open the diaphragm to compose the image and then close it, to the preset f number, to take the picture. The waist level finder might be substituted by a prismatic finder and the lenses are also interchangeable. The shutter release is located in a odd location, over the lens to the left, opposite to the pc connector. What we may think to be the shutter release, due to it's position, it is, in fact the film release for rewind. It incorporates a countdown frame counter on the advance film / cock shutter knob and a film remainder on the rewind knob, the shutter speed selector is under and around the rewind knob. In the back there is a shutter lock device. The serial numbers, for this model, rage from 100 000 to 150 000