Exakta 66 (vertical)

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See also the earlier horizontal Exakta 6×6 and the West German Exakta 66 of 1986.

The Exakta 66 vertical model is an SLR camera for 6×6 cm pictures on 120 film, launched at the September 1952 Leipzig Autumn Fair by Ihagee of Dresden, East Germany[1]. It was made for a few years from 1953 (McKeown dates it to 1953-4,[2] and an article in a 1953 edition of Exakta magazine states that the camera would probably be available before the end of that year;[3] the camera was certainly still available in 1958.[4] It replaced the earlier, horizontally-oriented Exakta 6×6 of 1939 and its short-lived successor prototype of 1951, which was withdrawn because of production problems.[2] It is completely different in design from that camera. The film is loaded in interchangeable backs, and runs vertically, with the supply spool at the bottom.[5]

The camera has a cloth focal-plane shutter with a very wide range for the period — 12 seconds to 1/1000th plus 'B' and 'T'. The speed is set with separate fast and slow speed dials on the right hand side of the body. The upper dial sets speeds from 1/25 - 1/1000 second, 'B' and 'T'; the lower dial has separate scales for 1 - 12 seconds, and for 1/5 - 6 seconds (this second slow speed scale is for use with the self-timer).[5] The shutter release is a button on the bottom right corner of the front. It is threaded for a cable release.

The shutter is synchronised for flash, with a PC socket on the left shoulder of the body. The synchronisation delay is adjustable for bulb and electronic flash, with a dial on the left side of the body. There is no accessory shoe, but the camera has two ¼-inch tripod bushes, to which a flash holder might attach (a bulb flash is in the 1958 price list[4]). In addition to the tripod mounts, the camera also has a table-stand at the front, so that it will stand upright on a flat surface.

A range of high-quality interchangeable lenses was made for the camera. The standard lens is an 80 mm f/2.8 Tessar with preset aperture: McKeown states that lenses between 56 mm and 400 mm were made.[2] The lenses have helical focusing, and a bayonet mount. Some of the lenses are illustrated in a 1953 edition of 'Exakta' magazine,[3] and the article refers to Meyer f/3.5 Primotar lenses in 85, 165 and 180 mm, and f/5.5 Tele-Megors in 150, 180, 250 and 400 mm; a rather smaller range of lenses (and only long focal lengths) is in the 1958 price list.[4] As with other Exakta cameras, extension tubes and a bellows were available for close-up work.[4]

The viewfinder is interchangeable. The standard finder is a folding waist-level hood, with a loupe and the facility to fold the front panel to form a frame finder, familiar on TLR cameras. The user's manual refers to a pentaprism finder as 'in preparation':[5] however, the advertisement shown here does not mention this attractive accessory at all, and it is not in the 1958 price list.[4] No example has been seen with an Ihagee prism; one was sold at Christie's in 2003 with the prism from a Kowa camera fitted.[6] The focusing screen includes a magnifying lens (i.e. it is a condenser with a ground bottom surface), and this is also interchangeable with a 'special' one according to the manual (presumably allowing for alternative screens to be introduced later; perhaps ones incorporating a split-prism rangefinder spot).

Between the two speed dials is the film advance winder, which also tensions the shutter. Frame spacing is automatic, and there is a frame counter above the winding knob. There is a double-exposure prevention interlock, which has an override mechanism (this is stated in the advertisement shown here, and in the article about the camera in 'Exakta' magazine,[3] but it is not explained in the user's manual.[5]

Notes

  1. http://www.dresdner-kameras.de/ihagee_exakta/exak6x6/exakta_6x6-kameras.html
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). p428.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Exakta magazine Vol. 2, No. 2, 1953, p26-7 at Hugo Ruys' Ihagee.org.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 US Exakta price list, 1958 (the 66 is on page 5), at Ihagee.org.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 User's manual at Ihagee.org.
  6. Exakta 66 serial no. 600851, with a Kowa prism viewfinder, sold in April 2003 at Christie's in London.


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