The Exakta camera was one of the pioneers in creating the SLR as we know it today. The first use of the brand Exakta was on Ihagee cameras made for 127 rollfilm, now known to collectors as the VP Exakta. But historically, the most significant series is the one designed for 35mm film—originally cinema film—hence the German name "Kine Exakta."'
Exaktas were rather expensive cameras, used by professionals and serious amateurs. Beginning with the Exakta Varex, the lenses, eye-level pentaprism and waist-level viewfinders are interchangeable within all versions.
Ihagee never made lenses of its own brand. Instead, they relied on many of the major optical firms of their day to each produce a series of lenses for for the Exakta camera, e.g. Carl Zeiss Jena, Meyer-Optik Görlitz, Schneider-Kreuznach and E.Ludwig. Many lens types from other manufacturers were also offered.
The East German Zeiss lenses made for export, were marked from 1954 with different engravings. The brand name Carl Zeiss Jena is replaced by C.Z. Jena or Jena or aus Jena. The lens names Biotar, Biometar, Sonnar, Tessar, Triotar were replaced by the letter B, Bm, S, T, Tr.
After 1972 the name Exakta was applied to a variety of products; but to serious collectors, true Exaktas are ones made by Ihagee in Dresden, former East Germany and produced between 1936-72.
Exakta
- Often referred as Kine Exakta [1]
- Produced between 1936-49
- Version 1; There are 4 sub-versions [2] [3]
- Fixed waist-level viewfinder
- Two spellings:In late version the Exakta name with "c" is more common
Exakta II
- Often referred as Kine Exakta II
- Produced between 1949-50
- Version 2; There are 3 sub-versions
- The third sub-version has a limited interchangeable finder
Photo in Andrzej Wrotniak's website:[1]
Exakta Varex
- Produced between 1950-51
- Sold as Exakta V in USA
- Version 3; There are 3 sub-versions
- Removable viewfinder with SLR pentaprism or waist level finder by a catch on the camera body below the logo
Exakta Varex VX
- Sold as Exakta VX in USA
- Produced between 1951-56
- There are 4 sub-versions
Exakta Varex IIa
- Sold as Exakta VXIIa in USA
- Produced between 1956-63
- Version 5; There are 4 sub-versions
- In the last version there is a new name plate and logo: uppercase "EXAKTA" on black background
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| Exakta VX IIa Version 5.2 c.1962 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8
Images by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)
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Exakta Varex IIb
- Sold as Exakta VXIIb in USA
- Produced between 1963-67
- Version 6
- Film speeds moved to the top of the slow speed dial
- Fast shutters speeds follow the "modern" geometric progression from 1/30 to 1/1000
- The rewind knob has a crank handle
- There is not a finder release knob
Exakta VX1000
- Produced between 1967-70
- Version 7
- New body construction
- Instant-return mirror
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| Exakta VX1000 version 7.0 (1967) aus Jena T (Tessar) 50mm f/2.8 (Zebra)
Images by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)
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Exakta VX500
- Produced between 1969-72
- Version 8; There are 2 sub-versions
- Simplified version of Exakta VX1000
- No film knife
- No slow speeds; fast ones limited to 1/500
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| Exakta VX500 version 8.1 (1969) w/Jena B (Biotar) 58mm f/2
Images by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)
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Notes and references
- ↑ Kine Exakta is the first 35mm SLR camera. The camera's features were based on Ihagee-Exakta rollfilm 4×6.5 cm, an earlier SLR made by K.Nüchterlein who also designed Kine Exakta. Kine Exakta was introduced at the fair Leipziger Früjahrsmesse in spring 1936. This date is important that it is one and a half year earlier than the Sport made by GOMZ. Although, some authors say that Sport is the first 35mm SLR, based on the prototype design
- ↑ The classification of Exaktas in this page is according to Andrzej Wrotniak
- ↑ Notes about Exa/Exakta classification:from F.W. Tappe Andrzej Wrotniak made a very sensible classification, listed on his website. It is multi dimensional in setup, without being complicated.. Richard Hummel's 1995 book lists an "one dimensional" classification, which is incomplete, but many sources still refer to this. Aguila and Rouah (A&R) in their 2003 edition of "Exakta cameras 1933 - 1978", come to an improved classification. They built on their previous 1987 edition classification, which was the leading standard among collectors. Klaus Wichmann, prolific writer of books about Exakta - and Exa cameras, published his classifications earliest.
Links
![[1]](http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/exakta/_img/x/ex-22%2821%29-671607-x.jpg){kind=link}