The Exa!~

[alexkerhead]

I know this wasn't high-end back in "the day", but you could sure have fooled me with the features this camera has. Removable lens and prism. The quality is excellent, and this camera is down-right gorgeous!

Here are some pics of my latest acquisition.

[mickeyobe]

Alex,

I have an Exa to go along with my Exakta VX IIa which I used for many years.
I only used the Exa once.
I did not like the feel of it.
I found it too short to be comfortable in hand.

It lacked the one Exakta feature that would, in my mind , have made it more useful to an Exakta user - the cut off blade.

Nevertheless it is an excellent camera and was good value for the money considering the great many Exakta accessories that could be used with it.
And, as with the Exakta, changing lenses is a breeze compared to most of today's cameras.

I wonder if any other camera had a gear shift. Five speed, no less.

I do think its big brother, the Exakta VX and some of its subsequent models was/is one of the most remarkable and versatile cameras ever made. It has a host of useful features, was rugged, good to handle despite its peculiar shape and 360°film advance lever. It had endless accessories that enabled it to do anything that a 35mm camera could and can do.

I think your Exa will be an attention getter in your beautiful display case.

Mickey

[Reiska]

Exa is or rather was an excellent camera compared to many contemporary comrades in the Western World. Most of all it was cheap and "functional". The low price was a result of the need of a cheaper choice for Exakta and a shortage of foreign currency in the East. Mickey has it right, it is not very comfortable to handle. It is too chubby-cheeked, that you fear dropping it (despite of some contrarious opinions), so handle it carefully and put in your beautiful display.

I have EXA in my collection but it is a later version. Your camera has more pop rivets on the front. An excellent page to find information for your EXA is this: www.exakta.org/org35/orgexa/orgexa.html

Link to the page:My EXA II

Reijo

[Randy]

I'll tell ya what, it sure is a "looker" ain't it?

[John Parry]

Alex

I have several Exactas, including the Varex IIA (now there's a real pin-up Randy!), the VX500, and the RTL1000. I purchased an 'Exacta' look-down viewfinder for the IIA, but it didn't fit, because of the pin on the side that your photo shows beautifully (on the RHS).

I was told at the time just to chop it off, but that seemed like sacrilege so I bought another. Now I know what model it came from I can put it to use. Just need to buy an Exa with a standard viewfinder... Aaaagh!

Regards - John

[SidW]

John, that pin on the side of the WLF was a shutter lock to prevent accidental firing when the camera was closed. It was a feature carried over from the original pre-1940 Exakta Kine I, that didn't have interchangeable finders. It continued through the post 1945 version of the Kine I, and the Kine II (around 1948-49), still fixed finder. It lasted through the first versions of the Varex and its aliases V and Vx. I can't remember offhand when it stopped. Later Varex versions and successors had a catch that dropped over the release button. Wrotniak's site will show you which versions had the pin.

www.wrotniak.net/photo/exakta/index.html

PS: congratulations Alex on joining the Exakta gang.

And not forgetting Captain Jack's site:

captjack.exaktaphile.com/

I checked the locking pin there, it seems it was phased out from 1954 onwards, some Varex versions having it, others not.

[Deleted]

The Exa I was my first SLR. The shutter and mirror were combined.

Here's mine:

www.swcornell.com/camera/exacta.html

[alexkerhead]

Thanks everyone for the information and kind comments on the camera! I checked the sites you guys posted. Some cool stuff, and I will investigate further when i find the time.

[Robert Ross]

I was 19 years old when I purchased my first Exa-I, in the military. It would be nice to have it now.
At the time, I didn't appreciate its virtues. It was within my price range. Sure shows how the thinking changes over the years.

Robert

[drako]

A camera doesn't need to be "high end" to be a valued part of one's collection. I picked up a Kodak folder recently. There were a ton of these made but that doesn't do anything to denegrate its very high quality. The thing is in fantastic shape and I love it!