Ihagee Exakta EXA 0

[Stephen]

Another Ebay purchase, a nice condition EXA 0,from 1961/2, with the E. Ludwig Meritar Standard F2.9 50mm lens, with a case and metal hood. I rather like Exakta and EXA cameras, they are quirky, but can take really excellent photographs.

Everything works fine, including the odd gearchange speed adjuster for the 15oth to 125th + B range. The Mirror acts as shutter, with a second blanking plate in the simple EXA design.

It has the Exakta viewfinder and can take an Exakta pentaprism, one of which is coming soon from Germany, Dresden in fact!.

This particular EXA 0 camera has the waist lever only viewfinder, with magnifying lens, rather than the dome sports finder version.

It has a metal hood, and appears to match the lens as there is a cut out for the reference mark for apertures. I do not think it is made by Ihagee.

The only minor issue is the camera back leather, which has been replaced with the wrong type, a hard black leatherette, and although neat, is badly fitted with no allowance for the raised pressure plate housing, resulting in it being too narrow at that point. Fortunately I have some of the right pattern black softer real leather to re-fit.

Takes all the close up accessories and most lenses, although very long focus lenses vignette a bit I believe, with this type of shutter at the top edge. Test film to be put through next.

Stephen

[Stephen]

A photograph of the Rochester Town Crier, using the EXA 0, E.Ludwig Meritar 50mm F2.9 standard lens, Efke 100 film from bulk roll. Sepia tone was added in The Gimp

Not a bad result for a relatively simple lens. I will put a whole film in to try it out more soon. .Awkward to take the shot with only the waist level finder!

Rochester Upon Medway Town Crier

[Deleted]

In the States it is called the Exa I. That was my first SLR. Paid $39.95 for it, brand new, with case, in the early '60s. The real limiting factor was the top shutter speed is only 1/150 sec. Your's it the first I've seen with the black nameplate. Here's mine:

[Stephen]

Going on Captain Jacks Exakta site for the EXA 0 classification, it is an EXA 0 version 6 , 1961 according to his pretty exhaustive list.

captjack.exaktaphile.com/index.htm

He lists your EXA version as the EXA 0 Version 4. 1957 identified by the name plate lettering design. All EXA's with the flat top plate are classified by Ihagee as EXA 0.

He gives the serial numbers of his example to compare as well as photos.

The EXA 1 starts with the chrome top overall, and the modernisation of the whole top controls etc. it still has the same prism and viewfinders, then it became the EXA II, with fixed pentaprism. The shutter had altered to a more conventional cloth focal plane.

The importer to the UK was Ken Corfield of Periflex fame in the 1950's and 60's. Later they were imported by Carl Zeiss Practica, a directly company run importer.

An EXA was the very first reflex I used in the early 1960's, a Model Railroading friend in the UK had several Exaktas, a EXA, two Varex, and the RTL 1000, along with specialist close up equipment for all.

I was always impressed by his results which shows that it is the photographer who gets the results, as he could squeeze the same results from all the cameras and lenses. The little E. Ludwig Meritar lens is surprising, it rivals pre-war Leica collapsible standards, and is usually a bit sharper than the Industar Russian 50mm F2.8. It benefits from the deeply recessed elements, and with a deep hood as well, works fine with increased contrast.

One thing never to do with an early EXA is take it to a sandy wind blown beech, the sand can get into the body via the shift-stick control gap for the speed change, mind you no decent camera should be used in those conditions anyway!
Stephen.

[mickeyobe]

My Two Exas.

The Exa 1a. Twin track bellows with the Carl Zeiss Automatic 58mm f2 Biotar. The Biotar came with my Exakta VX IIa. A shutter release extension rod.
A Zeiss Magnear viewfinder with an Enna Werk 35mm f2 preset Super Lithagon.

The Exa 1a waist level viewfinder.



The plain Exa with E. Ludwig 50mm f2.9 Meritar. I bought it shortly after I got the Exakta but I rarely used it. It went with me as a back up.



Mickey

[Stephen]

Nice items, I am about to tidy up an old BPM bellows, (Butterfield Photographic of Portslade in Sussex UK), they made Universal bellows with interchangeable mounts, covering most makes, plus specials to order.

They made a slide copier and diffusion screen that fitted the rails as well. The unit needs new mount retaining screws, they chose a small 8BA size for the knurled mount screws, they break!, and this needs changing.

It will also needs an Exakta pair of mounts, I have a very tatty set of non Ihagee tubes, the chrome has gone funny, with corrosion, but the bayonets can be retrieved and cleaned up, and fitted to the taper mount backs need to fit the BPM mountings.

This will save machining up the mounts from scratch in the lathe, and find a good use for the bad condition tubes. I have a couple of sets of the Auto diaphragm rods, (different sets of lengths), and a dual cable release, though not Ihagee make, but I think Novoflex brand, although no makers name on them.

I think there is a magnifier stored away in a drawer somewhere, I will have to search for it and any other accessories for Exakta.

The Ihagee extension tubes in the earlier pictures are my own set, they are in good condition.

The lens prices for Exakta mount are a joke now, with the introduction of digital converters they have roared up recently, way beyond the true value, but at least they get used again nowadays.

I have a couple of Exakta mount Japanese lens, they need slight alteration as they fitted the early Mamiya and have the release on the wrong side. The collar appears to be alterable to move the arm to the correct position, with no modifications to the lenses.

Stephen.

[mickeyobe]

Stephen,

"I have a couple of sets of the Auto diaphragm rods, (different sets of lengths), and a dual cable release, though not Ihagee make, but I think Novoflex brand, although no makers name on them."


The rods came as a set of six pieces allowing for a great variation of adjustments for different cameras. It came in a cheap cardboard box. It has no name but some manufacturer could be proud of its design and quality.
As you can see, with the Exakta, it actuated the len's stop down feature and the camera's shutter release at the same time. It slid in and out with the adjustments of the bellows.

No instructions but once I got it figured out it proved easy to use and versatile.

Mickey

[Stephen]

The rods I have are Ihagee made, but came in a plain yellow top black box with an instruction slip inside from Ihagee, one set of two short length, and the longer set of two, that overlap the short lengths a bit. Vital for all bellows and tubes if the auto iris stop down is needed, unless the double cable release is used.
Stephen

[SidW]

Sept 17, 2012 10:36:56 GMT -5 Stephen said:

A photograph of the Rochester Town Crier .... Awkward to take the shot with only the waist level finder ...

Stephen, were you using the magnifier with eye down (see my avatar on left)? I found it hopeless to look
down into an open Exakta finder, like looking at a postage stamp from a few feet. I always use the magnifier.
What really takes getting used to is the left-to-right inversion.

[Stephen]

Sept 18, 2012 19:56:14 GMT -5 SidW said:

Sept 17, 2012 10:36:56 GMT -5 Stephen said:

A photograph of the Rochester Town Crier .... Awkward to take the shot with only the waist level finder ...

Stephen, were you using the magnifier with eye down (see my avatar on left)? I found it hopeless to look
down into an open Exakta finder, like looking at a postage stamp from a few feet. I always use the magnifier.
What really takes getting used to is the left-to-right inversion.

Yes I was using only the magnifier top, it was the awkward portrait up right position that's difficult using the magnifier, where the reversed image is sideways, that I commented about, where you stand at right angle to the view.
I am used to reversed images with the Periflex, Wray, Edixa and other prism less 35mm reflexes, all suffer when the camera is used vertically. The Exa I have does not have the sports finder, which always works! I do have an Exakta Exa Prism coming from a photo shop in Dresden, a very appropriate source.
Stephen

[Stephen]

A couple of landscape colour shots to test the Meritar, the film was from Boots the Chemist, (just got made in Japan on the box) 200ASA, scanned from neg. Performance is OK, it appeared better sharpness in B/W, might be the Boots film. At the weekend I will try some Fuji neg through it in and around Rochester Cathedral.
Colour balance differences are due to the scan, it could be corrected in the Gimp or Photoshop.

Stephen

[Stephen]

A few shots taken today in Rochester, the colour print on 400ASA, and after Hour Processing put on CD Rom, the B/W is HP4, and processed at home and scanned.
All edited, cropped etc, in the Gimp.
The Camera was the EXA with Meritar Standard lens, and a 35mm Som Berthiot Exakta fit lens, and a 105 TTH lens, Exakta fit.


Rochester Cathedral Organ


Organ Detail


Organ and Choir Rochester Cathedral


New Russian Wall Fresco in Cathedral


Carvings on Rochester Cathedral screen


Medieval Wall Painting, Wheel of Life


Bishops Tomb


Dicken's Chalet in Rochester.


Photographer at work in Rochester


Leaning Shop in Rochester.


Rochester Norman Castle


Deanery Gate often featured in Films of Dickens Stories


Organ in Rochester Cathedral.

The camera obviously works fine, reasonably satisfied with the CD rom conversion, it was the cheap standard one, not hi-def. The Meritar does have a bit of flare in the highlights, but acceptable, and the limited range of speeds was no problem.
Still awaiting a used Pentaprism coming from a German Photo shop in Dresden, via Ebay.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

The Exa with the Dresden photo shop supplied Pentaprism, with the correct leather finish on the panels, in quite good condition, very slight ding on metal top, screen in good condition, can be changed for the one from any Exa Exakta, prior to the later RTL type, or from the waist level viewfinder. Reasonably bright plain ground glass screen, no marks or scratches.
Makes it a much more usable camera all round, still a negative colour film in it to finish off for final test.
The Prism was a lot cheaper than some on Ebay UK, the German prices are generally lower, apart from prime lenses for Exakta, as digital lens mount converters are now made for Exakta, allowing full use of the older lenses.



Stephen

[mickeyobe]

Okay. I lied.
Several years ago I promised myself, after a few bad buys, "no more eBay".
After hearing you folks raving about your eBay successes I browsed it again last week.
I bought a camera. An Exakta 500 with a 50mm f2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar.
It came yesterday exactly as described. The covering on the pentaprism was loose and the front piece of leather(ette) was missing. Otherwise everything was very good.
It took about 1/2 an hour to cut a piece of matching leather and re-glue everything. Here it Is.
Pretty but not adorable.



It seems like a sturdy, well built camera and it works beautifully but I don't like it. It is more like an Exa in size. I find it is not as good to handle as either the Exakta or the Exa. It just doesn't have that feel.
I also, for the very first time, encountered a viewfinder that does not allow me to see the entire frame - with or without my glasses. As well, the screen image dims on either side.
At $50 it is a fair price but no bargain. And it does look good on the shelf with the other Exakta, Exa cameras.

Mickey

[Stephen]

Has the Exa 500 got the fresnel screen? with a microprism focus centre? It should be fairly even illumination, the degree you can see the screen or not varies with individual eyes I am afraid, mine see the full screen, and the image at the edge is about 10 % less bright, if that.

It is, after all, an updated 1950's design, and with the various updates it was the best version Ihagee made in an EXA. The Tessar lens is usually very sound, sharper than the Meritar by about 10%, and more contrast at all apertures. The Tessar excels at transparency work, good colour balance.
I notice that it is trademarked Exakta 500, not Exa 500, maybe a US market model, it might have a different screen.......officially they are not interchangeable unlike the EXA 0, but can be changed if the top is removed, not a job for the faint hearted.

It may not have a delayed action, but it has got both B and T, with a locked down lens or manual lens, very few cameras have T these days. I am assuming that you know the shutter lock acts as the T lock on B, giving the long time exposure position.

On the test film around Rochester I only use the Meritar for a couple of the shots, the other are on a 35mm Som Berthiot wide angle and a 105 TTH telephoto, both great lenses on any Exakta cameras. The Som Berthiot 35mmm F3.5 wide angle has a custom made Exakta converter, it was made for the French Foca cameras. The TTH is an ex process camera flat field lens, again on a custom mount, that I made myself. One shot was on the Pancolor standard from my Exakta Varex.

Stephen.