EXAKTA VX 500

[Stephen]

They bred you see....in dark cupboards.....another Ihagee Exakta, this time the VX500, the stripped down version of the VX1000, losing the low speeds and 1/1000th top speed, also the film cutter. Requires a spare screen, and a standard lens, about the same price as the VX 1000.



Stephen.

[mickeyobe]

I would call this yet another "WHY?" camera.

Mickey

[SidW]

In a sense it's history. It's just about all the Ihagee administrators had left after all the litigation, along with the Exas.

[Stephen]

Sept 19, 2015 18:01:38 GMT -5 mickeyobe said:

I would call this yet another "WHY?" camera.

Mickey

They did sell the VX500 a little cheaper, but the East German Practica models were even less and basically as good for general photography.

If only Ihagee had been allowed to design a new pro model, perhaps using the RTL shutter, but keeping all the original features, which the RTL did not. With TTL built in, Topcon style, and taking the old prisms etc, it could have been the basis of a very nice camera.

I was told the Practika shutter gets in the way of fitting the original prisms, by a UK repair company that also built specials for the UK Police and Government. But they worked out a way to do it, but I suspect the East Germans would not have spent the money to modify the design, and chose the cheapest course with the RTL.

The RTL seems to have been disliked by everybody, including the East Germans, it was a fatal blow to the marque. In retrospect they have proved quite reliable, it was the non compatibility that was the flaw.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

Well despite the "Why" the VX500 works very nicely, being not so old as all the other Exaktas, being the last produced except for the RTL Model. Speeds work accurately, and screen and viewfinder are in order after popping in a spare fresnel screen.

I do not miss the film cutter, or the triple flash sockets, but the speeds are a bit limited compared to other Exaktas!
It was always sold to customers who wanted a spare body at a lower price, all the remaining features were identical to every previous Exakta.

Stephen.

[hansz]

First, I do not own a VX500, so I cannot try it, but I heard that the 1/1000 is still there, only not on the dial. Can you try that, of course very gently:-)
Or it is a fable, like many others in camera-land...

Hans

[Stephen]

I can answer that, it is there on some VX500 models, they must have had the control disk for the Vx1000 fitted to some of the cameras. this one does have a 1/1000th, although it measures about 1/900th. Later production must have a disk with notches for 1/500th max. The East German government were running Exakta, via Pentacon VEB, on a shoestring, paying wages and little else at the time.

It cannot have saved money, it is just as difficult to set 500th as 1000th, and all the tooling was designed for 1000th, and was there and paid for!

It may have been part of the settlement with the Western owners of Ihagee, as it came out at the time of the claims being sorted out, maybe Ihagee (West) got an agreement out of Pentacon not to make the VX1000, but Exakta (East), were allowed to make a simpler model that did not exist before.

Pentacon instructed Exakta to make the RTL, which used mainly KW/Pentacon parts and design, and did not resemble previous models. So much damage had been done to Exakta's reputation, even the RTL did not revive the fortunes of the moribund company, and the Communist East German company lapsed quietly away.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

The Bay purchased VX500 arrived, and it has not got 1/1000th only the notch for 1/550th max. So they do vary, I suspect to use up old parts.



The Ebay VX500 body has the Prism flash shoe attachment, but it is branded EXA. General condition is good all round, the shutter is accurate, good cloth blinds, and god prism screen, with fresnel and split screen of the last improved type.

Does not seem to have been used that much, only minor wear, and quite clean. As I have an Exakta collection, it will have to share a standard lens.