Exakta RTL 1000 camera

[Stephen]

Whilst on Exaktas, this one arrived, a quick shot as received, of the final Exakta model from Dresden. All later use of the name Exakta is on Far Eastern re-badged products for the European market.



It was made by the Ihagee factory on orders from the State controlled Pentacon VEB, after the take over of the bankrupt remains of Exakta, to modernise the Exakta range into one model, retaining the mount, interchangeable screens, viewfinders, and introducing auto internal diaphragm, and TTL metering via the special camera top viewfinder.

The meter couples to the speed controls, and allows stopped down TTL. It is quite an accurate unit for the period.

Pentacon arranged for Ihagee to use parts from the design of the KW Practica, castings, the shutter, and modified panels, the shutter is the pure Praktica design metal bladed design, and a good unit.

But the viewfinder was not compatible with earlier Exakta types, a silly mistake to make, and the screens are different, and the lens has a new auto diaphragm pin. In theory, all older lenses still fitted the updated mount.

Ihagee gave the camera a new variable delayed action, a shutter lock, and designed the meter prism.
The camera inside the back is pure Practica, with "auto film loading", etc.

The design generally is quite good, but it offended old Exakta owners with the changes needing new accessories etc., some of which never appeared. It had no mass market appeal, it was costly compared to the LTL Practica, and only took Exakta mount lenses.

Pentacon also made some M42 mount RTL 1000, I have seen a couple, they do exist! But the mass market did not want a more complex camera, they simply preferred the Practica L series.

It is a very competent picture taker, up to any then current rival, and they have proved reliable in the longer term due to the metal bladed shutter unit.

The camera was supplied with a Tessar 50mm F2.8 standard lens, or a Meyer 50mm F1.8 Oreston, but did take all the other older lenses, with external diaphragm linkages. About a year on and the Pancolor was done in the Auto internal mount as well.

The Meyer Oreston lens is quite a good lens, not quite a Zeiss Pancolor, but very near.

The RTL 1000 cameras were made from 1969 to 1973, with continuing sales in the UK till about early 1975, from CZ(Inst)ltd., the official importers.

[Stephen]

The RTL 1000 camera has cleaned up to near new condition, just a couple of minor wear marks. The lens is 100% clean, and has a remarkably smooth focus ring, much better than Zeiss were at the time. Some Zeiss Tessars were very rough focusing, bad grease or assembly in the 70-73 period.

The metal shutter is 100% accurate, the Practica based design was very good indeed, it should be, as Zeiss in Dresden were involved in the production work and the design. KW Practica took the same basic design for the L series. It is said that the design dated back to pre-war, but Zeiss Ikon rejected it as the metal blades were difficult to make dead flat. By the late 1960's they had found out that etching could give the required flat steel blades.

The variable speed delayed action works properly, as do the 2sec, 4sec and 8sec shutter speeds, governed by the same mechanism, when the main shutter is set to B.

The TTL meter prism works with a silver cell, may be a bit inaccurate because of the wrong voltage compared to the mercury cell.

After Pentacon ordered the closure of Exakta, they did use some of the Exakta parts on the VLC series, which used the Pentaprism, waist level viewer and Magnifying viewfinder, but with TTL built in the body. It was of course an M42 fit camera. Body parts were used from the RTL, whilst the Practica changed to a silver metallised plastic carbonate finish on later L series.

The Practica VLC did not succeed commercially, the plain Practica was the popular model. CZ(Instruments)Ltd., in the UK, sold a lot of the Exakta RTL 1000 to discount suppliers to finally clear stocks. The same fate came to the VLC series as well. I believe they ended up sold by Dixons in the UK.

The RTL seems to be a real bargain these days, a lot have suffered by having the lenses sold off for digital use. Although bad mouthed when they came out, it has turned out to be a good camera, after nearly 50 years.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

A quick B/W test film shows perfect negatives and the Meyer lens is very good used at F8 and F5.6. Frankly it is still sharp at F1.8, I wonder if the rumours that the Oreston Lens is a bit soft came from inexperienced users expecting too much at full aperture, and failing to realise how shallow the depth of focus is with any 50mm F1.8 lens fully open.

The whole RTL 1000 camera is 100% usable, and I would find it difficult to better the results with more modern film cameras.

Disregarding the meter, the whole camera is manual, always works, and is near all metal, except for insulation, and a plastic sprocket.

Just never accepted as a real Exakta model by the potentional owners at the time, at least it is a good Pentacon design, and in the end a classic SLR.

Stephen

[philbirch]

I had one of these and a few of the old type Exaktas in the 70's. It will indeed take any of the old lenses, yes the finders weren't campatible but I got waist level finder with my RTL when it was new,

very usable and accurate metering even in low light.

[Stephen]

All working fine now, even a cell for the meter! But using it reminds one of the joys of say an OMI or a digital camera! It at least slows the general pace of taking shots, but this must result in better pictures.

Clunky oddball design around the viewfinder, but a very good shutter, an air of being a rushed design, which it was, and a very decent standard lens, which must be one of the best Meyer produced.

I still like the older Exakta's quirks and eccentricities, it is a pity Exakta enthusiasts reject the RTL so much.

It always amused me the the designers at Exakta got into the RTL the low speeds to 8 seconds, using Practica's self timer mechanism, and a bit of ingenuity.

A colour film and some autumn pictures are booked in for the RTL.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

I was musing about the RTL, and wondered if you could take a cheap body, and a Practica LTL series M42 fit and swap enough parts to provide the RTL with a screw mount and auto diaphragm mechanism from the LTL........The various parts should fit each other, in theory, I will have to examine the castings together and see if the auto diaphragm parts would fit around the Exakta designed bits and pieces.

The VLC is really the result anyway! it retained the viewfinder, but had TTL metering in the body.
Stephen.