Exakta 66 vs Pentacon Six

Hrast · Sep 26, 2015

Hi all. I am a new member who inherited this two cameras

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Exakta_66
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacon_Six

together with bunch of equipment and lenses.

Exacta seems like its worth more and it looks like it is pretty rare, so I am curious if any of you know what are the advantages of Exakta 66 vs Pentacon Six to make it so much more popular? I also got some 120 diapositive films so I plan to play with both and see if I can see the difference.

Best regards

cuthbert · Sep 26, 2015

I would say that first you should show us some REAL pictures of your camera...Exakta 66 are unusual.

I found a link with the differences between the two cameras, basically the Exa was a refreshed model with few little improvements and of course a completely different look.

Hrast · Sep 26, 2015

Do you mean photos of the camera or photos made by the camera?

Hrast · Sep 26, 2015

There you go ! Its a beauty.

AgX · Sep 26, 2015

There also is a Exakta 66 built in different versions from 1939-1954!

The new Exakta 66 is based on the Pentacon Six and their original parts. Except for:

-) a new shell

-) new groundglass

-) p- and hood finders

-) later samples got mirror-lock

-) lenses are from Schneider-Kreuznach (with preset-aperture link for metering)

Ian Grant · Sep 26, 2015

The problem with the Penatcon 6 is poor build quality which was the case with most Praktica cameras so some aren't very reliable with poor spacing. The West German Exacta 66 was made from mostly Pentacon 6 parts but where necessary the weaker parts (in the design) were replaced which resulted in a more rugged reliable camera.

You may see little or no difference in images made with the two bodies.

Ian

cuthbert · Sep 26, 2015

Hrast said:
There you go ! Its a beauty.

Yes it's very BLUE and it loks very 80s/90s, here there are some differences between the Pentacon 6 and the "new" Exakta:

http://www.pentaconsix.com/P6E66.htm

jspillane · Sep 26, 2015

If both are in good working order, you shouldn't see any difference in the images (since they take the same lenses). The Exakta 66 is better made and somewhat rare, thus the higher price tag.

Enjoy them both!

Hrast · Sep 26, 2015

I thank everybody for their input. You have been very kind. I will upload my first photos once I get them done. The films I got have expired date ( they expired 10-15 years ago). Should I be concerned about that?

gone · Sep 26, 2015

That truly is a pretty camera. I once owned a Pentacon 6, and the film advance wind on felt very fragile and I was getting shutter capping on most frames. Whether or not these issues would crop up on your Exakta is something that I don't know. I think these are bugaboos on many of the Pentacon 6 cameras though for sure. In the end, I found 6x6 SLRs too big and heavy, and went to folders and TLRs (a nice Rolleicord is a fine little shooter).

cuthbert · Sep 26, 2015

Hrast said:
I thank everybody for their input. You have been very kind. I will upload my first photos once I get them done. The films I got have expired date ( they expired 10-15 years ago). Should I be concerned about that?

It depends by the film and the storage...however sooner you'll find out.

If the results are negative you can invest on new 120mm.

Nokton48 · Sep 26, 2015

I had the EX66 MK2, and several Pentacon Sixes. The Sixes I sent to the Pentacon factory in Dresden, and they "upgraded" them to EX66 build (for the most part). I enjoyed using them but eventually sold them off.

See here: Hassydan.tripod.com
Several of these are Hasselblad, but most are P6/EX66

MattKrull · Sep 26, 2015

Hrast said:
The films I got have expired date ( they expired 10-15 years ago). Should I be concerned about that?

To be on the safe side, over expose by at a stop or even two. Older film 'slows down', and there is less loss in over exposing film than under-exposing it. This is especially true of C41 colour film (Someone did some test with Porta 400 and found you could over expose it by 6 stops and still get pretty much all the detail out of the negative - they tried 7 stops be the negative was too dense for their scanner).

I'm looking forward to seeing what you can make that camera do.

Hrast · Sep 26, 2015

Oh thanks for the advice on film too. Sounds like a useful one.

AgX · Sep 26, 2015

jspillane said:
If both are in good working order, you shouldn't see any difference in the images (since they take the same lenses)

They can take the same lenses.

But both cameras were offered with different sets of lenses (lenses from different manufacturers).

Hrast · Sep 26, 2015

Yes, indeed. I have both sets of lenses Or to be more precise, I have only one of Exakta66 and a dozen of Pentacon 6 lenses.

Nokton48 · Sep 26, 2015

Hrast said:
Yes, indeed. I have both sets of lenses Or to be more precise, I have only one of Exakta66 and a dozen of Pentacon 6 lenses.

Nice!

Back in the day the www.delphiforums.com "The Kiev Report" camera forum was a heydey of activity. There is anything you want to know about in the archives over there. I still post there and it's been well over ten years

TRA still posts over there and he is the P6 AUTHORITY; He is known as "Mr. Pentacon Six"
He has a fabulous elaborate website devoted to the Pentacons and Exakta 66. It's quite impressive, really.

http://www.pentaconsix.com/ Enjoy using your equipment!

Hrast · Sep 27, 2015

Back in the day the www.delphiforums.com "The Kiev Report" camera forum was a heydey of activity. There is anything you want to know about in the archives over there. I still post there and it's been well over ten years

TRA still posts over there and he is the P6 AUTHORITY; He is known as "Mr. Pentacon Six"
He has a fabulous elaborate website devoted to the Pentacons and Exakta 66. It's quite impressive, really.

http://www.pentaconsix.com/ Enjoy using your equipment!

Thank you for this useful information.

jspillane · Sep 30, 2015

AgX said:
They can take the same lenses.

But both cameras were offered with different sets of lenses (lenses from different manufacturers).

Right - they same lens mount. But regardless of who sold what and what time, you can attach one of those pretty E66 Schneiders to a P6 and it will be just as nice of a lens (and probably matters more than the body in this case - assuming both are working perfectly).

Jay Decker · Nov 1, 2015

Been shooting both a Pentacon Six and a Exacta 66 for a while. Spent a little money getting them into good working order and they are a little funky to shoot with, but the glass that is available for them makes it worth it - particularly the CZ 180/2.8 Sonnar, Schneider Xenotar MF 80/2 8, and the CZ Biometar 120/2.8.

Lauren
Pentacon Six TL
180/2.8 Sonnar
Fuji PRO 160S

Needs a little paint...

Exakta 66 Mod2
Schneider Xenotar MF 80mm f/2 8
1984 Plus-X in HC-110 @ 1:49
Bickleton, WA

Delt

Pentacon Six TL
Zeiss Jena Biometar 120mm f/2.8
Kodak Portra 160NC
Richland, WA

Exakta 66 vs Pentacon Six

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