How popular were earl Exacta SLR's?

[chip j]

I know they're very heavy and well-built--I handled one. I read they were very good for scientific work. Fabulous glass was made for them -Angeneiux, Zeiss. How viable are they today?

 

[wiltw]

Exact unfortunately was largely fading in prominence in the 1960s, and the brand went out of existence in the 1970's...and approaching 50 years since prominence it almost qualifies as an 'antique' by common measures.

 

[AgX]

The Exacta was that popular that even a creepy voyeur at his rear window used it...

 

[AgX]

I read they were very good for scientific work.

The Exakta Varex was the first universal use scientific camera. Just look at the accessories made for it.

 

[AgX]

Exacta unfortunately was largely fading in prominence in the 1960s, and the brand went out of existence in the 1970's...

Not quite... The trademark went in a legal case to West-Germany were it indeed faded. But about ten years later it was revived and a new west-german Exakta entity manufactured the Exakta 66. Based on Pentacon Six bodies imported from Pentacon in Dresden... to make the loop close.

 

[Ian Grant]

Exacta's are very practical camera, the Zeiss lenses were excellent but focus lubrication was poor. I wish I'd bought a Varex 1000 and not a Zenit E when I was still at school. I now us a Varex IIb witha Pancolar or Tessar amd 30mm Lydith lens.

Ian

 

[AgX]

Even back then a Varex 1000 looked oldfashioned, reason enough for a boy to get a Zenit E.

 

[Ian Grant]

Even back then a Varex 1000 looked oldfashioned, reason enough for a boy to get a Zenit E.

I think it was purely down to cost, I had no help from my parents so the Zenit was all I could afford, I knew the Varex 1000 or even the Varex 500 was a better camera. I wore the Zenit E out with over-use but I did pay for itself.

Ian

 

[Anon Ymous]

The Exacta was that popular that even a creepy voyeur at his rear window used it...

Yes, but he was also a photojournalist.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

In the early 1970's, when I became interested in SLR's for the first time, I thought the Exaktas were very old fashioned - I wanted an instant return mirror and clever viewfinder displays.

About 15 years ago, their lack of complexity combined with their flexibility appealed to me. I now have three VX's, a VXIIa, and an Exa 500. I use them all the time. I use the delays and the long speeds. I use a wide variety of lenses from 28mm to 200mm. The 50/2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena lenses are outstanding. I was probably the only person in the world to photograph the Aug. 21 total eclipse with an Exakta!

A few of mine:

Between July and October of this year, the only cameras I used were my Exaktas.

 

[Ian Grant]

In 1969 when I was looking for my first SLR a Varex 1000 with Pentaprism and f1.8 Pancolar was £75, an Exa with Domiplan was £22 but not a very good option, the Zenit E was £39 and had a meter.

The real reason Exakta's faded from prominence was the RTL100 etc based on a Praktica they'd lost their uniqueness.

My Varex IIb:

Ian

 

[Theo Sulphate]

One other thing I should mention: on my Exaktas at least, the shutter speeds - including the delays and long speeds out to 12sec - are still within tolerances. I'd bet they've never had a CLA and they're over 60 years old.

The only issue I have, and I bought it that way, is the shutter capping at 1/1000 on the VXIIa.

It's just amazing to look at roll after roll of perfect negatives coming out of these cameras.

 

[Arklatexian]

The Exacta was that popular that even a creepy voyeur at his rear window used it...

Yes instead of a cheap pair of binoculars which would have given him a far better view for his voyeurism than looking through an Exacta with a telephoto lens. Other than the Exacta, there were not very many SLRs around in the days when that film was shot. Besides Alfred Hitchcock might have been more interested in effect than accuracy......Regards!.

 

[chip j]

Was that a 250mm Zeiss Sonnar on it?

 

[Sirius Glass]

In their time they were known as rugged cameras that could be used anywhere and any conditions.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Was that a 250mm Zeiss Sonnar on it?

No. It was a Kilfitt Fern-Kilar f/5.6 400mm.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I had a Varex IIa, marked "made in soviet zone". I traded it for a Leica IIIg with Summarit, as new.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Don't forget that that the Exakta's and Exa's had a shutter release on the left hand side. Very few cameras did and this made them popular with lefties.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Don't forget that that the Exakta's and Exa's had a shutter release on the left hand side. Very few cameras did and this made them popular with lefties.

Advance lever on the left, too. I'm left eye dominant, but right handed, so I use shotguns left handed, as well as most cameras. I found the Varex very confusing, but now I want another one.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The Exacta is a left handed camera who could anyone not feel love for that!

 

[chip j]

Exacta bodies & lenses are not cheap on ebay--looks like another idea I'll have to give up. I'll continue to collect Nikon manual.

 

[Dan Fromm]

The real reason Exakta's faded from prominence was the RTL100 etc based on a Praktica they'd lost their uniqueness.

Hmm. The Exakta had an an unparalleled system and was approximately the top 35 mm SLR until the Nikon F was introduced. What killed Exakta wasn't that catastrophe the RTL1000, it was the Nikon system and, more generally, modern SLRs, primarily from Japan. East Germany couldn't complete.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Exacta bodies & lenses are not cheap on ebay--looks like another idea I'll have to give up. I'll continue to collect Nikon manual.

EBay shows quite a few completed sales of body and lens for under $100 that seem functional - however, I think a CLA is long overdue on any of them.

Staying with Nikon makes sense, even though they don't have an internal film cutting knife.

 

[chip j]

For sure.

 

[wiltw]

Given that Exaktas were make in Dresden, Germany, which was a Soviet bloc controlled (East German) area after WWII, the brand suffered from the same relative 'backwardness' in design as just about all Soviet photographic products, and probably the same resistance to market success afforded to all the Soviet bloc products.