WHAT? FULL FRAME Camera from 1936! The WORLD'S FIRST SLR - AMAZING Exakta Film SLRs - From £50!

[@geoffradnor9357]

I had an Exakta in 1958, I bought it in Hamburg. I took a few picture outside London's Royal Albert Hall on New Year's Eve, maybe there would be some thing interesting in all the party people. One picture was of a single young lady just watching the people, as I was. We chatted and five years later we were married on New Year's Eve. I traded that Exakta for a new Leica M2. Today I have recently become the owner of three Exaktas. Plus a 50mm Tessar, a 50mm Pancolar, a 35mm 2.8 Flektogon. In addition a huge, heavy Vivitar 75-260mm zoom f4.5 and, a rarity, a 135 mm f2.8 Caspeco. Testing these Exakta now to see if the shutter speeds are OK, as they do not last for ever.

[@freisein8046]

You should not trade the camara who made you meet your wife....

[@liveinaweorg]

I recently got an Ihajee Kine Exacta, Nigel. It's the 1936 round viewfinder version and it left today for Germany for a service. I picked up a 1936 Contax II at the same time, oddly enough.

[@zenography7923]

Those sound like two beautiful machines - enjoy!

[@nevillegrowcott1824]

Just letting you know how much I enjoy your videos down here in New Zealand. Kind regards, Neville.

[@zenography7923]

Many thanks Neville, glad you're enjoying them!

[@peterschatz6093]

I am following you for some time now - especially as I purchased some old Russian rangefinders lately (first just for the vintage lens, but I ordered some film stock as well now). I want to thank you for your honest reviews and your great videos! Really enjoy every video!

[@bniwa]

I've got a VX and a VXIIa, and they are like nothing else. The machining gives a very precision mechanical feel indeed! The weight and sound remind you that you're shooting with something of incredible quality - And the smell....ahhh.

[@justlikeswimming5988]

I almost purchased an exacta vx the other day, it looks like a wonderful camera. Your review inspires me to think about one of them again. I love these old mechanical cameras, amazing construction and many are still functional. I have an old praktina FX that still works great except for some pinholes in the shutter curtain (hope to get repaired soon). Thanks for another great episode!

[@utekopka7920]

Great video Nigel! Love the Exaktas so much! My very 1st SLR was an Exakta varex IIa with an f2 Biotar that I got for my 21st birthday. This was in 1987 and I was so happy and proud. Although bought second hand, it was a very precious gift. I think what makes the handling so unusual is that both the shutter and winder are controlled by the left hand. But when it is the 1st SLR somebody gets in touch with this systems feels very natural and becomes a second nature very soon.

[@zenography7923]

Glad you enjoyed it Ute, the varex is a fine camera!

[@robhosailor]

I have two Exaktas - 1949 Kine Exakta II and 1956 Exakta Varex VX and the first one is my favorite SLR with few great lenses as two Tessars, Biotar Flektogon and Sonnar. Few days ago to my KZbin chanel uploaded the slideshow made by my Kine Exakta II with 3.5/50 Tessar lens. Great review, thank you!

[@niemand2402]

Hello and good day! I live in Dresden, the production site of these wonderful cameras, of course I also have a small collection of this great SLR's. I am very happy about this film and wish you a lot of fun collecting! Best regards!

[@zenography7923]

Glad you enjoyed the video, it sounds like you have a nice collection there!

[@johnrflinn]

Make sure the shutter is in good shape. Old age gives them pinholes and wrinkles. There are a few places that have the know how to replace the shutter curtain. You can partially grind down the little knob of the lens release lever to allow you to use RE Auto Topcor lenses on these Exakta cameras. My favorite model is the Exakta VXiiia.

[@zenaldiak]

I use to work wih one Exa 1a in the '90's, in a CSI police lab, beside Praktica mtl3, mtl5, Zorky, and finaly the Nikon F3, the last film camera used.

[@zenography7923]

Gosh, I'm surprised they were still being used in the 90s - speaks volumes for their quality!

[@zenaldiak]

@@zenography7923 Was in "93 until '96 i think. Long time ago. I'm retired from 1,5 year ago.

[@paolomesseca8679]

I had the Joy to use one as I had just started using my first Nikon: the Exacta had a 28mm f3,5 Angenieux lens. I discovered how different and richer was the contrast of Angenieux compared with my, cheap Nikon 28 mm f 3,5. Later on I purchased two Angenieux zooms (the 70-210 and the 35.-70) which I am stil using today on a digital mirroreless. Thank again for teaching us how important is the "character" of legacy lenses

[@freisein8046]

very nice made video and honest review!! Nothing to add... More of that!!

[@AcidGrains]

My grandad had a kodak colorsnap 35, I've used it and it still holds up!

[@grahvis]

My sister had one, she had taken 100s of colour slides but after she died, unfortunately there was no sign of them.

[@zenography7923]

That's great, glad it's still getting some use!

[@joelee24]

Thanks for the great intro to vintage cameras, my father had some of those back in the days when I was a young kid, I didn't like them at first I felt they looked ugly, but as I came of age and became older I started to like them ! I can't find any other SLR with such complex construction at the same time very pretty looking, it's a piece of art blended with German technology. I got couple of Russian made RF and they are not reliable, especially the cloth curtain shutter. I got a Fed 2 with light leak curtain, couple Zorki with jammed curtain for instance, so that I purchased an used M2, but I can't afford the system so I gave up and 'go back' to SLR, Fuji, Praktica and Pentax that I still keep today, together with my DSLR kit. I am looking forward to getting hold of an Exacta, and a Japanese RF such as the Minolta V2, I will use them not just for collection, so reliability is important to me.

[@Renegade1127]

I don't have an Exakta body. but do have a lens made for them - Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f4.0 Sonnar with Exakta mount, used on my Eos M5 + adapter.

[@jonlouis2582]

I adore these camera and have collected a couple dozen over the years here and there. I even have two that work. The lenses are very interesting.

[@furripupau]

Wonderful video. I have several Exaktas and several Exas. Most of the Exaktas don't work properly, and I bought them to get lenses for my Exas. I do have a VX500 I've shot many rolls of film through, and a VXIIb I've used a couple of times. I also have a VXIIa and VX, which don't quite work right, so I leave them on the shelf. The VX500 I serviced myself (as well as a VX1000, since sold on). Exaktas are the only camera, and I mean the *only* camera I've serviced where the shutter speeds were dead on accurate after a basic cleaning and oiling. No adjustment needed - after 40+ years the spring tension on both curtains was perfect! The shutter BTW works in quite a different way than the Leica shutter. They were criticized at the time for being less accurate (and indeed at 1/1000 this is probably a valid criticism). The trade off is that the Exakta shutter speed can be set before, or after winding. The manual does caution to cock the shutter first, but this is only mechanically necessary if the slow speeds or the self timer are going to be set - otherwise it makes no difference. It's a somewhat simpler mechanism to fit into a camera body so the basic plan was copied by most 35mm SLRs, where the shutter has to fit around the mirror box. The story of the Exakta is particularly unfortunate, and pretty fascinating. Politics aside (and that is most of the story really), Ihagee failed to update the camera much. The VX1000 would have been a great pro-grade camera, if only it had come out in 1959 instead of 1967. And when Ihagee was rolled into Pentacon, it was really over. Exakta's place in the market had slipped so much that the cameras were no longer taken seriously by professionals. The VX500 was a budget camera, and Pentacon already made the Praktica line. Why compete with your own products? Pentacon badge-engineered the Exakta RTL-1000, as a last ditch effort keep the Exakta name a few notches above the bottom of the barrel, but it was too little too late. It's a shame because even the VX500 as simple as it is, is a robust and well made camera - far too good for the prices they sold at when new.

[@SchwarzPoet]

Hi, have you noticed that for every model in this range from the Varex 2a onwards you can get a light shaft finder and a prism finder, which can be interchanged at will if you have both? In addition, from the Varex 2a onwards there were also interchangeable matte screens. Addendum: In the meantime I bought an Exakta Varex IIb (the model just before the VX1000) and found out how many different interchangeable viewfinders there are, which is absolutely crazy. I have the light well viewfinder and the TTL prism viewfinder, the latter equipped with a small PX625A button battery, now also contributes to in-camera light metering. I just love this extremely versatile compact and high quality SLR.

[@jameswburke]

I just bought a Exakta varex IIa in great condition. It has a nice Tessar 2.8 / 50mm lens on it. Lovely piece of engineering, if a little awkward to use. It looks good and will find a place in my collection ;-)

[@the_last_rangefinder_society]

Great video: often see these but knew almost nothing about them……fascinating to see their original advertising and manuals…..you really get a sense of the people they were aimed at……..the amateur with multiple interests who preferred the Swiss Army knife approach…….I wonder how the mirror system in the ‘38 model has fared over time.,!

[@chrisloomis1489]

Found a whole leather bag , Exacta camera , leather camera case , 3 lenses and all literature ….less than 300.00 Yes , all of that , and included a Retrofocus lens …in the kit in it’s tube. Lovely kit.

[@zenography7923]

Wow, a real bargain for sure!

[@Otokichi786]

The first time I saw an Exakta in use was in the early 1980's. The official Orchid society photographer used a VX1000 with a 40mm f/2.8 Macro-Kilar to take closeups of awarded blossoms, lit by a Honeywell Strobonar 65D electronic flash. I later stepped up with a Nikon F2 Photomic and a 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor, flowers lit by an AC adapted Braun RL-515 electronic flash and Kodachrome II. Later, I added a Nikon FM/FM-2, a Vivitar 283 or Capro/Sunpak GX-8R and Kodachrome 25. The closest I got to an Exakta was the Topcon RE Super in the early 1960's.

[@blairwallach648]

9:27 Hello Nigel! Enjoying your video content very much. I picked up a Exakta Varex IIa so my question is can I use modern 35mm film in it that it has a film cutter? Can’t find any videos or info on loading film to start shooting. Thank you reading in hoping to get this help from your expertise. Blair

[@GRAVESGGS]

I have a vx2a. Absolutely enjoy it.

[@zenography7923]

Exquisite cameras, no doubt about it! Enjoy!

[@Analogbrain]

Very nice video! Beautiful cameras, proffesional camera system, and the Nikon F/F2 / Canon F1 of its time. Equipment such as different viewfinders are very cheap as well today. As far as I know, the Exakta and the Praktiflex were released at the same time, as the first 35mm SLR. My oldest SLR is from 1935, the Reflex Korelle, but that's medium format, 6x6 on 120 film.

[@johnfarrell8773]

Hi there - Praktiflexes were announced in 1939, but it appears the first sales were in 1940. Some were made early in the war, and production was resumed in 1946. The original Praktiflex was replaced with a new model, with the shutter release on the front, rather than the top, in 1947, and this was the camera which was developed into the Praktica. John.

[@Analogbrain]

@@johnfarrell8773 I guess my memory let me fown there!

[@sclogse1]

The Brute quality of the older Exactas brings to mind the tanklike Kodak Cine II, of which I had a very fine model and complete case of accessories. Speaking of back problems...mine actually had a brass plate on it from the original single owner, who was a set painter for more than one motion picture studio. In the case with everything, including the larger magazine and 4 lenses, it seemed bolted to the floor. You could not operate it without a manual. Impossible. At least I still have many pics of it. It's a good subject. It never moves.

[@caw25sha]

I forgot to mention that on some Exaktas the company name Ihagee is spelled with a stylised I that looks like a J. I have seen at least once someone who should know better writing the company name as Jhagee! (According to Wikipedia it's pronounced ee-hah-geh.)

[@GeorgeK356]

I had an Exa 1a, for a very short while in the 70's, and foolishly traded it in. It had a waist level finder but you could get, if you could find one, a pentaprism to fit on top of it. I have looked for another to replace it and almost pulled the trigger on a "Buy it Now" but remembering Nigel's advice, backed off as I thought it a little expensive. Certainly Granddad couldn't have afforded those Exactas back in the day, they were an expensive system camera, rivaling Nikon's early foray via the F1 system. Another cracking walk down memory lane, Nigel, looking in the camera shop windows along the way.

[@zenography7923]

Glad you enjoyed it my friend, these are beautiful machines, for sure!

[@lennetornqvist]

A nice and enjoyable episode as usual. Some viewers might had liked some mention on the lenses and their attachment systems as you usually provide.

[@zenography7923]

Hi Lenne, I covered these lenses in a very recent episode, check out my videos page!

[@lennetornqvist]

@@zenography7923 Hello Nigel! I watch all your post almost as soon as you post them. It just was a thought not criticism. I really enjoy your channel keep up the good work! Been photographing since the early sixties I have also owned an Exakta among a lot of others. Best regards!

[@helgividar]

Recently I came across a review of a very similar camera, namely the Praktica FX2 that was made in Dresden 1956. The German reviewer said that that the camera was not only beautiful and well made, but great and gorgeous. So definitely a camera for a future episode of Zenography.

[@unbroken1010]

Got a exacta but missing the glass for the viewfinder. The lens is great on mirrorless. Hopefully I can find a piece of ground glass that fits the viewfinder.

[@harryzet5797]

do you miss the matte screen?

[@zenography7923]

Maybe you could adapt the plain screen from a non working Zenit?

[@crazygeorgelincoln]

Scotch tape can act as ground glass. Used a 5mm square in my 'zenit mt1 surprise' square format 35mm slr (meant for endoscopy but can swap the mount to m42 )

[@bradleyrossrayner6414]

Hello sir! Can you talk about the Edixa’s as well? Great video by the way..

[@klauspetermann2373]

The last Exakta Camera is inspired by me! The Exakta 66 mod.3. Why? In 2000 i called Mr. Enderlein from Schneider Dresden. Can you built a Mirror Lock up in my Exakta 66 mod.2? Yes, send me your camera, i will try it. Than Schneider brings out this Mirror Lock up as the Exakta mod.3. Only very, very few where built, but this Model is now part of the Exakta History! The last one. I am so proud of it! My "own" Model in foto history! ps. from the Exakta 66 they built only 600 per Year! Mr. Enderlein put them alone together, from parts out of the stock.

[@caw25sha]

Wow, that's brilliant! Is the Exakta 66 related to the Pentacon 66?

[@zenography7923]

Gosh, that's really incredible! You must be really proud of that. I'm very surprised Mr Enderlein was still putting them together at that late date. I should very much like to see one!

[@klauspetermann2373]

@@caw25sha Its nearly the same camera! A rubber Pentacon six with modifications. The different parts ...better filmtransport, new waste finders, the screen from the rollei 6008. Don´t buy it now, to expensive for a pentacon six in a new look.

[@klauspetermann2373]

@@zenography7923 Heinrich Manderman, the owner of Rollei, Schneider -Kreuznach and Beroflex in 1984 (A BUG!!! i don´t cross out the next part, its automaticly, i don´t want this) (Beroflex was the importer of Praktica in West- Germany) has at that time for the rollei 6008 a new lens line from schneider- kreuznach because he owns schneider-kreuznach. He wants a cheaper model so he adapted the schneider-kreuznach lenses and made for them the modified pentacon six as a exakta 66. Synergie, synergie...he was also the praktika importer. the modified parts came from schneider-kreuznach (west-germany) the parts from the pentacon six from pentacon. from 1986 production start to begin of the ninties it was assembled by beroflex in west-berlin, uhlandstraße. after the unification they put them in dresden by schneider-dresden (Mr. Enderlein) together. schneider-dresden is a sucessor factory (very much smaler) from pentacon. the exakta 66 was an econonic failure. the people see this is a pentacon in other clothes but 3 times more expensive. the camera was really built from the extant parts from pentacon and the modiefied parts from schneider-kreuznach. It was built to the year 2000, than they have no parts available. in the outsale i also bought a zeiss-jena biometar in the body of the schneider xenotar for 250 DM at the time. the exakta 66 is a east/west german curiosity. but today to expensive. pentacon six...over 300.000 where made, from Exakta 66 only less than 10.000 in 14 years. from the exakta 66 mod 3 perhaps no more than 100-200. very, very rare! excuse me for my bad english, i hope you could understand it. you are a really enthusisiast for fine mechanics Mr Zenografy!!

[@xiaodu87]

Thanks for the video! These cameras look truely marvelously - each of them! Too bad it's a bit out of my system and I already have two fully mechanical cameras to keep running. It would be too much of a pity to let them decay in a shelf just gor the looks and I think they need regular use to stay usable ...

[@grahvis]

The nearest I ever got to owning an Exacta was a Exa 500.

[@ice9phil]

no. More like a Sunbeam Alpine or Hummer Minx. I picked up a VX IIa recently with 3 lenses, 2 Steinhiel Muchen's and a Soligor. One Steinheil is a Auto-Quinaron 35mm/f2.8 and close focuses down to 13cm. picked all 3 up for $100 at an estate sale.

[@pierce5915]

Any thoughts on the KMZ Start vs Exaktas? I just discovered these types of 35mm SLRs and have been considering getting one. I'm by no means a professional photographer and looking for something relatively easy to use. Curious what you're thoughts are! I love the idea of a fully mechanical vintage camera.

[@zenography7923]

I never had a Start but very much like the look of them - tiny little things and I think L39 mount? Exactas are grand old machines tat are lovely to use and very thoughtfully designed, with lots of nice lenses available too!

[@namesurename-fotografiaana3168]

Great cameras and modular construction makes it so easy to repair them. You just take mechanism out of the body and test! Varex IIa and IIb - I love them. VX1000 - easiest one to work with due to returnable mirror. Moreover, which camera offers 12s slow speed? :)

[@robhowarth77]

About 20 years ago , I was given 3 cameras by a friend , whose father was a professional photographer. These were a Exakta Varex IIa and a Varex 11b . The third was a Yashica Yashicamat D TLR and all in top condition , including cases and user manuals. The Varex cameras came with a Zeiss Jena Biotar f2 58mm , a Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f2.8 and a Rodenstock Yroner 135mm f3.5 lenses. I use them still occasionally today and they are very , very rugged cameras that give really good pics but the "ass about face " film advance cocking lever and shutter release is pretty off - putting ! Also , heavy cameras . and the shape does not fit comfortably into the hand . Other than that , I think they are great cameras for what they do !

[@Renegade1127]

Now I do have an Exakta body - RTL 1000. Yeah, I know it's actually made by VEB Pentacon. This was an absolute steal as it's in a leather case and with 3 lenses + printed manuals for the body and prism viewfinder. Lenses ? MOG Oreston 50/1.8, Unitor Auto Wide 35/2.8 & Hanimex 100/4 The Unitor has a little fungus, but as it's from the same camp as Photax i'm not expecting great IQ anyway. Other than that, the body & lenses are all in excellent condition and fully working. How much ? £50 for the lot. 😁

[@gerritpost1909]

Owned an Exakta VX1000, back in the days. Had a mirror lock up after some years so I traded it in for an Olympus OM-1 that I used some 15-20 years. I remember that the VX1000 was quite noisy though the pictures were great. But birds you only shot once. After the first shot everybody cleared out. Memories ….

[@caw25sha]

I've got a Nikon F and the mirror registers on the Richter Scale.

[@zenography7923]

So the birds didn't like the VX1000? They clearly don't know their cameras!

[@briancooper562]

I had an EXA 1A for about 5 years. It was very good but not for anything that moved. The viewfinder reverses the image. Traded in part for an Olympus OM1. Which I had for 10 years, upgraded to OM10,

[@zenography7923]

As Peter says, yes it is!

[@standandeliver8376]

I've just bought an Exakta Varex IIa with lens on eBay for £22. It's a basic 50mm f2.8 lens, the shutter is apparently stuck and the body and lens both look in a bit of a mess. Still, for £22 I can't wait to get my hands on it!

[@zenography7923]

That sounds like an interesting project - good luck and let me know how you get on!

[@standandeliver8376]

@@zenography7923 I've just taken delivery of it. It looks like Cinderella after several rounds with Mike Tyson followed by a life on the streets. Every colour of corrosion you can think of, the chrome is shot, the front name plate is deformed in such a complex way that it will never be right and currently prevents the waist level finder from fully opening, The lens is battered with part of the plastic focus ring (not a premium lens) broken off. Oh and it doesn't work! However, the shutter is intact (albeit fragile looking) and I've managed to free up a few mechanisms so who knows, maybe I'll get it working. I can see that it would have been beautiful in its day though. When funds allow, I'm tempted to sell this one on (obviously being completely honest about the condition) and get a decent one.

[@fredo1070]

Isn't that the camera used in Rear Window?

[@petersnow389]

Yes indeed, and David Hedison, (as Captain Lee Crane), used an Exaxta, fitted with Novoflex lens, disguised as a gun, in an episode of 'Voyage to the bottom of the sea'.

[@dennisgreene7164]

I think Jimmy Stewart used one of these with a huge lens in Rear Window, when he played the photographer with the broken leg.

[@zenography7923]

I think he did!

[@Jennifer_Prentice]

Early Exakta with the good lenses like the Zeiss are going for between 150 to 200 US Dollars and those are often beat up and not the best looking.. I have seen many refurbished models that look almost like brand new and those are going for around 400 to 500 US Dollars... I just bought a decent one for just over 150 US Dollars with the Carl Zeiss Jena 58 F 2.0 .. So if you shop around you can for sure get lucky and find them under 200 US Dollars in decent shape.

[@danijelisic3520]

VARY NICE SLR s ,I have a lens Exaktar 55mm f1.7 and its inaf good lens

[@Kitsaplorax]

I'd offer this about the extensive accessories for microscopy: If you think the Exakta cameras are expensive, every single year the Zeiss lens representative would make the rounds of the Oil Company science labs and show off the latest and greatest in flat field super corrected for fringing oil dispersion lenses. I can well imagine an Exakta being thrown in for free as an accessory for a lens kit purchase.

[@robinj.9329]

Having been born in the early 1950's, I didn't begin using Cameras in ernest till the 1960's or so. But, I was using some all mechanical (nothing electronic!) wonders as late as the early to mid 80's. I really had to do it, just to "Show off" and show up, the "Kids"! They would always be laying out wads of cash for the very latest technological wonders, but then: not taking the time needed to learn to use it properly! So my "Horse and Buggie" era (they said!) equipment was constantly giving me absolutely EXCELLENT pictures ! While their new "Wiz-bang" wonders (I said!) was turning out nothing but mediocre results! 🙂🙃😊

[@zenography7923]

A good manual camera with a nice lens can do anything the electronic cameras can do - I still take the old Leicas out for a spin now and again, and they still come up with the goods!

[@GenophefeElisabeth]

I know this is a little out of the blue and under the wrong video at that, but I really need your advice on which camera to get. I wanna get into analog photography and am deciding between getting a Zorki 1 and an FED 2. I like the compactness of the first one, but a collapsible lense could be installed on the FED 2. No experience whether or not the separate view-/rangefinder and fiddling around with loading it from the bottom and not the back will bother me at all with the Zorki and I don't really know if I really need the self timer of the FED 2. I don't wear glasses, so I do not really need the focus adjustment on the FED 2. I am a little bit lost here, to be honest... Which one would you recommend for an absolute beginner? Both cost around 70€, Zorki comes with the Industar 22, the FED 2 with the Industar 61.

[@atf2940]

Both are simple & nice cameras. The Zorki 1 is an exact copy of the Leica ii and good examples come very close to the original. I would not recommend these to an absolute beginner though, unless you can be sure -- really sure! -- that you are being sold a 100% working camera. If so, go for the Zorki 1: more charming and built to a higher standard. Common faults are a gummed up shutter mechanism and a shutter cloth with pinholes. In principle a gummed up shutter is easy to clean & relubricate, and the occasional pinhole can be patched. Sometimes the curtain tension needs adjustment. But as a beginner you may be shy to undertake such (easy) repair jobs. (If the shutter cloth needs replacing, then this is far from trivial!) Industar-22 and Industar 61 are both good lenses, the latter being more contrasty -- but it all depends on the condition of the lense.

[@GenophefeElisabeth]

​@@atf2940 Thank you for your advice! Tending towards the Zorki and I'm contacting the seller to ask specifically about shutter and lense

[@crazygeorgelincoln]

I'd advise avoiding a bottom loader , If your very new to film and your hearts set on rangefinder. I'd point at a zorki4k , you can always buy yourself something less inconvenient later! As for collapsible lenses,by all means get one, nice in the hand, for beginning a faster lens might be more forgiving like a Jupiter8 or the mega cheap fed26n

[@GenophefeElisabeth]

@@crazygeorgelincoln Also a good point but that's a price I'm willing to pay. Aperture width is something to consider tho. You think it's a necessity? Definitely will be on the lookout for a higher quality M39 lense, eventually.

[@crazygeorgelincoln]

@@GenophefeElisabeth I learnt on a zenit em with a helios 42m , it spent most of the time wide open at f2 shooting at 1/30. Having a decent viewfinder is really helpful,Nikon f501 was so much better. My zenit was pretty dim. Also faster film tended to cost more proportional to the iso. I say keep your kit simple and easy to start, get a few rolls under your belt, then you'll have an idea of what your requiring. Zorki4k with Jupiter 8 on eBay about 50 quid . Big viewfinger thumb winder easy to load. If you don't mind a little bit of plastic a fed4 with an industar61 similar price but the camera has built in light meter .

[@caw25sha]

Fun fact: kine is an archaic version of the word cine (some cinemas were called kinemas) and some still cameras were called kine as they used 35mm cine film. There's an old Alfred Hitchcock film called Rear Window in which James Stewart's character uses an Exacta. No doubt some fellow camera geek can tell us the exact model including the impressive telephoto . . .

[@zenography7923]

Indeed - the word 'kine' refers to the 35mm cinema film used in the cameras - still relatively hi-tech in 1936 I guess!

[@DenisMark1]

Pretty sure it was a VX. Second fun fact: This is the camera (with a 25mm Flektagon lens) that Josef Kudelka used to shoot his entire "Gypsies' book, and the great photos of the tanks rolling into Prague. Sadly, more timely now than ever.

[@jendriktimm5566]

I believe the cheapest SLR camera is the Zenith-E, a tank of a camera which was made in the millions. Got one with my Helios lens, but never used it.

[@caw25sha]

In the 1990s the major manufacturers made some very cheap pladtic entry level AF SLRs which you can buy now for next to nothing. But please don't! They are unlikely to be either reliable or pleasing to use.

[@zenography7923]

I must admit to being fond of the Zenit cameras - really due to their pared down, nothing you don't need approach! In the 70s though, compared to my Fed 4, my uncle's Zenit seemed like a starship!

[@TheNewArtSchool]

The Helios is a wonderful lens to use with a modern dlsr/mirrorless camera.

[@caw25sha]

@@zenography7923 I recently watched Kessler on KZbin, the sequel to the BBC series Secret Army. One of the characters used a Zenith Photosniper which was a Zenith body and telephoto lens fitted onto a rifle-like contraption. I think they were about £200 in the 80s. I remember seeing one in City Camera Exchange in Cannon Street.

[@grahvis]

Years ago I was in Jessops on New Oxford Street when a young woman was looking for batteries for her Zenith E. They couldn't help her, they didn't have a clue so I followed her outside to explain how the exposure worked on it. I have a soft spot for Zeniths.

[@throtol]

I got started collecting the Exakta cameras through the lenses. I own a couple of Topcon RE cameras and wanted to try a few vintage lenses. For some reason, it is always cheaper to purchase the camera WITH the lens rather than purchase the lens alone. Why? Who knows? In any case, I now have a small collection of these cameras. I must say that they are well built. My first time out the strap broke, but the camera was fine. However, as time went on the look and quality diminished. I do not specifically know how they made the jump from a high-end, high-quality camera to a mass-produced camera (e.g., Extaka 3 camera from the early 1980's) using the Exakta format. They manufactured cameras with the licensed Exakta name to M42 formatted cameras. In my opinion, after the Varex (VX) iib, the quality and functionality began to decline.

[@atf2940]

I have been thinking of adding a Varex to my collection but heard more than once that the shutter cloth has a reputation for cracked gum, thus making it pretty unusable. Changing the cloth is a non-trivial job (well, for me). So, unless uncommonly lucky, one should calculate in the cost of a repair -- 150 Euros minimum here in Germany.

[@justonemoreep]

Hi! An exakta varex iib noob here! does anyone know how I can remove and attach new lenses to it?

[@ashentemplar2477]

exacta ihagee dresden 1945-49 no608000-650000 ( ver 1.2.3 )

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Koudelka had a exacta

[@اسماعیلبهزادی-ب7ث]

Hi man i think topcon very better than exakta!