The Exakta Varex IIa stems from a long line of distinctive looking cameras that trace their ancestry back to 1932. When the first Exakta SLR was produced, it was a 127 rollfilm camera. The first 35mm version arrived in 1936, almost making it the first 35mm SLR, the 127 ancestry betrayed by the left handed advance, which seems inconvenient today, but at the time no precedent had been set. The Exakta exhibited a number of interesting features from the outset as well as an excellent build quality. None of this was lost some thirty years later when this model rolled off the production line..... even though the factory was in East Germany by this time. This Camera is quite delightful and it's no surprise to see why they were so popular from their inception. A characteristic of the Exaktas is the mechanical timing mechanism on the right hand side, this allows for exposures up to 12 seconds, as well as a delayed release followed by a B exposure up to six seconds. It's a delightful piece of engineering. Amongst other rarely seen attributes is a film guillotine, allowing the film to be cut without rewinding. This allows a partially used film to be developed, with the added benefit that not rewinding it back into the cassette removes the possibility of scratching it on the way back in. This camera was donated in July 2008 by J, Humphries, and was subjected to a deep clean and repair to shutter curtains.
Body No.953478
Shutter, Cloth focal plane,1000, 500, 250, 100, 50, 25, B, and
T settings. When B is selected automatic timings between 5th
and 12 seconds are available.
Lens, Carl Zeiss Jena, Pancolar 50mm f/2 No. 5822724
Condition, 5F
