Exakta VX1000

BODY

Manufactured by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co, Dresden, East Germany

Model: 1967, Version 7.0, (A&R:1, Hummel: 030), (produced between 1967-70, quantity 104100)

Version, manufacturing year, body and lens info are as to Andrzej Wrotniak

All Dresden Exactas produced between 1936-70

35mm SLR film camera

Engraving on the top plate: Ihagee Dresden

Engraving on the front plate: VX1000

Lens release: via a lever on the left of the lens flange

Focusing: via Fresnel matte glass screen, ring and scale on the lens, w/DOF scale

Shutter: horizontal focal plane double cloth type,

Speeds: 1) Fast speeds 1/30 -1000 +T, B, dial on the left of the top plate, lift and turn

2) Slow speeds 1/8 - 12, dial knob on the right of the top plate

Setting: turn the knob clockwise as far as it will stop, then lift and turn the outer ring of the slow speed knob to desired speed, (black engravings)

Shutter release: a knob, on front of the body, left side of the lens,

w/ a safety locking cap, and cable release socket, it can be pressed with the plunger on the special lenses, w/ cable release socket also

Cocking lever: also winds the film, short-stroke, right to left film transport, left of the top plate

Frame counter: coupled with winding lever, decreasing type, resets manualy

Mirror Instant return type

View finder: SLR penta prism finder, interchangeable with waist level finder

Finder release: via a knob beneath the Exacta logo

Re-wind: via a Folding crank on the bottom plate

Re-wind release: a push knob, on the top plate, just in front of the cocking lever

Flash PC sockets: three, for X, F, FP

Memory dials : for ASA: on the slow speeds dial knob,

for film type: on the camera support knob, on the left of the bottom plate,

Self-timer: 1) for high speeds: after winding and selecting the high speeds, turn the slow speeds knob as far as it will go and set it any one of the red figures

2) for slow speeds: set the fast speed dial to B and set the low sped dial in your

speed choice : 1/5-2-4-6, after shutter releasing the time elapse is 13 seconds for shot.

Film loading: Special take up spool, removable

Back cover: Hinged, non-detachable, opens via a latch on the left side of the camera

Film-cutting knife: handle on the right of the re-wind crank

Tripod socket: 1/4''

Strap lugs

Body: metallic, Weight:725g (wo/ lens)

serial no.1159027

LENS:

aus Jena T (Tessar) 50mm f/2.8 , (Zebra), 4 elements, fully automatic diaphragm type, (no internal aperture coupling, diaphragm always in open position, pressing the plunger on the lens closes the aperture to the pre-set f number then the shutter releases)

Mount: Exacta bayonet, interchangeable with Exacta Varex lenses,

filter thread: 49mm, serial no.8043601, (introduced in 1961)

Aperture: f/2.8-f/22 , setting: ring and scale on the lens

Focus range: 0.5- m +inf

 

Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co, in Dresden, which was the largest independent camera manufacturer in Germany and was founded in 1912 by Johan Steenbergen.

Exakta is one of the very first SLR cameras in the world and Exakta was quite expensive camera and it was used mostly by the professionals.

Ihagee never made lenses of the own brand. Many manufacturers made lenses for Exakta.

The East German Zeiss lenses made for export, were marked from 1954 with different engravings. The brand name Carl Zeiss Jena is replaced by C.Z. Jena or Jena or aus Jena.

The lens names Biotar, Biometar, Sonnar, Tessar, Triotar were replaced by the letter B, Bm, S, T, Tr.

The true Exaktas are ones made by Ihagee in Dresden.

Notes about Exa/Exakta classification

I use the Exa/Exakta classification of Andrzej Wrotniak. As to me, it is the best.

Some opinions of a serious Exa/Exakta collector, F W Tappe :

Andrzej Wrotniak uses a very sensible classification, listed on his website, which I personally like the best. It is multi dimensional in setup, without being complicated!

Richard Hummel's 1995 book lists an "one dimensional" classification, which is incomplete, but many sources still refer to this.

Aguila and Rouah (A&R) in their 2003 edition of "Exakta cameras 1933 - 1978", come to an improved classification. They built on their previous 1987 edition classification, which was the leading standard among collectors.

Klaus Wichmann, prolific writer of books about Exakta - and Exa cameras, published his classifications earliest.

More info Captain Jack, Maurizio Frizziero

 

Done