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2026-07-19 Introduction to Three Exakta Camera Blogs To Follow

 I was given three Exakta cameras because they were all broken. The first two had non-working focal plane shutters, while the much more modern third camera had a focal plane shutter that refused to stay cocked.

The cameras are-


Exakta II made from 1949 to 1950. It is distinctive for the rectangular magnifier for its waist level finder, complete with a hinged protective cover. The viewfinder is not interchangeable. It came with a 50 mm f/3.5 Tessar T lens that was fine until an accident dented the front rim. I was taking these images of it when the metal neck chain slipped off the polished coffee table and pulled the camera with it. Figures it would land on the lens rim. Drat!


Exakta V (Versa) made in 1950. It was the first 35 mm Single Lens Reflex with an interchangeable eye level pentaprism finder. I was surprised to find the finder was not only not made by the camera manufacturer, it contains the entire viewing system, from ground glass screen on up. The only part of the viewing system below the pentaprism unit is the camera’s mirror!


Exakta 500 (also known and sold as an Exa 500—from 1966 to 1969) This camera is labelled with the H070 nameplate for export.

     There have been many Exakta versions released and several detailed books written about them. As a result there are at least three ways the different versions are identified. I will use the last of the descriptors for the first two cameras: the Exakta II is VS 2.3, the Exakta V (Versa) is VS 3.1.1

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