Exakta
The world's first 35mm SLR — Dresden innovation
Every single-lens reflex camera ever made owes its existence to the Exakta. In 1936, the Kine Exakta became the first 35mm SLR to enter production, inventing a camera type that would dominate professional photography for the next sixty years. This is not a footnote in camera history. This is the opening chapter.
| Founded | 1912 (Ihagee), first Exakta 1933 |
| Founder/Origin | Ihagee Kamerawerk (Johan Steenbergen), Dresden |
| Headquarters | Dresden, Germany |
| Models in Archive | 8 |
| Golden Era | 1936–1960s |
| Known For | World's first 35mm SLR, left-handed design, Varex interchangeable viewfinders |
History
The Exakta name first appeared in 1933 on a roll-film SLR produced by Ihagee Kamerawerk in Dresden, but it was the 1936 Kine Exakta that changed everything. This was the world's first single-lens reflex camera designed for 35mm film, and its significance cannot be overstated. Before the Kine Exakta, photographers using 35mm cameras were limited to rangefinder or viewfinder designs that showed an approximation of the final image. The SLR principle, seeing through the actual taking lens via a mirror, solved parallax error and made precise framing possible at any distance with any lens. Every Nikon F, Canon EOS, and Pentax K series camera traces its DNA directly back to this Dresden original.
The Kine Exakta was the brainchild of Ihagee's founder, Johan Steenbergen, a Dutch businessman who had built the company into one of Dresden's most innovative camera manufacturers. The camera featured several design choices that would become Exakta trademarks: left-handed film advance and shutter release, a waist-level finder as standard, and a bayonet lens mount that accepted an impressive range of optics. The left-handed operation, which confounds first-time users, was actually a deliberate ergonomic choice that allowed the photographer to advance film and trip the shutter with the left hand while keeping the right hand free for focusing and aperture adjustments.
After World War II, Ihagee resumed production in Dresden under Soviet oversight, and the Exakta line continued to evolve. The Varex series, introduced in the late 1940s, added interchangeable viewfinders, a feature that Nikon would later adopt for its professional F-series cameras. The Varex IIa became the most popular Exakta model, a capable and refined SLR that earned a devoted following among serious photographers worldwide. American nature photographer Ansel Adams reportedly owned Exakta equipment, and the cameras were widely used in scientific and industrial photography where through-the-lens viewing was essential.
The Exakta story is ultimately a tragic one. East German state management, combined with relentless competition from Japanese manufacturers who had learned from and improved upon the Exakta design, gradually eroded the brand's market position. Later models like the RTL1000, produced under the VEB Pentacon umbrella, were competent but uninspired. The fire that Ihagee had lit in 1936 was being tended by others. But the legacy is immortal. Every time a photographer looks through an SLR viewfinder and sees exactly what the lens sees, they are using technology that was born in Dresden.
Notable Cameras
Kine Exakta
The Kine Exakta of 1936 is simply one of the most important cameras ever made. Holding one is a profound experience for anyone who cares about photographic history. It is smaller than you expect, beautifully machined, and surprisingly pleasant to use despite its age. The waist-level finder produces a bright, reversed image on its ground glass, and the focal-plane shutter has a satisfying mechanical snap. Early examples with the round magnifier and pre-war lens coatings are extremely rare and valuable. This is the camera that invented a category, and it deserves to be celebrated as one of the great engineering achievements of the twentieth century.
Varex IIa
The Varex IIa is the Exakta that most photographers actually use, and for good reason. It refined the original concept with interchangeable viewfinders, including a pentaprism eye-level finder that corrected the reversed image of the waist-level finder. The Varex IIa accepts a vast range of lenses through the Exakta bayonet mount, from wide-angle to telephoto, and the system was comprehensive enough that professionals could use it for virtually any photographic task. The build quality is superb, with that characteristic Dresden feeling of metal parts machined to close tolerances and assembled by skilled hands.
VX 1000
The VX 1000 represents the later evolution of the Exakta line, incorporating a built-in light meter and modernized controls while retaining the distinctive left-handed operation. It is a more accessible camera than the earlier Varex models, with a semi-automatic diaphragm and faster handling. The VX 1000 was Exakta's attempt to stay competitive against the rising tide of Japanese SLRs, and while it ultimately could not stem that tide, it remains a highly capable and enjoyable camera to shoot with today. Paired with a Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f/1.8, it delivers images of startling beauty.
All Models in Archive (8)
| Exakta II | 1949-1950 |
| Kine Exakta | 1936–1949 |
| RTL1000 | 1969-1973 |
| Varex IIa | 1960-1963 |
| Varex IIb | 1963-1967 |
| Varex | 1950–1956 |
| VX1000 | 1967–1970 |
| VX500 | 1969-1972 |