Ihagee Exa 500

When I first started photography this is the type of camera I used. Not this actual camera, that had the more usual 50mm Meyer Domiplan lens, I still have it somewhere, must dig it out soon and put a film through it, but an Exa 500 non the less. This model of camera is my all time favourite, simple, basic you may even say, but still if I could only have one camera, this is what I would have! I love its shape and compactness, the fact you can hold it steady as a rock, the left hand shutter release and the little red marker in the viewfinder reminding you to wind on!

Yes, I'm biased of course, I'll admit that, but I supposed it was what I got used to, From the age of 14 until I was 21, when I bought a Praktica B200 an Exa 500 was my camera of choice.

This particular camera, body number 314913, with it's lovely Primoplan 58mm 1.9 lens by Meyer-Optik of Gorlitz in the East of Germany I bought a few years later as one that needed repair, but I suppose I bought it because of the unusual lens, more than that I needed another Exa 500. It was in a case with the large square front to hold a slightly longer lens and has a slide on accessory shoe attachment sat on top of the prism. My thought was that someone had put this together for serious use, the 58mm Meyer-Optik Primoplan 1.9 being a much superior lens than the Standard Meyer-Optik Domiplan, and a decade or so older than the body, topped with the slide on shoe and the non standard case, this was a thing of purpose.

I guess the Primoplan lens number 1318369 must be from the mid to late 1950's, it is one of those where you pre set the aperture with the front ring, turn it wide open to focus then turn the ring back the other way where it stops at your pre set aperture. Not as quick as a fully auto lens, but not bad with practise and of course quicker than a manual lens and you can turn it back to the stop whilst keeping the camera to your eye.

I've been to Gorlitz, it is a cracking little town, one of my favourite places in Germany. One thing that it is, is that it's in the East of Germany, in fact it is right up to the Polish border, you can walk over a footbridge into Poland. But here this lens just says 'Made In Germany' No mention of the G.D.R. No mention of East Germany, just Germany in a town so far East you could, if you so wished, throw a stone into Poland!

Getting back to the camera, the Exa 500 is really simple to use. The shutter release is operated with your left finger, the body curves around the joints of your fingers and your thumbs come together on the camera back. Held like this the Exa is as solid as a rock, no shake here when you press the shutter. Whoever came up with this shape was a genius ! Fire the shutter, wind on with your right thumb and away you go, everything is in the right place and the camera is always steady.

The shutter speeds are 500,200,125,60,30,15, 8, 4, 2, B. What more do you need? There is a nice little film speed reminder to stop you forgetting what speed film you loaded the Exa with, here it is set at 21 din.

Loading the film is easy, the back comes right off, no hinges, this is much better to load than a screw thread Leica ! You just slide the back on, turn the ring on the camera bottom shown in the picture below and it is locked and you are ready to go.

So don't overlook the Exa 500 if you are wanting a low cost classic camera to use. It's simple, easy to operate by the seat of your pants, no gimmicks no bullshit it just is built for taking pics. I prefer this to the larger Varex.

Lots of lenses are available reasonably cheaply, don't write off the auto Domiplan, it's a lot better than the critics say, just watch out for a sticky slow iris, and some examples have now got a very stiff focus action so avoid those. Don't forget, if you are on a budget, there are many lenses from Japan to fit the Exakta / Exa bayonet which are still available quite cheaply, some are average, some really good, but even the average ones are usually good between 5.6 and 22 !

Go on try one out !