Akarex?

[dreilly]

Hi all,
Anyone know anything about the Akarex rangefinders out of Germany in the 1950s? They were small RFs with syncro-compur shutters and interchangeable lenses and RF/VFs. They featured 50/2 Xenons as well as a telephoto xenar 90/3.5. Anyone have any experience with them and can tell us about it?

There's one on Ebay, item # 7629551834
doug

 

[Ash]

Same brand as akarette/akaretta akarelles? They look quite nice, but i wouldnt spend $200 on one.

 

[John Robertson]

This site is in German, but Babelfish will help. The were very good cameras with an interesting history.

http://www.3d-historisch.de/AkA/AkA-Kameramodelle.htm

I have the Arette 1c their fixed lens CRF model, has a superb 2.8 50mm Xenar.
I use it regularly. I bid for it at an auction of the contents of an old camera shop. It had lain unused for nearly 50yrs, and came with box,instructions,hood, filters and case.
See att photo.

 

[zuikologist]

John - that is a very cool looking camera, very art-deco.

 

[Gordon Coale]

I had never heard of these cameras until a friend of mine gave me his Akarelle recently. Different but very pretty little cameras. I need to clean the viewfinder on mine and get another set screw for the focus ring. I do plan on taking some pictures with it.

 

[John Robertson]

The is an interesting article in Classic Camera #24 on AKA.
The company Apparate und Kamerabau, was founded in 1946 by two ex employees of Zeiss Dresden who had fled to the west. The cameras were manufactured in what had been the drawing offices of the Zeppelin Airship works in Friedrichshafen on the shores of Lake Constance(Bodensee)
In the 1960's they formed a partnership with Sawyers the Viewmaster people to make their Stereo Cameras, but this went pear shaped and Sawyers pulled the plug forcing AKA to close about 1965.
To quote the end of the article "AKA cameras enjoy a sleepy existance out of the limelight prized by the more assiduous and curious collectors slyly awaiting to be rediscovered sometime in the future.":angel:

 

[murpograph]

I found one

I found one

yesterday at the flee-market: I was too late to hope for a find. Then I saw a case, lift it. O.k. Heavy enough to contain something good. Opened it and found inside an Akarex with Xenon-lens. All in good shape. Then I asked for the price and got it in the end for about 15$.

The camera has interchangeable lenses. There were some standard lenses with 50 mm and one with 90 mm focal length. The latter however almost impossible to find. The concept of the lenses was interesting but expensive as every lens had its own rangefinder-"bridge". It was built 1953-1955 and cost that time 366 DM. I think the price has been the equivalent of 2 average month-wages that time.