Exakta Ihagee Anast Exaktar 5.4cm f/3.5 Lens (w/ samples!)

[Stephen_Zane]

So here's a weird one for you folks. Just came into possession of the (apparently rather rare) Exakta Exaktar 5.4cm f/3.5 EXA mount lens.

Any idea what this thing is worth?

It's positively teeny and in remarkably good shape for its advanced age. (Made somewhere around 1936) Build quality is typically German. Overbuilt 14 blade aperture for circular bokeh stopped down. Well dampened focusing ring, and a weird aperture ring of a design unlike any I've seen. It's a little on the glowy side, but has a remarkable amount of resolving power. Probably helps that my copy is cleaner than a lot of lenses I've seen that were 60 years younger than it. Anyways, onto the (admittedly goofy) test frames.

Photo of the lens:

DSCF7165 by Stephen Zane, on Flickr

Test frames:
Wide open at f/3.5, added some warmth in post

DSCF7185 by Stephen Zane, on Flickr

Stopped down to f/8


DSCF7187 by Stephen Zane, on Flickr

Not bad for an old timer eh?

 

[Scrambler]

That's Exacta Ihagee (I...H...G)

So it's a Leica compatible lens? I thought all (or most) were the same screw in design (L39) but longer between inner end and the film mount.

**EDIT - realised this is in the SLR section! - so ignore the above comment **

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/194167633/exakta-kine-exakta-35mm-slr-camera-w-54

 

[tunalegs]

I don't know if they're particularly rare, they show up on early exaktas pretty frequently, and they're easier to find than Meyer's own version of the same lens. Nice vintage effect it gives though, and characteristic Meyer bubble boke.

 

[Stephen_Zane]

I don't know if they're particularly rare, they show up on early exaktas pretty frequently, and they're easier to find than Meyer's own version of the same lens. Nice vintage effect it gives though, and characteristic Meyer bubble boke.

Yeah it's definitely interesting. Seems oddly expensive on ebay, so I assumed it must be rare. I wonder what percentage is free of fog? Still feel like I got pretty lucky....though not quite the Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 I found once upon a time! 😎

 

[Stephen_Zane]

That's Exacta Ihagee (I...H...G)

So it's a Leica compatible lens? I thought all (or most) were the same screw in design (L39) but longer between inner end and the film mount.

**EDIT - realised this is in the SLR section! - so ignore the above comment **

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/194167633/exakta-kine-exakta-35mm-slr-camera-w-54

Haha. It sure looks small enough to be an rf lens!