I haven't owned an Exakta before

[johnf04]

But when this handsome Varex IIb came up on a local online auction, I bought it.



The camera is in very nice condition for its age, but there are 2 problems.

There is a little fungus at the edge of the lens's front element, and I have to work out how to get in there to clean it.

The second shutter curtain is shot.



I have curtain material, and links to a couple of lots of instructions, so at some stage I'll have to replace the curtain.

 

[tunalegs]

Unless I'm mistaken, the front of the Pancolar just unscrews. You'll need to use a piece of rubber to unscrew it, as it has no slots for a spanner.

The 2/50 Pancolar is overshadowed by the later 1.8 version, but in my opinion I think it is the better lens. Its rendering is beautiful, and it gives more accurate color reproduction.

Here's a shot on film from my Pancolar 2/50:

vx5006 by Berang Berang, on Flickr

 

[Peter de Waal]

I completely agree about the superiority of the early f/2.0 Pancolar. I have it in its alternative guise as the 50mm f/2.0 Flexon on my Praktina IIA. A hugely underated lens.

 

[Beemermark]

Unfortunately, most Exakta's shutters have pin holes or worse. I have three (VX, VXIIa and VXIIb) nice ones and only one works perfectly. Have a number of lens, some are real neat like the Westrogon Isco-Gottingen 24mm/4.

Been thinking of posting them for sale but don't have a clue what to ask for them.

 

[hilltime]

A lot of lenses have increased in value recently with the craze of using "Cult" lenses on digital cameras. Sold an Angenieux 35/3.5, which I paid $35 for about 20 years ago for $600+ and who knows about the Meyer Trioplans? Wish I had bought a hundred of them when they were selling for less than $50.
I started collecting Exaktas because they were so cheap with great German lenses available. Have more than paid for my collection at least two times over by selling a few lenses in the last couple years. Makes me look like an investment genius to my wife, who of course always complains about "That old camera junk"!

Gary Hill

 

[fotomeow]

Thx for sharing Tuna.
the pic just oozes naturalness and comfort in terms of sharpness/color/contrast

Unless I'm mistaken, the front of the Pancolar just unscrews. You'll need to use a piece of rubber to unscrew it, as it has no slots for a spanner.

The 2/50 Pancolar is overshadowed by the later 1.8 version, but in my opinion I think it is the better lens. Its rendering is beautiful, and it gives more accurate color reproduction.

Here's a shot on film from my Pancolar 2/50:

vx5006 by Berang Berang, on Flickr

 

[johnf04]

Well, I followed the instructions here:
http://erebos.free.fr/spip.php?article63
and also in an article I found on the wayback machine, by Zorkikat, and now the Exakta looks like this:

I'm going to follow Rick Oleson's instructions, to replace the second curtain.
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-160.html

 

[maddoc]

The second curtain of my Varex IIa was almost like a mesh, the coating gone. I did a cheap DIY job by applying many layers of liquid electric tape and it helped for some time. I also got the Exakta repair book but did not find any time to proper service my camera.

This one was taken with the CZJ Flektogon 25/4 on DELTA400 (at 1600)


by Gabor Samjeske, on Flickr

 

[johnf04]

The new shutter curtain. The camera is now back together, ready to load with film.

 

[tunalegs]

I hope you lubed the shutter spindles while you were in there. Every Exakta I've had has needed that when I got it.

I also recently decided to test my Pancolar against my Schneider Xenon, and somewhat surprisingly the Pancolar turned in sharper results wide open. It's a very good lens by any standard for the era it was made in. I earlier tested an M42 Xenon against various other M42 lenses and it came out ahead of all of them, so for the Pancolar "kit lens" to outdo a Xenon impressed me.

 

[johnf04]

Yes, I lubed the spindles. The camera is loaded with my last roll of APX100.

 

[tunalegs]

I'll be interested in reading your thoughts and seeing the results when you get them. I have a VXIIB, but I've never used it, though I've shot many rolls through a VX500.

 

[johnf04]

Unfortunately, I managed to misload the film on the tank spiral, and got only 6 usable images:


Taken through a window - hence the line on the left.





I don't know that it's a camera I would use a lot - and I still have to clean the fungus off the lens front element.

 

[tunalegs]

Shame about the roll, but at least you know the camera works now.

I think the primary reason I haven't used my VXIIb is the unwieldy advance lever. I have no problem with it being left handed, and have used the VX1000 and VX500, but the unusually long throw of the lever on the earlier Exaktas seems slightly ridiculous.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I haven't owned an Exakta before

And hope to never again. But the bloody things are addictive... cf http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/ps collect varex.html

Cheers,

R.l