Ihagee Exakta Varex VX - How Does a 70-Yr-Old Pro 35mm Perform Today? 

Exacta and Pentacon have a place in my heart. In the late Sixties I had one of each and I have not yet lost my love of them. The industrial design of the VX (called Varex in the West) is beyond inspired. It must have been by visitation. Both camera systems are the gateway to some very special glass, some obscure and short runs. The Varex in particular is built like a truck, but a truck with very good fit and finish.

Great video! A few years ago I was lucky enough to snap up a near mint 1956 Dresden Varex and a full set of lenses up to 300 mm. The quality of the body and the precisely machined lenses from all the top 1950s European manufacturers is amazing. I might do a video on that system someday. You’ve done all the heavy lifting on how to use it. Thanks again!😊

Great feed and thanks for giving new life to old cameras . Good to see your process and approach to photographing each scene.

The arrow on the shutter speed dial is for cocking the shutter without winding the film. You can change speeds turning either direction.

As the series developed, the aperture preset got more sophisticated. On quote a lot of lenses you still pre-set the aperture, but then you cock the diaphragm wide open with a lever or slider on the lens body. The lens has a spring loaded shutter extension, which when pressed not only releases the aperture down to the preset, but also presses the shutter release in one stroke. It does mean you have to both cock the lens and advance the film in separate actions, but this way you won't accidentally shoot with with aperture still wide-open. If you don't cock the lens, the aperture stays at whatever stop it was set for.

Just came across your channel with a breath of fresh air. Your approach is very informative and running commentary is great. Its so nice to see you actually taking these cameras out instead of just talking about them as other channels I've seen. It made me laugh thinking about how many keys must be in that river below them locks. I've started to use an old Practical FX2 made in Germany,love the sound of it whilst all them cogs & spring bring life to an old object. Anyway keep doing this as many people will love it. Best regards from the UK.

fantastic review! Knew form the first seconds that was the vid I needed :)

Very interesting camera, without doubt, a nice piece of machinery. I feel the same every time I shoot with my Kodak Retina IIIC. Both are cameras with very good built quality, excellent performance, that do the same as all other cameras but in their very own way. Barnack Leicas are the same as all other "old" rangefinders and M Leicas, the same as less old rangefinders. Kodak Retina works differently from other rangefinders, as this Exacta from all other SLR cameras. The fact that you think out loud, about the setup and exposure you are choosing, his a great entertaining and learning feature, a big plus. Tanks and Cheers

Haha, I do the same thing when I'm thinking and talking at the same time, but I was chuckling at the settings you were saying out loud: "1/250th at f8" Then in the same light a minute later, "1/20th at 2.8" I really love all the videos, friend!

Thank you for demystifying this camera and brand. Love your reviews and how you talk-through your photo walks.

Thank you for this very interesting video. I got this camera about a year ago and, as you said, it's a joy using this old lady, it's the most fascinating reflex body in my collection. Two of the three lenses that I have got for this camera, the Tessar 50/2.8 and the Flektogon 35/2.8 have got a cursor on the bottom that allows you to open the diaphragm for easy focusing. When you shoot, you have to press the button on the lens barrel that pushes down the shutter button on the body. It has got two positions, the first closes the diaphragm at the selected value and pressing further, activates the shutter. This makes the life much easier. The Jena 135/4 is even easier because the diaphragm closes automatically when you press the shutter button. Furthermore, I can mount the lenses of my Topcon on the Exakta because use the same mount, but in this case, it works in stop down only.

"A bit fiddly" might be an understatement! I own a VXIIa and rarely use it for that reason. Probably, like many pre-1960 cameras, it becomes second nature, if that's the only camera you shoot. Having never shot any Exakta except mine, I'm surprised by the differences between our models. Another superb review of a great camera/lens.

An excellent review of these wonderful cameras. I've so far resisted the temptation to own one, but the chance find of a Zeiss Ikon Contaflex circa 1957, led to an appreciation of the early German SLRs cameras in general. I love the quality of manufacture, and indeed the quality of the images. All the lenses on my Contaflex are Tessars, and comparable in quality to my Nikon, Minolta or Olympus gear from three decades on. Then there are the early offerings from Voigtlander and the Kodak Retina Reflex models. I'd dearly love to see you review a Contaflex. Sure, they don't have an instant return mirror, but they have lovely (if somewhat delicate) leaf shutters.

Thank you very much for your video. Not long ago I bought a set of EXAKTA VX on the second-hand market, but I found that its counter was different from other VX, and its rewinding operation was also different (which caused me to lose a roll of film). I looked up the information for a long time, and finally found that this is an early version of VX (it was produced for a few months in 1951, there are only about 3900), and finally found your video, our cameras and lenses are all exactly the same.

Great vid. Thanks! Memories!! I still have my father’s Exacta from the 50s so I am now going to have to break it out and see if it still works. At the time I was a kid and had the baby brother - the Exa. It was a shocker but I put a lot of film through it. 😂😂

My dad passed away a few years back and recently I was helping mom cleaning out the garage. In one of the boxes I found my grandpa's Exakta VX IIa and great grandpa's Rolleicord. There are bunch of other cameras, but these are the two I'm learning how to use right now. The Exakta isn't as intuitive as my Canon R5C (love that camera). So this video is helping! Thank you!

Thank you for the nice presentation 👍

It seems like you are going through my camera collection. I’m looking forward to see how many we have in common.

Another well-presented and filmed episode. What an amazing camera. I have never seen one, but not sure I'm ready to try the 'left-handed' approach yet. Doesn't look like an average consumer camera. Can't imagine picture-taker-snapper Uncle Joe taking photos of the kids with this camera. And there was the cost. Probably for the wealthier pro photographer. Enjoyed the video, as always. Keep it up.

I have the previous model Varex IIb, which has the same features as the VX, but is made with significantly better build standards. No plastics at all on that camera. I nicknamed it "Heavy Metal", because it is that. I'm convinced, that out of all of my cameras, this might be the one which would survive WW III.

i never had intension to shoot anything with this camera but to use it for a display. nothing can beat the look of it even leica

I got a hand me down Varax from my father when I was 11 years old, back in the 60s. I also had the 3D attachment which was a screw on adapter on the lens and a binaural eyepiece which doubled as a 3D viewer.. I learned photography with this camera and being left handed, I loved it. Wish I still had it.

What a beautiful piece of history The strangest camera I ever had was "Start" (1962, USSR). With a removable prism (you can install a shaft), a built-in blade, like this Exakta And a sticky mirror. It seems that the soviets copied Start with one of the Exactas. One of the later ones than this one Also, the lens - popular Helios-44 (also soviet) was a copy of this one. 58 2.0 I have many (clone) versions of this Great lens! Good with modern cameras via adapter

Nice video. The name Varex was not allow in the states, because it was already claimed by the Argus company. So did Ihagee used the letters VX which stands for Varex. The VX models are export models. I have the same camera.

I have two VX a's which came down from my dad. These are fun to use and are clearly throw- backs to the cameras of the 1930's.

Great video. I inherited a 1959 version of this camera from my grandfather along with the 5000+ slides he took and annotated with time and place. It needs a new shutter but besides that is very clean and I can’t wait to use it once I get it fixed. It has been a challenge finding someone competent to work on it. I will know if this person exists shortly and let you know if you are interested.

Great camera, very useful features! Lots of lenses available. Your slow speeds usage, not your shiniest moments! Seen a old pros work in early 60's, when I bought 1st Pentax S1a! His work crunched mine!

The trick with partialy shooting is great. You can use it for a full film as well. This way you do not have to rewind the film. Just cut at the end and spool the last frame on.

The arrow on the shutter speed dial doesn’t mean that you are only allowed to change shutter speeds in that direction. That is possible in both directions. It shows in which direction to turn the dial (without lifting it) to cock the shutter without transporting the film for double exposures. Thanks for the video!

Enjoyed this. I own an Ihagee Kine Exacta V1 from 1936, an Exa 500 as well as a much later RTL1000. Gorgeous design in the earlier ones, bit more utilitarian in the RTL.

WoW This cut film solution is so cool.

I can see you took a lot of time and effort to make this video. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Cool vids 🎉

That's a lovely lens that produces excellent images. I have one in M42 mount that I use on a Sony A7Sii and the out of focus blur is excellent. It is also plenty sharp wide open. I started with an Exa that I bought from a pawn shop with paper route money in the late 60s. It had a 90mm lens on it. I wish I had not sold it.

If you are looking for a used copy of this camera, be sure to check the curtains. It is common for them to have with pin holes in the camera. Can be hard to find them till film is developed.

I love these.. I own 3 different models with all three of the main lenses you mentioned lol. All of them had major shutter drag and squak .. Its funny because the one I have fully serviced is exactly like the one you used.. I could hear your shutter dragging compared to mine.. But the bright side to that is that we all know that film tends to like to be over exposed anyway and all you had to do was use the correct speeds and the slower shutter would have over exposed lol. The version you used in this shoot is a real pain to service because your model has the flip up gear release .. I know because like I said I have the exact model with the exact lens even lol. I was laughing the entire video because ours look almost identical .. Anyway if you look close at that flip up gear release you will see there is a tiny pin holding that flip up end onto the pole shaft sticking out the top of the camera.. You have to remove that pin in order to take that flip off lever off or the case will not come off the camera. It was horrible :(.. The other model I have that also looks exactly the same but has the Meyer lens has just the shaft poking out and you press it down to release the gears to rewind.. That model you can remove the case without having to fiddle with the lever .. The other model I have is post war and was known for jams .. In fact it was jammed when I got it.. It is in need of shutter cloth but otherwise it is fully functioning so that is a winter project :). Its funny that you did not much care for it because for some reason out of the tons of 35 mm cameras that I own and I own a lot from newer fancy ones with digital readouts all the way down to these 75 year old cameras and for some reason if I had to chose id probably pick one of these to shoot with .. Great to see one being used and thanks for doing this video :).

They’re wonderful cameras. I have an Exa 500 with two lenses: the Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f/2 and the Enna Super Lithagon 35mm f/2.8.

Excellent video, thank you, I have learned a lot for this new to me camera. How do you set the slow time. Do you need to put the speed on the left button to a certain position?

This is the camera used by Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window

thanks for another good video - i just bought an exakta vx iia late model. i havent received it yet. same lens as yours. did you find a repair shop that would work on your exakta? you mentioned it needed a CLA. i suspect mine will probably too due to age. they have a reputation for shutter curtain issues. thank you - andrew

I never really liked this camera, I thought it looked ugly and bulky. I I bought one because it came with a vintage lens that I had set my eye on and they didn't want to sell the lens separately. Now I really appreciate the camera, especially the build quality and I even think it looks nice because it has it's own unique appearance.

I always liked the looks of the Varex, but all the left-handed controls make it a poor choice for me. BTW, what light meter are you using? I like the fact you can do so much with it and also get an average for good exposures.

I have my dad's old old Exakta VX IIa camera with a Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm/2.8 lens, but I'm guessing it predates yours. It doesn't have a viewfinder; you have to pop open the top and look down into it to frame your shot.

What light meter is he using?

What kind of light meter do you use?

I have a Pentacon Super like the ones used in Russian Space Program

The perfect camera for us lefties 😊

The correct German phonetic pronunciation of Ihagee is E-hah-gay.