Exakta Model A / Model B and Junior User manual

,Before using
TheEXAKTAT
 CAMERA
   4x  615 Gltr.
   pleose cqrefully study the
    instructions in this booklet
      Exokto-Comero models A ond B ond Exokrcl-Junior

        D R E S D E N - A .            l 9     /  S C H A N D A U E R     S T R A S S E    2 4

A personolAppeol to oll owners of on Exoktq!
We are very glad that you have bought an Exakta. Before describing the use ot            I
this model we personallyappeal to you:
          Treat your-all:  camera carefully! Never use force!
        Above     read the instructionsfor use with the greatestcare. Wrong
         manipulation may soon become a habit, and we cannot accept Iiability
            for defectsdue to faulty handling.
The Exakta camera is a precision instrument,and its operation-requires your full     I
attention,particularlyat "fiist!  If anything should not be perfectlyclear to you our           J)I
ServiceDepartmentswill be glad to help you.
With best wishes for successtulwork with your Exakta we are,
                                              always at your service
                        IHAGEE CAMERA WORKS
                                                    Steenbergen& Co.
                                           D R E S D E N - A .I 9 .

'.,\il)\)ut





                                        f i g 4                                                                                  f i g . 5

or bv looking first 0n the ground glass screen. The field covered by the camera is accuratell'
seen'if the efe is brought as near f,s possible to the rear f rame of the  f inder. The fratne of thb
front of the finder u'ill then shou' the amount covered bv the camera.
0

fig. 6                                                            fig. 7

lmage Control   III:   It  is also possible to see the ground glass screen while using the camera
at eye level. This is easily done _by allowing the mirror n to come back to its origlnal position
bv pressing the small lever p. The magnifying lens together with the rear part o- of the frame
                           www.orphancameras.com                                7

finder must then be pressed down inside the hood until it catches in position (see figure 6). The
mirror is now pressed downwards and backwards once more but only until the first catch (figure 7).
The ground glass screen may now be easily seen through the mirror n.
   ffiffi@ffi%fig.8

Closingthe light hood cannot be done until ihe mirror n has been allowed to spring-back into
its uprightposltionby pressingthe small lever p. The magnifyinglens and the rear frame o of
the f'rariefinder musi ihen be-foldedback, as shown in figure6, until it snapsinto position.The
walls of the finder hood can now be folded down in the order 4, r, s, and finally, the covering
frame holding the mirror n is closed on top of them. These movementsare shown in the five
small picturei of figure 8, ur which position I shows the lowering of the magnifyinglens and
the rear part of the frame finder.
The Focol-Plone Shutter. As has beensaid,the shutterhas beenalreadywoundup by winding
on the film. When the shutter has been released,no picture can be seen in the light hood, be-
causethe mirror in the camerahas risen upwards in order to stop any light reachingthe film
8

that has not come throughthe lens. When the film is wound on oncemore,the mirror sinksinto
the correct pos.itionfor focussing.Tlte camerais then ready for the next picture,and this simple
mechanismmakesit impossibleto give two exposureson one sectionof itre titm.
The settingof the shutterspe.e{is arrangedby lifting the knob k, and turningit in the directionof the
arrow.(whil^einfhe liftedposition)unlil ihe requiredlpeedis oppositethe re-ddot on the inner knopki
{seeligure-9).The outer knob k is then loweied untii flush with fi. The numberson lhis fnob fivefractionsof a second.Short"tinte" expjl.surj.ofany requiredlengthmay be madeby turningknobii so
that the red dot on /ri is gpp_osite"B". The shlflei will now remdinopen as iong asihe shutterreleased  is pressed,and closes as soon as presslre is released.Ftir Iong ,,tiire" expoiures,
                           "2" on the knob ,t should be placedagainstthe rid dot on /c'. In thid
                          l(i. ,(            Position ole pressureon the shutter released opens the shutter,which
                         then remains open until the release d is press-eda second time. For
                           the convenience of camera users the shutter release d is provided
                            with a socket into which a wire release may be screwed.
                        Only the wire  releose supplled by us is sultoble. When making
                       exposures that are longer than t,"si,thof a second,the camera should
                       be screwed on to a tripod. A bush for the tripod screw will be found
                       on the bottom of the camera body.
                       The  shutter  can only be released when  the lens is focussed at
                                 "infinity"    or a near-er distance  and  the tocussi"s-;""unt   has
                       been screwed out tar enough.  Prior to this the shutterJs locked,and
            fig. 9           no attempt should be made to force the releaseknob into the camera.
                            www.orphancameras.com

The Lens ond Focussing. The lens,as the eyeof the camera,is extremelysensitiveand fragile,and
mustalwaysbe handledwith great care. In particular,care must be takenthat the fingersdo not soil
it. The glass may always be cleanedby wipingwith a soft dry washleather,but too frequentuse of
this will spoil the polish of the glasses.On this account,the lens shouldalwaysbe coveredby its
cap when the camerais not in use, and shouldneverbe touchedwilh the fingerswhen focussing.
                              The lens is mounted in a ring which, when turned to the
                                               left (hold the ring h when turning) screws forward the lens
                                on a helical thread. Other short or long focus lenses can be
                               b   substituted for the standard lens.
                                 Before the lens can be focussed, it is necessaryto turn the
                               d   ring until a stop is felt. The lens is brought into ihis position
                                 by holding the outer ring e (shown in figure 10, with the
                               word  "l hagee" on  it) and turning  it  in an anti - clockrvise
                                      direction up to the stop  In this position the lens is focussed
                                         at infinity, and at the same time the lock on the shutter is
                                   released.This shutter lock stops the camerabeing used before                   h c                                    the lens is   i n the proper position. For all objects beyond
                                  f ig. l0              65 feet the lens will be correctly focussed when the scale
ape rture aboutF,3.5)atapproxima,.';'13'"ilJ,l*toT;(Ili'iil'x'Jt",fi1""rt:g'l''rta3-iftLfi::land at a Iarger aperture increasedaccording  to depth of focus.)
I n order to focus at nearer distances,the smallstop lever/is presseddown lightly,and it is then
possible to screw out the helical mount still further.The picture may then be foCussedeitheron
10

the ground glass screen, or else by the scale,_lvhichreads distancesfrom the camera to the object
ptrofogriptre?.On the helical mount is a mark which moves along.lhe scale of distances as the
iens iE s^crewedoutwards, and shows accurately the distance at which the lens is sharply focussed.
The diaphragm of the lens should not be undervalued, for it_is often very.use.ful..If,for example,
it is deriired"to have objects in the foreground sharp, as well as objects in the bac_kgroun{,th-e
diaphragm must be aOju-stedaccordingly.-aie The alteration is.effected.by moving.thg nickelled ringh,
on'whidh the various iens apertures    marked, and as the aperture is made large-r or smaller,
so the depth of field is less6ned or increased.The rule is-simple to remember,.and runs -  the
smaller tlie lens aperture, the greater the depth of  field, but the longer the time  of exposure.
Chonqe  of  Fllm:   It  is necessary   to wind  the  film  for each exposure.    It is not  sufficient
6  tu;h  the  film   until  the  imaie   appears-ahA   again  in the  light  hood, but always  consider
the numbers   in  the  film  window       win-O the  film   to  the  next  number   after  an
exposure has been made.  After all eight exposures have been mad-e,the_film .spool is wound
uniit no protective paper appears for a few seconds in the film window, then the camera can
be opened and the iitin tat<-ehout. The full  film spool will be found in the upper com^partment-
Opposite the film winding lever a small bolt a mus-t b_edepressed. .ln most cases the film lpool
witi raise itself and can ihen be lifted out, or  it may be gripped with the thumb and forefinger
of the right hand and taken out. The spool is to be firmly fastened by. the guntme,dback label
adhering-to  it and carefully kept until developing. Fold down the 91d of the protective paper
before lumming  to facilitati: su6sequent loosening, The empty sp.ool in the lower compartment
must be"transfe"rredto the top. On-the right (on the side of the tilm winding lev-er)is a bushing
with a bar on which the groove of the spool'is placed. On the left the spool is then pressed
into the body until the small bolt snaps into position.
                            www.orphancameras.com                                                             I I

What  one           should                      knorr..                        abogt                                                        purely                                                     the                                ,ex-posures,be,."ides                                                                technical operation''C;;iii.o"isert,of thecamera,          will           be found                          in the                                           Gerh-ard-                                                          tse?i                            "Exakta'r-book..by                                                                       iriuuriii;;d-by
Magdeburg-Sudenberg).It is of course impossibtL to offer ha;;-;  tilnib;k   on'pf,6r-ogiu-.if,y,Uuta few hints may be welcome:
The main feature of the Exakta camera is its mirror reflex
fgc.ussing.             image          Th.                     -on the focussing screen is always de-cisive as to focussing.                                  If ltte object has 6een sharplyfocussed,
y.ou rnay be sure, that th.e picture taken will always have
the same qualities as the imdgg on the screen.To bd atwiys
        fol                                 it is advisable to carry the camera over   uI.eady.          .rvorking
the shoulder by means o.t.aqling furnishedfor that purpose.
ii;{iiiE,:xt''Jf;"j'#,i'l:lft{no3.,3lS,'i.':','.ff:j,;:,|;fol rapidly moving subjectspress                               -photografihersin pirti-                 DPUr,sport_finder-cular.Lurar preferPrE,tr  th.rrrs                                   1i|,":t GeeH:c  tig.r.rg. 5):cr.   All.All image'rm_age observationooservation  possibilitipossibilities  menlioned  applyequally well to- ve-rticalwork. The imagi: on the fo"cussingscrein i?dicateswrren-tnJcimera isheld not exactly level. For vertical w-ork it  rr
cquipmentand then to employ the frame finder.
verticalwork, one looks towaids the front but p
may ofren succeedin taking pictures unnoticed.
aboveone's head and looks at the imase on thr
with a tripod requirethe use of a ball:ioint wt

t2

Exokto model  B (flgureu)
By means of the special shutter supplied with the
Exakta,exposuresbetween l/rothand 12 seconds can be
given. If this mechanismis used (the range is t/tothto
l2 seconds normally, or  ],ir0th to 6 seconds if the
"delayed action mechanism" is used) the shutter
control k must be set either to B or Z.  Before setting
theTimeControl,the film must be broughtinto its proper
positionby tneansof the filnt moving lever c whereupon
the knob  I must be wound  up  to the end stop.
Important:  The shutter  works  accutately  only
if the knob   I is wound up to the end stop. When
looking at the camera from the front, winding is
effectedby turning the knob / to the right. Sometimes
only little turnlng is required if a shorter exposure
tinre has been previously used.                                                                                                                                         f i g . 1 l

  Notlce:  The gradual winding of the spring towards the end stop makes the winding of the knob
  difficult. Do not be confuseil thereby. Shortly before the end one has a feeling that the knob is
  fully wound, but a  little additional winding  is actually necessaryto complete the operation.
 This should not be overlooked, and the user should always make certain to wind up fully.
                            www.orphancameras.com                            r3

The desired time exposure is adjusted only  after winding  as follows:
The knob f must th,enbe qou.ngup^to its fullest extent,an_{the necessarytime of exposureadjusted.
The.outer,ringof the knob f is tifteO.up_andturneduntilthe desiredexposuretime is agaiiriitfre
mark on the central.part of th-eknob.-The outer ring is_then                                                           -allowed'todrop nicl  ifrto piaie.Black          show th-etimes of expo-sure-fornormal"*ot_k,and ieo liguier'.rio**1tbr.  poisirie       ligglgs.
w!9q the "delayedactionmechanismt'is beingu-sed._lnthe latter casethe"varioustirei  o] elposurewill be given approximately12                        _secondsaftei the shutter releaseis pressed. If the instantaneous                  ott,t_he.kn9bk (Llzsthtot/16^ooth)areto beusedwirh the "delayedactionrnechanism",:Jf 9t-11;:-.Tgt]^u:grne snutter ls set to the desiredexposure(for exampleto tlzoothof a sec<ind)while the knob I iri
placedwith the mark g.ppos-iteany-of the i'ed numberson't-iL ring. It shouifuUJ"otiO that it is
                  to adjust knob k whether the knob t-is beingusi-q or not.-a;"g;-exposureslJyjy,t^i91.::9lythan 12 secondsmay be giye.nby the normalmethod of setting-theshutterto .B or 2, but the time
should be noted with a watch. Ii is ditticult to count seconds"accuraiity *iiltoui niu.rt praciiie.
 The order   is therefore as follows
          l. Move the film to the next number.
      2. Set the shutter:
        1/rot-h-12-sec. without delayed action and l/1sth-6  sec. with delayed action, tension
       knob I and adiust time.
             tf          zbth-tlrr00thwith delayed action: set small knobk, tension knob land set to any red number.
      3. Release...(tlteshutter cannot be released until the focussing mount has been turned
        out to "infinity")

If you wish to  familiarize yourself-each    with  the operation of an "Exakta" not loaded with film,
 move the film lever c after      release at least three times up to the stop as only then will
  the shutter be wound up and the mirror in proper position. Later on during actual work one
  should always be guided by the number in the small red window.

The Exqkto Junior
Looding  the  film3 see pages 3-5.
Mirror  Reflex  Equipment:   see pages 5-8.
Shutter:  see pages 8-g   (highest shutter speed of Exakta Junior l/soothsecond.)
Chonge  of film3 see page 11.
Focusslng the  lens. The lehs of Exakta Junior and its ope-rationdiffer in many-respects from
that of  tlie model A.  The Exakta Junior has a lens which locusses by means.of movement of
the front lens. First, the lens tube i-s pulled-be    out and turned lightly in a clockwise direction until
it stops. To do  this the lens should    held by the ring with the apertures marked on  it, and
when'in  this "pulled" out position  it  is focussed on infinity.  As before all objects further than
65 feet from  the camera will  be found  to be  in focus oh the ground glass, always 4ssuming
that the focussing mark on the front lens is opposite the infinity mqrt on the ring.  Focussing
for nearer distancls is arranged by turning the front leus until the mark is against the appropriate
                           www.orphancameras.com                                                                              l 5

The Exqkto Ccrmero
with rhe Plote Bock

Everybodyowning this special Exakta make should
renrernberthe following:
       Plate  exposures cannot  be focussed by
      the  screen  in  the  light  hood,  but  on
      the second ground  glass screen  at the
     back  of the camera.




done by removingthe metal ring. By turning the diaphragmring to tbe left the tens is screwedo.ut'    91d -the ring. can then be easily removed. Yori seCfor ydurself that after removai oi tt,e
ring the.lens is closer to the camera-soas to maintainthe sariredistanceup to the plate. If one
wishes to focus by the screenon the back of the camera,lhe shuttcris firstieitJZ'una openeo.
                              www.orphancameras.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                             l 7

The image can now be checked. Before exposure close the shutter and wind  it up again by
pressing the film winding lever c at  least  3 times  against the stop in the direction of the arrow.
Then  pull out the focussing screen at the back of the camera and the darkslide loaded with a
plate can then be inserted. For roll film exposures remove the focussing screen and in lieu of
it insert the slide provided with the film pressure plate.
              Briefly, remember:
             Roll  film  exposures:  Ring remains between the lens and the focussing mount.
           Focussing by scale and screen in the light hood. Film pressure plate slide inserted
           on back. Move the film always according to the number in the red film window.
            Plate  exposures:  Remove ring. Focussing by scale or screen on back of camera.
Exokto Accessories;
are quite comprehensive and will be briefly described below.
Profective Cqse
Preserve your Exakta if you value  it. This case completely surrounds the camera without inter-
fering with  its instantaneous use. The camera is inserted in the case so that the  laterally
attached hangers are suspended close to the side wall of the camera. The bush is screwed through
the opening in the bottom  of the case into the tripodbush of the camera. As the bush is also
fitted with thread, the Exakta may be screwed to the stand with its case. Before exposure unbutton
the flap covering the lens and turn  it down.  (This case can be used also for Exakta Junior.)
1 8

Speciol Lenses of Exokto
These lenses are intended for two separate fields:
The Tele-Lenses for distance work, the Wide-angle lens fbr wide angle exposures.
The lenses are fitted on  in our works,  i. e. the  infinity stop  is put together with that of the
standard lens. We further attach a focussing scale. The red figures apply for the Tele lens, the
white ones for the standard lens. The prices of special lenses include the cost of fitting, so that
the camera must be sent to our factory.  If you do not want fitting, you can always focus without
scalg and infinity stop by the focussing screen. The standard lens is screwed out by turning the
diaphragm ring  to the  left, and the same mount holds the long focus and the wide angle lens.
In case of fitted lenses one may depend, also on the fccussing screen in the light hood, or on
the red scale. For the Tele-lenses (lhagee-AnastigmatFl4.5ll0.5-11 cm., Tele-Tessar F16.3l12cm.,
Tele-Megor F/5.5/15cm., Tele-Tessar F/6.3/18cm. and Tele-Tessar F16.3125cm. focal length) the
frame finder of the Exakta is provided with  a mask which indicates the  limits of the-picture
attainable with the Tele-lens. The mask, with the engraved lettering to the rear, is first placed
with the two supports in the front frame to the right and left and then pressed on top into the
frame until  it snaps into position.



                             www.orphancameras.com                                                                                                                                                                                                     l 9

sExokta tighr Filters

They     -serve for -producing proper tone values when orthochromatic or panchromatic material is
used by increasing or reducing the action of certain light rays.
The Yellow Screen  for orthochromatic material that is lightly sensitive to blue, retains the blue
and increasesthe effect of the yellow light rays. So called yeliow -  green screenshave the same
effects upon the orthochromatic emulsions and in case of panchromatic films having increased
green and reduced red sensitivity ensure a reproduction in correct tone values.
The Green Screen  serves for reproducing the green tints correctly if panchromatic films pa'rti-
cularly sensitive to red are used.
The BIue Screen  in case of exposures made by artifical light on panchromatic material highly
sensitive to red light rays. Retaids the red lighl rays preseiit in lai'ge numbers in most artificial
light sources and prevents a too light reproduction of ied  tints.
The Red Screen for_panchromatic or infra-red material increases the effect of the red light
r.ayq.t9 an en_ormousdegree.  Particularly suited for distant exposures (also for night effects-b,t,
l:i"iJJ';;,,'nH#K':,T:',:::.:'illJfi'l':,jlf';",*spondingattachab,emountsare
available. When ordering.pleasestate the name and the aperture rit ttre optical system concerned.
The filters absorb a portion of the light passing through them, so that tlie time bf exposuremust
20

be somewhat increased. This depends of course on the lransparencv of the filter and the colour
sensilivenessof the nraterialused for exposures. Approximately,ihe extia time required is as follows:
                    Yellow screen, light      -  double exposure lime
                    Yellow screen, medium :   4-folcl exfosure time
                     Yellow screen, dark        :   6-fold exposure time
                    Yellow-green screen       :   3-fold exposure time
                   Green screen                   :   4-fold  exilosirre linre
                    Blue screen                      :  double eioosure time
                 Red screen                        :   lt-fold exfosure tinre for panchromatic filnl
                                                                                          , 30-fold exposure tinle for infra-red film

                        tight Hood Extensions
                           These two accessoriesare intended to keep extraneousside-light
                          away f ro m the image on the focussingscreen and thus increase





      Plain       Light hood Extension
      type          with magnifier
                             www.orphancameras.com                          2r

The Sun Shode
is also supplied for  all lenses. When ordering please state name and aperture
of the objective. The sun Shade serves the important purpose of keeping
trouble-some front or side-light (not only sunlight but also artificial light) away
from the lens. The sun Shade is indispensible for charming exposures by
contrasting lights.   It is easily attached to the front of the lens mount, or upon
the mount of a light filter  if one of these is interposed.

Attochment Lenses
                                                             'groupOur attachment lenses serve for two kinds of exposures. One          is intended for giving larger
pictures of distant objects (Tele-lenses) and the other shortens the focal length, so that  it be-
comes possible to approach the object more closely, which  is particularly useful if exposures of
insects, coins, stamps, flowers etc. are to be made. The lens is simply attached with  its mount
to the front lens of the Exakta objective, and the screen image is decisive for focussing.
The Tele=lens  increases the focal length. Greater focal lengths require a longer exposure. The
Exakta Tele-lens requires the double of the ascertained exposure time. When an attachment lens
is added to the optical lens system, a corresponding stopping down is necessaryto obtain sharply
defined pictures (at least to  Fl8  or  F/ll)  and consequently another increase of the time  of
exposure must be considered. The standard focussing mount of Exakta does not suffice, however,
22

for increasing the focal length, so that the tele-lens requires the interposition of an extension
tube. Unscrew the Exakta lens. The mount of the focussing helix takes the tube, and the lens is
screwed into the upper worm of the tube, when the image can be sharply focussed in the light hood.
The attachment   lens  for  near  exposures  shortens the focal length  of the Exakta lens, so
that  it is possible to approach the object more closely with the standard focussing mount alone.
Although shortening of the focal length involves also a reduction of the time of exposure,_this
time must nevertheless be prolonged, since we are working with a long extension. As a rule, it
suffices to prolong the time of exposure about 2 times.
This attachment for near work  is also secured to the front lens of the objective. As shown in
the table below, the focussing range of  this attachment lens alone amounts to approximately
52-38  cm. (or 135-60  cm. in a night Exakta). The object to be photographed must therefore
be placed at this distance.  If  it  is desired to come  still closer to the object, use is made of
the practical:





                             www.orphancameras.com                         23

Exoktq Extension Tubes
which can be had in different lengths to increase the extension of the Exakta at will.
The objective is screwed out as usual.
The extension tube is screwed into its place, and the objective screwed into the tube. The longer
extensioL thus produced makes it possible to reduce the distance between the object and ihe
camera. The effect of the two available tubes (A'    :   llz cm. and B :3  cm.) which may be com-
bined as- required is given in the table below.  For example, two tubes B'will produc-epictures
of actual siz.e (scale                  _1: l). The effect of these intermediate pieces can also be iupplemehted by
the use of the attachment lens for near work. Possibilities of combination are eitiemely greai,
and the table shows best how tubes and attachment lens can be combined in the most favbulable
manner. O-wing to the considerably increased extension, when tubes are used the time of expo-
sure must be prolonged approximately 2 to 4 times.
For "Primoplan" and "Biotar"  objectives the small tube A alone cannot be used, as the lens
panel is too long and strikes an edge inside the tube. Tubes A and B can be used, however,
together, the longer tube B receiving the objective and tube A being positioned on the focussing
mount of the camera.



24