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Exacta - Macro and Lenses


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I picked-up on this from another thread and felt it merited its own

new topic.

 

Exacta - a brilliant way for me to marry my nature macros with

classics. I do have a broken RLT 1000 winging (sailing!) its way from

Merry Ole' England. When it gets here, it'll enter the repair cue and

I hope to get it running again.

 

What are some of the better optics available for the system to use for

macro work. Are these actual macro lenses or do I also need to find

some extension tubes? I'm a little lost as I know NOTHING about

Exacta, nor have I even seen what the mount looks like.

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Mike:

 

It is Exakta, I think.

 

Sure there were many macro lenses for it. Exakta is one of the oldest system 35mm system cameras.

 

Makro Kilar is one that comes to mind, several others were made in Exakta mount as well. I have a Rodenstock Yronor 135mm f/4.5 (beautiful lens. good performer as well- 4 element anastigmat- from the 1960s)with a Novoflex bellows. This lens was also sold in a helical focus mount for Exakta.

 

The mount is tiny. This was one of the major draw backs of Exakta system.

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As far as I know Exaktas are some of the most difficult classics to fix. I particularly think of the shutters curtains that often have holes in them.<p>I just discovered <a href=http://www.exakta.org/>this website</a> which might be useful - I'm short in time so I didn't read it yet.<p>

Also just look at <a href=http://www.aki-asahi.com/store/html/curtains/shutter-curtain.php>this page</a> : you can get both shutter curtains for your Exakta and (silk ?) shutter ribbons for your Contax II with one mouseclick...<p>Good luck fixing :-)

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My previous post is a bit OT as the RTL 1000 seems to be a late Exakta camera (semi-electronic) made by Pentacon in the DDR after Ihagee's bankrupt and has probably fery few things in common with the old Exaktas if it even has.

 

Good luck fixing anyway :-)

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Hi folks ,I have here on my desk a set of near new looking extension tubes. There are three in the set still in the original box ,these work best with the 50mm f2.8 Tessar. I know since I tried. So here it is free to a loving home , just pay the shipping costs. Mail me the offer will dissapear. I live in Australia / Melbourne
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Some of the Exakta versions were labeled as ExaCta. The "best" Exaktas, mechanically speaking, are the ones engraved in a fancy cursive style...Exakta.

 

For macro work, I use the extension "tubes" which are cheaper than the Macro-Kilars by Kilfitt of Munich.

 

The Exakta RTL100 was made by Pentacon based on the Praktika VLC. I've sent my RTL twice to be fixed. Nowadays, it's a paper weight.

 

I have a hodgepodge of lenses for my Exak©ta and Exa cameras from Zeiss, Schneider, Angenieux, Ludwig, and Isco.

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Before the Nikon F and Canon R came out in 1959; Exakta was THE system 35mm slr camera. It was even advertised in National Geographic; and a staple camera for them. It was used alot in scientific and medical photography; with macro; bellows; ring flash; slide copy attachments. There is the Ihagee ring flash RB1 and RB2. There is the endoscope attachment; and lamp control box. There are underwater boxes for Exakta.<BR><BR> In surgery there is the Ihagee Kolpofot for close up work of eyes; teeth; in cavity, ears, nose, gynaecological photography. There was a screen frame for holding an Exakta in front of an Oscilloscope screen; a fast normal lens with an extension tube is used. <BR><BR>There was also fast glass for theater work; the 75mm F1.5; 80mm F2.8; 100mm F2.8; 129mm F2.8; 180mm F2.8,. There are also stereo attachments; that has a two port deal on the taking lens; and a special two eyecup stereoflex prism deal. The Exakta super mirror lens was a 1000mm F5.6; a light white/grey for thermal reasons. Later the early Nikkor super cats where whitish; then later Canon learned to use white. This goes back to using white tubes with reflecting telescope tubes; before 35mm still cameras were born. In microscopes and copying of slides; Exakta held a strong holding before Nikon and Canon had 35mm slr's. <BR><BR>Exakta sort of peaked in quality and growth in the mid late 1950's; then just dropped features; dropped quality. In the late 1960's the old VX1000 and VX500's were being hawked at low prices alot by the NYC dealers; a shadow in precision compared to the expensive pro 1950's Exakta cameras. One of these cheapies I owned; a VX500; had its film rails not parallel to the lens mount; thus one got screwball results. <BR><BR>Some doctors and scientists started to use Topcon super-D'd etc in the 1960's; on their Exakta copy; macro; dentist; medical settups. In the 1950's the Exakta was a common slide copy system in camera stores; where the store did the labor; custom cropping; enlargments. In the 1950's Nikon made Nikkors for the Exakta VX system; a common lens was the 135mm F3.5 Nikkor; like the LTM lens. Steinheil made lenses for Exakta. Here I have a Kodak Aero Ektar 178mm F2.5 in a custom mount for Exakta; a huge affair with a snail slow 10 turn focus! The RTL to some folks wasnt really a real old trapazoidal Exakta; more of a Practica? with an Exakta mount. <BR><BR>Some of the 1950's VX models of the real Exakta had a film knife built in; one can spool from one cassette; to another cassette. One could quickly develop a few frames; and check exposure. I started to use Nikon F in the early 1960's; and still had my Exakta gear too. Both had removeable lenses; removeable screens; removeable finders; full system cameras. The Nikon F has a radically larger bayonet than Exakta; that allowed more radically lenses to be designed. Today most folks here probably just have used the tail end of Exakta's camera line; where quality control dropped; and results might have been sub par. The precision gears were replaces with stampings; some bodies were even machined wrong; like my VX500. To say that all Exakta is junk based on the last models is wrong.
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With all the problems folks have here on photo.net with 1950's and 1960's TLR stock screens; they probably would hate an old Exakta. Many of use used the stock ground glass screens for macro work; and then the newer brighter Fresnel variants. I had a rare all multiprism screen that fit Exakta; like the Nikon sports H screen; which was cool fro sports work. I sold in in shutterbug in the mid 1970's for about 55 bucks; probably a mistake. I also sold a Exakta to microscope RMS mount adapter then too. The 50mm F2 Pancolar or 50mm F2.8 T/(a Tessar) were also decent with extension tubes and bellows work. An oddball lens was this macro lens the size of a 50 cent piece; that on placed on the bellows; and held a small lens; maybe a triplet of something. Seymours Exakta sold them.<BR><BR>I used an Exakta in high school; and a TLR for sports. The strobe sync speed was only 1/30 on the Exakta; the flash shoe clip was a totally hokey deal that clipped on the prism. If running; the entire flash; clip might fly off; and sometimes the prism too. A flash bracket was WAY more robust.<BR><BR>IN macro some of us Exakta users just used enlarging lenses reversed for greater than life size; and used blackened paper tubes.
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All of the Macro-Topcor lenses from Tokyo Kogaku (for the Topcon cameras) will of course work fine on the Exacta cameras. They made short-mount 58mm and 135mm lenses that will focus to infinity on their bellows. The bellows are common, the lenses a little less so.

 

One issue with the Exacta mount for macro work is that it's really rather small in diameter. The mount will cause vignetting under certain conditions.

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Good luck with that RTL1000, I have two of them and neither work (shutter problems). I paid $80 to have one repaired and it worked for 2 weeks then shutter malfunctioned again. They are after all the ancestor of the dreaded Praktica.
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Exakta really was THE macro system in the 1950's. Many of us used enlarging lenses reversed; microscope objectives not reversed. There was no hangup then over the smaller bayonet clipping the far corners a tad. It was the standard eye doctor camera; a standard medical camera. A complete settup for medical had ring flash; remote xenon power supply; several lenses; bellows with a dual track could cost as much as a car would new then; a grand or two.. Some folks used to copy stamps; books; crop slides; shoot an enlarge portions of 16mm and 8mm movie films. I copied books back then with a 50mm F2 Pancolar; and tube; and Kodak Micro file film; and a Testrite copy stand with photoflood lamps. There was NO Nikon F then; it wasnt even designed yet.
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Um, the RTL was Exakta's last gasp. MP reviewed it when it was released, their opinion was that the TTL metering system was much too hard to use. An example of too little, too late.

 

That said, as has been mentioned focal plane shutter Topcon SLRs used the Exakta mount. Topcon made a 50ish (58 mm, I think) macro lens that was said to be very good, also a 135 short mount macro lens and a focusing helical for it. Either would be very nice to have.

 

Steinheil made four macro lenses in Exakta auto diaphragm (shutter release button on lens, pressing it stopsd the lens down and then depresses the shutter release on the front of the body) mount and also in M42. 35, 55, 100, and 135 mm. All f/2.8, IIRC.

 

One of my friends in Germany had a 55/2.8 Steinheil, was delighted with it. The aquarist Erhardt Roloff, unforunately no longer with us. If you look in old issues of Tropical Fish Hobbyist or in TFH's fish atlases you'll find examples of his work. He was one of the best fish photographers of his time.

 

I've had a 135/2.8 Steinheil macro lens. I adapted it to my Nikkormat using Novoflex LEIEX and NIKLEI-K adapters. Cost less than, were lighter than, the RTL I considered buying to hang it on. As adapted, far focusing distance was around a meter. Useful lens, not as good as the 105/4 MicroNikkor I replaced it with. I don't miss it.

 

Nowadays the Steinheil macro lenses in Exakta mount are somewhat collectors' items, aren't inexpensive.

 

If you can get by with Japanese third party glass and can survive a long search, look for Vivitar or Soligor brand macro lenses in Exakta mount. They exist, but aren't common anymore. Also look for Spiratone brand.

 

If you want to do macro work with a middle-aged camera, a meterless Nikon F, or one with a broken meter, and a 55/3.5 MicroNikkor would be a good choice. Or a Minolta SR (or SRT) or a Canon FT or Spotmatic or earlier Pentax, with the maker's 50 or 55 macro lens. They're all good, all easier to use in general and, alas, more reliable than aged Exaktas.

 

Good luck, have fun,

 

Dan

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I've owned an Nikon F and it really doesn't interest me since I have an F3HP which does anything the F does plus meters with any of the finders. The Exakta RLT 1000 was the right price - FREE. I don't have a lens, and I am certain there are cheap options, hence the posting.
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Mike, thanks for the further explanation.

 

From my narrow parochial perspective, free junk is still junk. You have a wonderful photographic instrument in y'r F3HP. Why waste your time, energy, and, you hope, small sums of money on a broken camera that was substandard when new? You'd probably be better off sinking the time etc. into taking pictures. Gear mania can be fun, but IMO there are limits beyond which it shouldn't be pushed.

 

Regards,

 

Dan

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Dan, for one thing, I had no idea about the RTL 1000 and its issues. Like I said, I know nothing about Exakta and I know there are keen users/collectors of the system.

 

I want try Exakta (not necessarily this RTL 1000 body) because I'm a ruinously addicted classic camera nut. I've always been a big fan of history, and I find it rewarding and educational to learn first hand how things were done in the old days. E.g., last week, I pretty much shot my fill of local spring wildflowers and could hardly shoot any more on the F3. It would be fun to grab and Exakta and see how the old camera and lenses do.

 

My time was short to reply, but I'd like to elaborate on the Nikon F. There are two strikes against this camera compared to an F2 or F3. First, the back isn't hinged so I always found myself fussing with the tripod mount when I needed to change film. Not a big deal, but annoying none the less.

 

Second, and more important from the macro perspective, the way that the mirror lock functions. Basically you lose a shot when you lock the mirror. Its not like an F2/F3 where you can lock/unlock the mirror at will.

 

The Nikon F was a groundbreaking camera design and an awesome tool, I just don't think its the best macro shooter with the mirror lock design that it has. My wife's been pushing me to go over the last 3 years of negatives and I found this one yesterday, taken when Ally was a newborn.<div>00CMG7-23809084.jpg.e20b6bebaa042ab4b30a82ae6860a3a6.jpg</div>

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Mike, the majority of the 35 mm shots I've taken since I started in 1970 have been close up. I've never used mirror lock-up. I almost always use flash. Learn to use flash close up.

 

But if you use flash close up out-of-doors with current color emulsions except perhaps KR, neither the Nikon F nor the F3 nor any Exakta is the right camera to use. This because of slow flash sync speed. When shooting with flash close up, I try to get no exposure from ambient. This is often hard to accomplish with ISO 100 film except by using a smaller aperture than makes sense.

 

The solution, I'm afraid, is a modern 35 mm body that syncs flash at 1/250. Or a press or view camera with a leaf shutter that syncs flash at 1/400 or 1/500. I use both, am on the cusp of getting a used Nikon, probably an N8008S from KEH, to be able to shoot ISO 100 out-of-doors with flash. My FM2n (classic in spirit, not in date) is still dedicated to KM. This won't last much longer, there's not that much KM still in the freezer. A recent set of hummingbird photos shot with my humble FG (not classic), a Vivitar 283 (not quite), and a 200/4 MicroNikkor AI (also not) weren't at all what I wanted because I couldn't overpower ambient. Aaargh!

 

Regards,

 

Dan

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I have an FM2N too wiht 1/250 synch and various leaf shutters with 1/500 synch but I am not a fan of using flash for macro. I made one just the other day of a Foam Flower but it was necessiatated by the wind conditions. I find with f/22 type shots at full power that the 1/80 synch of the F3HP is really not all that limiting.

 

The main time I'll use flash is if I'm stalking critters and shooting handheld with a bracket.

 

Anyhow, we've managed to drift off topic.

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Hi,

 

I don't have any experience with RTL 1000, so can not comment on its relability, stil can give some information on macro work with Exaktas.

 

Extension tubex for Exaktas (fit, but are not fully functional with RTL, no apperture coupling, I guess not of high importance in slow macro workflow) are easily available and usually cost less than shipping costs. Get a set and an additional D one (short 5mm ring with both male and fremale bayonet).

I'd strongly advise you to get bellows for anything resembling serious macro work. I prefer a Novoflex device with additional focusing rails, it's very well built.

As far as macro lenses go, Kilfit made 40 and 90mm macro Killars, both with manual apperture, which were very good lenses for their time. Steinheil series of macro lenses in 35, 55, 100 and 135mm lense were also quite revolutionary for their time with their high magnification ratio and automatic diaphragm function. Schacht also made a macro version of its 50mm lens. Some other lenses were available without their focusing mount for use on bellows.

All Exakta macro lenses are collector items and are overpriced compared to other Exakta lenses.

CZJ Pancolar 2/50 is a decent lens on bellows, a double cable release may be a good idea if using this setup.

For very high magnification work, a reversal ring may come handy.

There's also a special finder for macro work, but one for Varex (VX) Exakta doesn't for RTL, I guess an early Praktica one does. The same goes with focusing screens, no Exakta Varex screen fits RTL.

 

If I were you, I'd get good bellows, extension tube set, LTM adapter (or have one made, 39mm female thread on one side and 39,8mm male on the other, to fit extenxion tunes) and a good enlarging lens. Rodagons in both 2,8/50 and 4/80 flavours are cheaply available on the auction site. The results would be better than with dedicated Exakta lenses.

 

Best regards,

 

Miha

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  • 11 years later...
If you've never drooled over this Exacta site, take a look. http://captjack.exaktaphile.com/ When I bought my first one I had no idea there were so many lenses for it. All I could remember was that in the 1950-60s when I was in high school it was THE camera for scientific work. I owned a couple Exaktas in the 1990s as well as its less expensive cousin, the Exa. Although all produced good photos, I found them a little clumsy to use, being used to more modern SLRs.
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