www.wesleyalmond.com Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I found these two cameras today for a total of $15!! The Aka Rella camera works well and the 3.5 Xenar Lens is clean. The minolta looks like it lived in a wet basement and the shutter is jammed up. I'm looking for any info on these cameras, Repair links etc. And I am wondering is The Aka Relle a Leica mount?? Send the info if you have it. Thanks <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/myequation/a.jpg" border="0" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket"></a><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/myequation/untitled.jpg" border="0" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket"></a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivek iyer Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I had a Minolta A years ago. Hated that piece of junk. Just spent one afternoon dismantling the whole thing for the heck of it and jubked it for good. That is all the info I have on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.wesleyalmond.com Posted April 2, 2006 Author Share Posted April 2, 2006 Hopefully someone pulled it from the trash and made good use of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivek iyer Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I had the best use for it. It was a thorough job with every little screw and nut having dismantled completely, just like the couple of 8mm cameras I worked on. There is no chance that it would have bothered another soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd frederick Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I have an EXA camera that works fine. I ran one roll through it to check that out. It's not something I would use often, but many of these early cameras have a special beauty and are nice to just have around on a shelf. They're a part of photographic history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I got an old rangefinder like that Minolta one time it also had been real damp. It was a Richo. I opened it and shot alot of lighterfluid in all the places i could reach except the rangefinder area. an hour later it was working. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winfried_buechsenschuetz1 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 The Akarelle/Akarette was manufactured by Apparatebau Konstanz of Germany, a small mechanical company which turned to cameras in the early 50s. They were in business until the mid-60s, I think. The Akarelle body has a strange design, it is build completely different from other cameras. It does NOT have a rangefinder, it has a dual-window viewfinder. Depending on the model one of the windows is for the 75/90mm lens, or it is the window for the bright frame lines for different lenses. The Akarelle lens mount is NOT compatible with anything else on the (used) market. The lens mount is designed very smart, you have a screw ring on the lens barrel which needs one turn or so, and flanges do not rub against each other - no fear of wear. Lenses are extremely hard to find, even in Germany. I was very lucky to find an Akarelle without brassing (surface quality is very poor as you might have noticed), with a f/2 45mm Xenon lens and a f/3.5 35mm Xenagon lens. But the f/3.5 or f/2.8 Xenar lenses give excellent results, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivek iyer Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Get something like this if you want an useful camera..<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_wilson4 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I still don't have a working Aka...nice find! I do have a Minolta A and it's Rokkor lens can be very sharp. I love it..an "old faithful" for me. Very funky. Some of the results have been absolute knockouts. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 I agree with Mark. I have a Minolta A and it's a very nice camera. It has a peculiar "retro" rounded shape a bit like the Exa. The lens is good and I would recommend it as a user. Don't know how you'd go about getting it fixed though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 <P>Just remembered there's a picture in my pnet gallery done with the 'A', <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/2958370">here</a>.</P> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donald_kersey Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 I just purchased the same camera (akarelle) in like new condition in the orginal case. Can anyone tell me anything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank.schifano Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 Not too long ago I scored a Minolta "A" just like the one pictured above for a whopping $2 US. The thrift store where I found it was using it to prop open a cabinet door. It was dusty and had a bit of oxidation on the outside, but it cleaned up nicely. Slow shutter speeds were a bit sluggish at first. After a bit of exercise, they came around. The camera has a nice little lens on it, even if it is a bit slow at f/3.5. It is certainly sharp enough. The rangefinder seems to be dead on or at least close enough. I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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