Camera review: The Exa Ib

The camera

This review is about the Ihagee Exa Ib single lens reflex camera. The story of its development is pretty much the same as the Exa Ic which I reviewed here. The main difference of the Exa Ib and Exa Ic is that they have an M42 mount as opposed to all other Exakta and Exa camera which have the Exakta mount. This means that using lenses such as those wonderful Takumar and Carl Zeiss (both Oberkochen and Jena) lenses is possible on these cameras. 

Jaguar. Shot with my Exa Ib fitted with a Takumar 135mm f/3.5 lens.

As I said in my Exa Ic review I obtained the Exa Ib and Ic together and they are pretty much the same camera. Sure there are differences, but mostly cosmetic. Most Exa Ib models were built by Ihagee apart from the very last series. These were built by VEB Certo-Kamerawerk Dresden under license from Ihagee. You can tell if it's a Ihahee or Certo built camera by checking the serial number. If the serial number is preceded by a C, you've got a copy built bij Certo. It is said the model name was changed from Ib to Ic to denote a Certo built camera but as I said the last Exa Ib models were also produced by Certo. Make of that what you will. ;-)

Exa Ib front view.

Exa Ib top view.

Exa Ib film counter.

Exa Ib with the back removed.

Exa Ib bottom view. Align the red dots to release the back.

Specifications

Camera:                Ihagee Exa Ib

Built:                    1977-1985

Mount:                  M42

Shutter speeds:     1/30th - 1/175th of a second, B

Self timer:            no

Size:                     130 mm wide, 97 mm high* and 46 mm deep

Light metering:     no

Hot shoe:              no

Battery:                none

* with the pentaprism viewfinder fitted

Shooting

I find the Exa Ib very intuitive to use, but there are a few things you need to know about this camera. To load the film in any of the I series Exa cameras you release the back of the camera. Once detached you load the film just like any other camera apart from the fact that there is no fixed take up spool in the camera body. The take up spool is a separate part. Now all Exa cameras had a take up spool supplied with the body but if you are buying one today, do check if it's still there. Once your film is loaded, you slide the camera back back onto the body again and you're ready to shoot. My copy of the Exa Ib was built from 1977 until 1983 and has a frame counter that needs to be reset manually. It counts down, so set it to 36 (or 24 if you're using 24 exposures film). I actually got 38 exposures out of a 36 exposures film with this camera. And then there is the shutter button on the left side of the camera that I already covered in my other reviews.

Exa Ib fitted with a Takumar 28mm f/2.8 lens.

Exa Ib fitted with a Takumar 135mm f/3.5 lens.

I've loaded the Exa Ib with some Fomapan Profi Line Classic 100 and drove up to the fine people over at the Cool Classic Club. They just happened to have part of their classic automobile collection displayed outside. I've used a Takumar 28mm f/2.8 lens and a Takumar 135mm f/3.5 lens for this review. 

All in all I am very happy with the images I got from the Exa Ib. A keeper ;-)

Camera review: The Exa Ic

The camera

This review is about the Ihagee Exa Ic single lens reflex camera. Ihagee from Dresden in Germany is perhaps most well known for their Exakta line of cameras but they also manufactured the Exa line of cameras alongside the Exaktas. Three models were produced, the Exa (1951-1962), the Exa I series (1962-1987) and the Exa II (1960-1969). The Exa and Exa I are basically different versions of the same camera with interchangeable view finders. The Exa II was a simplified camera that was produced alongside the Exa and Exa I.

Ihagee Exa Ic fitted with an Exaktar 55mm f/1.4

All Exa cameras, with the exception of the Exa Ib and Ic, use the Exakta mount that Ihagee introduced with their Exakta cameras. The Exa Ib and Ic use the M42 mount, enabling the use of loads of M42 lenses from all kinds of manufacturers. As with the preceding Exa Ia, the position of the shutter button is located on the left side of the camera body. This is a leftover from the early Exakta designs, kept in place to be able to use the same automatic aperture lenses that the Exakta uses. As the Exa Ib and Ic use M42 lenses this was not a necessity any longer but in order to simplify production the shutter button stayed where it was.

These Exa cameras have a guillotine type shutter rather than the more usual focal-plane shutter. This results in slower shutter speeds than we are used to these days with a modest top speed of 1/175th of a second.

Specifications

Camera:                Ihagee Exa Ic

Built:                    1985-1987

Mount:                  M42

Shutter speeds:     1/30th - 1/175th of a second, B

Self timer:            no

Size:                     130 mm wide, 97 mm high* and 46 mm deep

Light metering:     no

Hot shoe:              no

Battery:                none

* with the pentaprism viewfinder fitted

Shooting

My copy is an Exa Ic built in the mid-1980s by VEB Certo-Kamerawerk Dresden under license from Ihagee. At that time both Ihagee and Certo were part of the VEB Pentacon conglomerate. Certo built the last series of the Exa Ib and all of the Exa Ic models. Certo built Exas can be identified by the letter C before the serial number.

I managed to obtain my Exa Ic together with an Exa Ib I have yet to shoot. All Exa Ic models have a beautiful black finish. This Exa is pristine and works like a charm. I just love the simple smooth lines of these cameras.  

Using this camera feels very intuitive apart from the shutter button which as mentioned is located on the left side of the camera body. I've fitted the Exa Ic with an Exaktar 55mm f/1.4 lens (no relation with Ihagee for as far as I am aware as I believe this particular lens was built by Sankor), loaded up some Fomapan 200 and went off to the Lake Naarden nature preserve.

All in all I am pretty pleased with the performance of the Exa Ic. When I reviewed the Exa Ia I stated that I was thinking of adding an Exa Ib (or Ic) to my collection to use in combination with my M42 lenses. I aquired both. :-) 

Images

Fellow photographer Pedro and his Exakta

Camera review: The Kiev 60

The camera

This review is about the КИЕВ 60 (Kiev 60) single lens reflex camera. Built by the Arsenal plant this Soviet (later Ukrainian) medium format single lens reflex camera was the successor to the КИЕВ 6C (Kiev 6S) camera model. The Kiev 6S was introduced in 1970 and was produced until 1986. The camera design was no doubt influenced by the 1956 East German Praktisix and copied its lens mount. Not only the Soviets were enamored by the 'big conventional SLR' design, the Japanese Asahi Optical Company released the Pentax 6x7 in 1969 that shares the same design philosophy. In fact, when I first laid hands on a Kiev 60 I was struck by how similar is was to the Pentax 6x7 - my first medium format camera. In 1984 the Kiev 6S was replaced with the Kiev 60 and this camera was built to at least 1999. It was sold by Arsenal for much longer though thanks to a formidable stockpile of Kiev 60s. In fact, one can still purchase new Kiev 60s, rebranded as ARAX 60s, today from ARAX which took over the Arsenal stock after Arsenal closed down.

My Kiev 60 as it was when I obtained it, fitted with an Arsat-C 80mm f/2.8

Specifications

Camera:                        КИЕВ 60 (Kiev 60)

Built:                            1984-1999

Mount:                          Pentacon 6

Shutter speeds:             2-1/1000 seconds, B

Self timer:                    yes

Mirror lock-up:            no

Film type:                    120 film

Weight:                        1,950 grams with lens

Light metering:            no, add-on TTL prism with light meters available

Battery:                        none for the camera, 3x LR44 for the TTL prism

Shooting

Like the Pentax 6x7, the Kiev 60 is a big son of a gun. There is nothing delicate about this camera, it was built like a T-55 tank and it will last a lifetime. It is a very straightforward camera, anyone with 35mm SLR camera experience will immediately know how to operate it. It shoots twelve of those big and gorgeous 6x6 negatives on 120 film. But the best thing of all: It uses the Pentacon 6 mount! Hello Carl Zeiss Jena lenses! So we've got a simple, usable design and those superb Carl Zeiss Jena lenses. Is all good? Well, there are issues reported with this camera. Some have overlapping frames and/or light leaks. Not so desirable. Also it has no mirror lock-up (MLU) which could be quite useful.

My Kiev 60 dates from 1994 and is thus an Ukrainian rather than a Soviet camera. It was originally bought by my uncle Wolfgang and he very kindly gave it to me. It hadn't been used for a while and when I ran a roll through it it had developed a light leak. I decided to have it refurbished by ARAX and MLU added. I also had it redone in a black finish and the mirror box flocked to reduce flaring.

My Kiev 60 after overhaul and modification

My Kiev 60 with a Carl Zeiss Jena MC Biometar 80mm f/2.8 fitted

Images

I took my Kiev 60 into the field today to see how it would perform after the overhaul and modification.

Kiev 60 with a Carl Zeiss Jena MC Biometar 80mm f/2.8

All in all my refurbished Kiev 60 really delivers. After the attention it got from ARAX this camera doesn't only look and feel like new, it works like new! No issues with film spacing, no issues with light leaks and a fully operational MLU. And using the Carl Zeiss Jena lenses without having to manually open up, focus and then stop down again is, well, a luxury.

I really like this camera. I realize that not everyone gets one as a present but these medium format cameras are still affordable. I would however recommend investing in having it refurbished if you're serious about shooting with it.

Camera review: The Pentax SV

The camera

This review is about the Pentax SV single lens reflex camera. The SV is, one might argue, the last version of the original Asahi Pentax SLR series introduced in 1957. It predates the Pentax Spotmatic series and is, together with the lower-budget S1a released at the same time, the last of the first generation of Asahi Pentax SLRs. The SV was introduced in 1962 and remained in production until 1968 with 481.696 cameras built. There are two versions of the SV, the later one has an orange 'R' on the rewind knob to indicate that the camera can use the 50mm f/1.4 lens which protrudes further into the camera than other 50mm versions. The 50mm f/1.4 cannot fit on the earlier version.

My Asahi Pentax SV fitted with a Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZS

This really is a beautiful camera. This early SLR design has clean straight lines, not hampered by the boxy shape of a flash hot shoe, a clean body surface without extra buttons and an undisturbed view through the view finder. Yet it packs a self timer on the top of the camera, it has a high 1/1000th of a second shutter speed and can be fitted with an additional cold shoe for the use of a flash and an add-on light meter as the SV doesn't have an inbuilt meter.

Specifications

Camera:                        Asahi Pentax SV/Honeywell Pentax H3v

Built:                            1962-1968

Mount:                          M42

Shutter speeds:             1-1/1000 seconds, B

Self timer:                    yes

Size:                             140 mm wide, 92mm high and 50mm deep

Weight:                        600 grams

Light metering:             no, add-on light meters available

Battery:                        none

Shooting

I acquired this SV as part of my Pentax Project a few years ago. It is the later version with the orange 'R'. I loaded some Paradies 200/24 (which is rebranded Fuji) economy color negative film, shot a few images and then moved house. The SV was displayed in a small display cabinet in my new house and stood there until I realized that there was still film in it. So I took it on my first outing and finished the roll. I used two lenses with the SV, a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 28mm f/3.5 and a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 105mm f/2.8. The SV is a joy to use. I used 'sunny 16' for exposure but there are add-on light meters available, both vintage and modern, that can be used with the SV. The view finder is perhaps a bit darker when compared to later Pentaxes but focusing is a breeze. And after spending time with Soviet lenses and their eccentric ways it is so good to hold and use smoothly functioning lenses such as these Takumars. This SV found its way back to my camera bag and is there to stay. 

Images

All shot with a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 28mm f/3.5

Shot with a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 105mm f/2.8

All in all I am pretty pleased with how these shots came out, given that the film was in the camera for quite some time. I've since shot some black and white with it, these rolls will be developed once I finish the last roll.

Lens review: The Mir-38 65mm f/3.5

This review is about the Mir-38 65mm f/3.5 lens. This is a medium format lens built by Arsenal for their medium format cameras. As a medium format lens, the 65mm falls between the 80mm standard lens and the 45mm wide angle lens. Not quite a wide angle, but certainly wider than a standard lens. Sort of a 40mm lens in 135 film parlance. The Mir-38 supplemented and later replaced the Mir-3 65mm f/3.5 in the Arsenal line-up and was built in an early and late version. The early version can be recognized by the 'Takumar-style' focusing ring and was replaced in the 1980s by the late version pictured below. The specifications below apply to both versions, however the two Mir-38s I own are both later versions so my findings are limited to the late model only.

The Mir-38V 65mm f/3.5 (late model)

Specifications:

Focal length:                        65mm

Minimal focus distance:        0.5 meters

Aperture:                             f/3.5 - f/22

Aperture blades:                  6

Lens elements:                    6 elements in 5 groups

Diameter:                            72mm

Mount:                                Salyut/Kiev and Pentacon six

Manufacturer:                     Arsenal

Built:                                  1972-1993

Use

Both the early and late versions of this lens were built by Arsenal in Kiev with two different camera mounts: A screw mount for their Salyut/Salyut-C/Kiev 88 series cameras called the Mir-38V and the Pentacon six mount for their Kiev 6S/Kiev 60 series cameras plus the Kiev 88CM called the Mir-38B. For this review I used lenses with both mounts, a 1984 Mir-38B and a 1990 Mir-38V. 

My Kiev 88 with the 1990 Mir-38V

My Pentax 645D with the 1984 Mir-38B

The biggest difference between these two lenses is of course the lens mount, but the 1990 Mir-38V also has a Depth of Field (DoF) preview button, something the 1984 Mir-38B lacks. Both lenses focus fine although the focusing rings from both lenses feel a bit "heavy" in use. Both stop down from f/3.5 to f/22 without issue. I also noted that the 1990 Mir-38V has a rather loose aperture ring.

In the field

I used the Mir-38V on my Kiev 88 and the Mir-38B with a P6-Pentax 645 adapter on my Pentax 645D. The DoF preview button on the Mir-38V is said to be a potential light leak so I used a bit of gaffer tape to cover it up. The loose aperture ring on the 1990 Mir-38V was a bit of a pain in the lower regions, it meant constantly checking if the aperture hadn't changed accidentally. Other than that, both lenses were a joy to use and the heavy focusing didn't bother me at all once in the field.

The images below were shot with my Kiev 88 fitted with a 645 back and loaded with Fomapan Profi Line Classic 100 120 film, the negatives scanned by an Epson V850 Pro and resized in Adobe Photoshop from 9,968 x 7,247 pixels to 1,000 x 727 pixels.

The color images were shot with my Pentax 645D, converted from RAW to JPEG and resized in Adobe Photoshop from 7,264 x 5,440 pixels to 1,000 x 749 pixels.

I am really pleased with the images the Mir-38 65mm f/3.5 produces. Clean crisp images with a lovely color rendering. 

Wide open, 100% crop

Bokeh, left upper area of the image, 100% crop

Wide open this lens produces nice sharp images and as can be seen on both 100% crops the out-of-focus bokeh is smooth and not distracting at all. On a full frame medium format camera this 65mm lens provides a very good semi-wide angle lens and on a digital medium format camera with a crop sensor an excellent standard lens. It is not the fastest medium format lens around but its performance is good all across the board. Recommended.