5 Frames with the Exakta Varex IIa – By Glenn Bech

My analog photography obsession snowballed quickly from a Pentax K1000 flea market impulse buy. Before I knew it, I had a budding camera collection and was part of a darkroom community. The gear aspect of photography can undoubtedly take a life of its own. And I am no stranger to GAS, gear acquisition syndrome. 

As of late, I mostly shoot medium format with my Hasselblad 500CM (I’ll sell body parts before that camera!). And I’m calmer when it comes to gear. I’ve sold many of my 35mm cameras but have kept one rangefinder, one SLR, and one point-and-shoot. The Pentax K1000, Olympus 35SP, and the Olympus mju-II were gifted to me by my inlaws. I then told myself that this would be all my 35mm cameras. 

Then a strange camera showed up on the classifieds which I still scan from time to time; an Exakta Varex IIa. Mysterious and as if taken straight out of a steampunk movie, it poked my curiosity for sure. The asking price was a mere $50 equivalent. I watch some YouTube videos. GAS-inducing as always and never a good idea. I fell into a relapse and pulled the trigger on it. 

My enthusiasm waned, and my disappointment grew when I held the camera in my hands for the first time. The cosmetic near-mint condition was a stark contrast to its poor mechanical state. The shutter was jammed, and the curtains folded and curly.   

After asking around on forums and several Google searches – I found a camera repairman in Germany that still service these cameras. The dialogue was a mix of questions in English from me and him writing back in German.  Always finished with the polite “Freundliche Grüße A.Schönfelder.” 

The camera found its way to Germany and back. I now have a piece of art with an inside to match its beautiful looks and a camera that will outlive me.

Exakta Varex IIa is a 35mm film SLR camera manufactured by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co, Dresden, former East Germany. After looking at the Exaktaphile web pages, my best guess is that my camera is from 1958-1960. The cameras packed a surprising set of features, given the time of production; some noteworthy attributes include

• A Self-timer
•  1/1000 to 12-second (!) shutter speeds
• A film cutting knife that makes it possible to switch film halfway through a roll
• Interchangeable viewfinders – I have both a waist level and a see-through; others, including a meter prism, exist.  
• Versatile mount with a wide range of lenses available (Exakta mount, inner and outer bayonet)

So, what’s not to like about this camera? The shutter release is on the left side and at the front of the camera. It takes some practice to hold the camera steady while releasing the shutter. Other than that, nothing. The complexity and oddities appeal significantly to me, and it’s a delightful camera to carry around.      

If I  have to choose only one 35mm SLR, and if the contender is my Pentax K1000? I will have a huge problem. The K1000 shutter sound gives me goosebumps. It has the minimum features to let me focus on the photography, not the gear. But, on the other hand, the Varex is a beautiful, complex, and capable camera with its own story. So I’m doing the only sane thing and keeping them both.  

I shot the first three frames on Ilford Delta 100 and the 50mm f/2.8 lens. The last frame was shot with a Jena 100mm f/4 on Ilford Pan F Plus 50.

I developed both films in Kodak D76 Stock solution. 

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