Historical Context

Introduced in 1951 by Ihagee in Dresden, East Germany, the original Exa (often referred to retrospectively as the Type 1 or Exa 0) was designed as the smaller, lighter, and much cheaper “little brother” to the legendary, highly complex Exakta SLR.

It was meant to be a simple, budget-friendly entry into the Exakta system, allowing users to mount the same high-quality interchangeable lenses and viewfinders without paying for the flagship body.