Manufactured in 1966 by Ihagee West. This camera was created by engineers from Ihagee Dresden, who designed many of the pre-war Exakta masterpieces, after they defected to the West in pursuit of their ideals. It was made in a factory in West Berlin (West Germany).
The camera features two shutter releases for both right-hand and left-hand use. Unlike the left-hand film advance of the well-known Dresden-made Exakta, this model has a more conventional right-hand film advance lever. It has a quick-return mirror and a finder that can be pulled out from the back for replacement.
Compared to the East German Exakta, this Real represented significant progress. However, it had no particular advantage over the rapidly advancing Japanese SLRs of the time and was only manufactured for about a year. After this, only Japanese OEM cameras were sold, making this the only model of Exakta produced in West Berlin. There is also a rare black paint model (featured in our rare items gallery).
The lens mount was enlarged from the previous Exakta to accommodate an automatic diaphragm. This camera comes with an extremely rare adapter that converts the old Exakta 38mm bayonet lens to the Exakta Real’s 46mm mount. This particular piece has serial number 1168, from the final batch of a little over 1,000 units made, making it a rare item.
The body shows minimal signs of use and is in clean condition. Additionally, the bottom plate still has a sticker from the Argentine customs at the time. The fact that such a rare camera was exported to South America hints at the mysterious connections between Germany and Argentina.
The body was fully overhauled in 2024, and the lenses were cleaned. True to its reputation as a camera with many unique mechanisms that make repairs challenging, it took several years to complete the repairs after acquiring it from an Argentine collector.
Currently, the body operates smoothly. The self-timer can be activated by pressing the small black button below the lens lock button, but it is recommended not to use it frequently. When rewinding film, it is advisable to operate the rewind dial directly rather than using the flimsy, foldable plastic rewind crank lever, which looks prone to breaking.
According to the repair technician, if you notice overlapping frames, it can be resolved by performing a double wind similar to the early Leica M3 models.
The Travenar 50mm lens has some cleaning marks on the front element and traces of fungus. The Travegon 35mm lens shows minor fungus marks on the rear element and significant haze in the middle element that couldn't be fully removed during cleaning. The Curtagon 35mm lens has minor coating damage that is only visible under strong LED light.
All three included lenses have smooth operations for the automatic diaphragm and helicoid.
The Flektogon 20mm f4 lens shown in the 17th photo uses the included Real adapter. This Real-specific adapter is also quite rare and allows the attractive Exakta mount lenses to be used on this Real body.
The combination of East and West German elements gives it an intriguing look. The set also includes the Real-specific waist-level finder and outfit case. This camera, with its fascinating story, is sure to captivate enthusiasts.
However, it is not known for its robustness, so please handle it with care if you plan to use it. A rare item indeed.
