Some Books about Ihagee and Exakta

Many interesting books have been written over the years about the Ihagee factory, its history and its products, in particular of course the Exakta. Unfortunately, most of these books are out of print or out of stock, and won't be reprinted. They are only to be found second-hand, but not very often. Some books are available to download from this web site, and one book written in Polish may still be available to purchase.

Spiegelreflexkameras aus Dresden (Mirror reflex cameras from Dresden) by Richard Hummel.

In German. Out of print but see Hummel translation. Richard Hummel had been head of the R&D department of Ihagee. After his retirement he got the assignment to collect what there was to find, cameras and information, and write a book about it. The hardware collection is in storage at the Technical Museum (die Technischen Sammlungen) in Dresden. The book, as the title suggests, describes a lot more than Ihagee and its products.

The Ihagee Story (Hummel translation)

A former Exakta Circle member Michael Spencer translated the parts of Hummel's book that relate to Ihagee. The publisher of the original book allows us to provide copies of this translation to Exakta Circle Members only.

Exakta Obscurities, Seltsames und Seltenes by Gary Cullen with Klaus Rademaker.

Out of print. This book, as the title suggests, describes rare, unusual and special items. It is not a systematic description of Ihagee products, but all the more surprising and interesting for that. The whole book is bilingual: English and Deutsch. Description HERE and illustrated list of contents HERE

Exakta Collection by Clément Aguila & Michel Rouah.

In French. This book is by far the most impressive and comprehensive description of every VP Exakta, Kine-Exakta, Exakta 66, Exakta Varex, Exakta RTL 1000 and Exa model, and covers accessories and lenses. It also describes the various “Exakta” cameras sold by Ihagee West and other companies. Out of print but there are plans for a new edition translated into English which may be made available in 2014. This book has a predecessor, “Exakta Cameras 1933-1978” by the same authors, that is commonly available and published in English. In its time (1987) it was the best, but now we know that it contains many errors and omissions, that have been corrected in Exakta Collection. The version system, introduced in this old book, has been changed considerably by the authors. A new, revised edition by Michel Rouah and translated into English is due to be published in 2014.

Johan Steenbergen, the lachende diplomaat (the laughing Diplomat) by E.H. Halbertsma.

Available, see here. This is the full biography of Johan Steenbergen, founder and director of Ihagee Kamerawerk Steeenbergen & Co and its predecessor. It is written in Dutch, but three summaries have been made: in Dutch, in English and in German. They can be read/downloaded from: Dutch/Nederlands English German/Deutsch

Ihagee, the Men and the Cameras by Peter Longden.

To download this book, click here. This is the only book that describes – comprehensively – not only the Exaktas but all Ihagee products: bellows and wooden cameras, enlargers, flash equipment, etc. It also contains much information about Ihagee itself and the people who worked at and for the factory. A unique achievement from the Historian of the Exakta Circle.

EXAKTA, krótka historia doskonalosci (Short History of Perfection) by Pawel Fila and Jerzy Szajta.

In Polish (an English edition is being considered). This book describes all Exakta models, from Ihagee and elsewhere, and accessories in over 400 pages. A description in English is on Pawel Fila's website HERE and a review in Polish with page images may be found HERE

Practical Photography with the Kine Exakta (1937 Edition) by Gerhard Isert, translated into English by Philip Smethurst.

This book was written as a guide to the, then, new Kine Exakta and includes not only a guide to the camera but general advice on photography. The original of the book was donated by Jim Focht and was scanned by Mark Stuecheli. Many thanks to both for making this interesting book available. To download click here