Exakta's historic left-release SLR — the Varex IIa, all-mechanical, Exakta mount, 1957.
The Exakta Varex IIa was a 35mm film SLR made from 1957 by Ihagee in Dresden, part of the long-running Exakta line that helped establish the 35mm SLR. In some markets the Varex name was dropped and the camera sold simply as the Exakta VX IIa. It is a historic left-hand-release design, with the shutter button on the left front of the body.
It is a single-lens-reflex camera for 35mm film on the Exakta bayonet mount. The Varex IIa has a mechanically controlled cloth focal-plane shutter with a wide speed range including slow speeds set on a separate dial, and it has no built-in meter, so it works entirely without a battery. Its prism finder is interchangeable, and it features the left-side shutter release characteristic of Exakta bodies.
It suits collectors and users drawn to a historic, all-mechanical SLR with distinctive left-hand handling and an interchangeable finder. Operation is deliberate and unusual by modern standards, with the left-mounted release and separate slow-speed dial giving it a period character.
On the used market the Varex IIa is collectable and Exakta-mount lenses, while historic, are limited in supply. As a fully mechanical body it works without any battery, so focus condition checks on the cloth shutter for accuracy and capping, the mirror and slow-speed escapement, and light-seal foam where fitted. Inspect the prism for desilvering, check advance and rewind, and note that specialist repair is required for these older Dresden mechanisms.