Exakta's late left-release SLR — the VX1000, all-mechanical, Exakta mount, 1967.
The Exakta VX1000 was a 35mm film SLR made from 1967 by Ihagee in Dresden as a later model in the long Exakta line. It continued the historic Exakta design, including the left-hand shutter release, into the late 1960s using the Exakta bayonet mount.
It is a single-lens-reflex camera for 35mm film on the Exakta mount. The VX1000 has a mechanically controlled cloth focal-plane shutter and no built-in meter, so it operates entirely without a battery. It retains the interchangeable prism finder and the left-side shutter release that define the Exakta family.
It suits collectors and users who want a later, all-mechanical Exakta with the distinctive left-hand handling and finder interchangeability. Its operation is deliberate and period-specific, appealing to those interested in the Dresden SLR tradition.
On the used market the VX1000 is collectable and Exakta lenses are limited in supply. As a fully mechanical body it works without a battery, so check the cloth shutter for accuracy and capping, the mirror and slow-speed mechanism, and any light-seal foam. Inspect the prism for desilvering, check advance and rewind, and note that these later Dresden bodies need specialist repair, with parts increasingly scarce.