Photographica Pages
An online guide to collectable cameras and related stuff
Ihagee Exakta RTL 1000
In 1970 Ihagee finally became insolvent, and met the fate of most East German
camera makers. It was absorbed by VEB Pentacon. Hoping to profit from the
remaining name recognition, VEB Pentacon modified the design of their Practika
VLC. Slow speeds up to 8 seconds and a second shutter release button that could
be used by the older automatic lenses were added. The mount was changed to the
Exatka bayonet from the universal 49mm thread.
The finder is a TTL meter finder, and it would not interchange with the
previous Exakta models. The RTL 1000 can be found both with, and without the
Exakta name over the lens. The models without were destined for Eastern European
markets. The serial number range for both are about 200000 to 290000.