Exa II - Help me pick one!

[rumtea]

I got two Exa II at the Salvation Army today. The manager gave me good deal if I buy them all so I couldn't resist!
Now I can't decide which one I should keep and which one I should sell go get some money back.

Please help me pick a good one if you are familiar with this camera and lens .

The one with Isco Gottingen Lens is Made in Germany (East) serial 270702.

The one with Meyer Optik Primotar E is also in decent shape Made in Germany U.S.S.R Occupied serial 218912


They are both in good shape but the one with Isco Gottingen Lens is in better shape but I am not sure about its function. I can also switch the lens so it doesn't matter about the body. I don't know which lens is better. Maybe I have to run a test roll to see

[Bennybee]

I have no hands-on experience with either of these two lenses, but I would choose the Isco. It looks cooler !!
(and it is the faster lens of the two)

[melek]

The Primotar should be a Tessar type, judging from its f/3.5 aperture.

Here's a page of some person's photos shot with the Primotar:
http://users.telenet.be/t642711/rev/mey ... are50.html

The Isco-Gottinger should be a Planar-type, I would think, because it's a f/1.9 lens.

In theory, the Isco-Gottinger lens should be the better lens.

I'd probably would shoot a test roll with both and see which one you like best.

[LarryD]

You never know when you will need extra parts.

[Dustin McAmera]

I'd keep the Meyer lens, despite the smaller aperture, for the same reason Benny wants the Isco; I just think it looks cooler!

They're both shown at Horst Neuhaus' 'PhotoButMore.de' (text in German, and there are many photos of the lenses, and diagrams of most of them):

• Meyer lenses; I think your Primotar is the 'Version 1' about half-way down the page. It says only one other lens ever had that extra sideways cable release, and it fits a special cable!
• Isco lenses; Westrocolor 50/1.9 about a third of the way down.

[rumtea]

I already got the Tessar 2.8/50 T which came with my Exakta Varex VX. I don't know if keeping extra one of other lens is necessary.
I planed on use it with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 because I found out they made the mount for it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130882739808?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

It would be cool to see how photos turn out with this lens on a digital camera. I saw people did it with Canon and it look so nice.

Side view of the ISCO-Göttingen Westagon 1.9 50

[rumtea]

I found some info about two lens.
http://vintage-camera-lenses.com/isco-g ... on-1-9-50/
http://m42lens.blogspot.com/2014/03/mey ... -3550.html

[LarryD]

I just saw the add for that camera in the May 1957 Popular Photography. Yes I am a little behind on my reading.
Page 27 or so.
https://books.google.com/books?id=cV0zA ... &q&f=false

[Julio1fer]

Try a roll with both lenses and choose, if you must. I'd bet both are pretty decent.

[PFMcFarland]

What is neat about having two cameras like that is you can always amaze your friends and relatives pointing out the minute differences between the two, thereby showing how much you've learned about photography. Or maybe they would just be bored to tears.

Anyway, like Larry said, "Parts Donor"! If one breaks, you have a ready supply. But then it can only break that way once. When you go out to shoot, load one with color, and the other with B&W.

I regret having traded or sold different cameras over the years to finance another one. It can get to be a vicious circle. Better to keep both, in case you suddenly realize you got rid of the wrong one.

PF