Ihagee
Encyclopedia
Ihagee was a camera
manufacturer based in Dresden
, Germany
. Its best-known product was the Exakta
single-lens reflex camera
.
pronunciation of the acronym IHG, ee-hah-gay). In 1918 six woodworkers joined Steenbergen at what was known from then on as Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co.
Ihagee's most successful camera by far was the Exakta
, which was produced between 1933 and 1976. The series began in 1933 with the Standard, or VP, Exakta, which used 127 rollfilm
. This was followed in 1936 by the popular 35mm
Kine Exakta
. Ihagee also made a smaller, less complex, version of the Exakta called the Exa.
The company was greatly affected by World War II
. Steenbergen left Dresden in 1942, never to return, and the Ihagee factory was destroyed during the Allied bombing of Dresden in April 1945. The partitioning of Germany after the war left Dresden and Ihagee in the Soviet occupation zone, later East Germany. The Soviet Union
quickly reestablished Ihagee, producing some Exakta and Exa cameras from the parts and machinery that had survived the bombing. The company was taken over by Pentacon
, the maker of the successful Praktica
camera, in 1951.
Steenbergen returned to West Germany and created a new company in 1959 which was called Ihagee West and had its headquarters in Frankfurt
. In 1966 the company marketed its own camera, the Exakta real, without much success. After Steenbergen's death in 1967, Ihagee West ordered and sold the Exakta TwinTL, which was built by Cosina
. The company was dissolved in 1976.
Ihagee in Dresden
was very successful in the development and sales of the Exakta SLR. In 1970, however, the company was completely absorbed by Pentacon and camera production under the Ihagee nameplate ceased. The last Exakta model, the RTL 1000, was a cooperative effort with Pentacon. It is possible that the Ihagee company still exists on paper.
Since 1997 the Steenbergen Foundation (Steenbergen Stichting) in The Hague, The Netherlands commemorates Johan Steenbergen by awarding the Steenbergen Stipendium to a graduate of one of the Dutch photo academies, and to a university graduate, supporting a study of a historical aspect of the Dutch province of Drenthe, birthplace of Steenbergen.
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
manufacturer based in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Its best-known product was the Exakta
Exakta
The Exakta is a pioneer brand camera produced by the Ihagee Kamerawerk in Dresden, Germany, founded as the Industrie und Handels-Gesellschaft mbH, in 1912.- Characteristics :Highlights of Exakta cameras include:...
single-lens reflex camera
Single-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
.
History
Johan Steenbergen, a Dutchman, founded a camera company called Industrie- und Handelsgesellschaft (Industry and Trade Society) in Dresden in 1912. The name was shortened to Ihagee (based on the GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
pronunciation of the acronym IHG, ee-hah-gay). In 1918 six woodworkers joined Steenbergen at what was known from then on as Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co.
Ihagee's most successful camera by far was the Exakta
Exakta
The Exakta is a pioneer brand camera produced by the Ihagee Kamerawerk in Dresden, Germany, founded as the Industrie und Handels-Gesellschaft mbH, in 1912.- Characteristics :Highlights of Exakta cameras include:...
, which was produced between 1933 and 1976. The series began in 1933 with the Standard, or VP, Exakta, which used 127 rollfilm
127 film
127 is a film format for still photography. The image format is usually a square 4×4 cm, but rectangular 4×3 cm and 4×6 cm are also standard. Oddly, C. F. Foth & Co. used 36×24 mm for its first “Derby” model....
. This was followed in 1936 by the popular 35mm
135 film
The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
Kine Exakta
Kine Exakta
The Kine Exakta was the first 35mm SLR still camera. It was presented by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen GmbH, Dresden at the Leipziger Frühjarmesse in March 1936. The Exakta name was already used by Ihagee on a roll film SLR camera line since 1933, among these the Vest Pocket Exakt Model B from...
. Ihagee also made a smaller, less complex, version of the Exakta called the Exa.
The company was greatly affected by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Steenbergen left Dresden in 1942, never to return, and the Ihagee factory was destroyed during the Allied bombing of Dresden in April 1945. The partitioning of Germany after the war left Dresden and Ihagee in the Soviet occupation zone, later East Germany. The Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
quickly reestablished Ihagee, producing some Exakta and Exa cameras from the parts and machinery that had survived the bombing. The company was taken over by Pentacon
Pentacon
Pentacon is the company name of a once-important camera manufacturer in Dresden, Germany.The name Pentacon is derived from the brand Contax of Zeiss Ikon Kamerawerke in Dresden and Pentagon, as a Pentaprism for Single-Lens Reflex cameras was for the first time developed in Dresden...
, the maker of the successful Praktica
Praktica
Praktica is a brand of camera manufactured by Pentacon in Dresden in eastern Germany, formerly within the GDR prior to reunification. Pentacon is the modern-day successor to Dresden camera firms such as Zeiss Ikon, and for many years Dresden was the world's largest producer of cameras...
camera, in 1951.
Steenbergen returned to West Germany and created a new company in 1959 which was called Ihagee West and had its headquarters in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. In 1966 the company marketed its own camera, the Exakta real, without much success. After Steenbergen's death in 1967, Ihagee West ordered and sold the Exakta TwinTL, which was built by Cosina
Cosina
is a designer and manufacturer of cameras and lenses, and a glassmaker, based in Nakano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.-History:Cosina is the successor to Nikō , a company set up as a manufacturer oflenses in 1959...
. The company was dissolved in 1976.
Ihagee in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
was very successful in the development and sales of the Exakta SLR. In 1970, however, the company was completely absorbed by Pentacon and camera production under the Ihagee nameplate ceased. The last Exakta model, the RTL 1000, was a cooperative effort with Pentacon. It is possible that the Ihagee company still exists on paper.
Since 1997 the Steenbergen Foundation (Steenbergen Stichting) in The Hague, The Netherlands commemorates Johan Steenbergen by awarding the Steenbergen Stipendium to a graduate of one of the Dutch photo academies, and to a university graduate, supporting a study of a historical aspect of the Dutch province of Drenthe, birthplace of Steenbergen.
Models
Ihagee produced many interesting and historically significant models.- Plan and Roll Paff Reflex (reflex boxes)
- Tropen Neugold (beautiful tropen version of the Patent Duplex)
- Zweiverschluss Duplex (with both central and focal plane shutter)
- Patent Klapp (Folding) Reflex (folding in a very peculiar way)
- Corona (wooden travel camera in 5 sizes)
- Parvola (with double-helical extension mechanism)
- VP (vest pocket) or Standard Exakta (3 years before the 35mm Exakta)
- Kine ExaktaKine ExaktaThe Kine Exakta was the first 35mm SLR still camera. It was presented by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen GmbH, Dresden at the Leipziger Frühjarmesse in March 1936. The Exakta name was already used by Ihagee on a roll film SLR camera line since 1933, among these the Vest Pocket Exakt Model B from...
(introduced in 1936) - Exakta Varex (the first SLR with interchangeable view-finders)
- Exa (35mm SLR cameras)
- Ultrix, Auto-Ultrix, Ultrix-Automat, Ultrix-Simplex, Ultrix-Duplex (folding cameras)