The Ihagee Elbaflex is the first new Nikon F Mount Film SLR camera that we’ve seen in a while
It’s time to get excited about film all over again; the new Ihagee Elbaflex film SLR is going to be launching next week on Kickstarter. This camera joins a number of other analog film related products that have been in the works. So what’s so special about the Ihagee Elbaflex?
Ihagee is one of those brands we’re seeing return from the dead. According to their website:
In 1942, the Nazis took over the company. Steenbergen, who was married to a Jewish woman, had left the country in time. At that time, production concentrated on war-related goods.
After the war, production resumed quickly and most of the cameras found their way into other countries. In 1966 the Dresdner Ihagee (East Germany) presented the Exakta Varex II b. But in 1969 the West-German high court ruled that all name rights were to be returned to Johann Steenbergen’s heirs. As a consequence, no more cameras from Ihagee could be sold in West Germay.
According to our rep who sent us an email, the Ihagee Elbaflex will have a fully mechanical shutter, flash sync speed of 1/60, eye-level SLR pentaprism viewfinder, weigh 690g and have a manual shutter dial with 1/2, 1/4, 1/8/, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500 and B. And of course, the Ihagee Elbaflex will have a Nikon F mount. The camera is being manufactured in the Ukraine but is from a German company; apparently the same folks who do the Jena Biotar and Meyer-Optik lineup of products. They’re also claiming it will have a “very affordable price” and will have full support from a German repair center. Crazy, right?
The Ihagee Elbaflex is joining Reflex, Rezivot, and the Instant Film back for Hasselblad as some of the best analog style kickstarters that you can support right now. Unfortunately we don’t know a whole lot else about the Ihagee Elbaflex but it’s bound to be made of metal (or at least a plastic) and have some sort of analog appeal to it from the photos. I mean, look at that wooden handle!
For more news, you can head on over to the Ihagee website.
