martti said:
Canon F-1 had an interchangeable prism as well. You could remove it and look directly at the ground glass from above.
Yes, it did. Though I do not remember ever using it. Oh well, once or twice. The Exakta however, had a buit in film cutter*, something I miss badly on the 5D3, which does not even have film transport knobs. A pity. But surprisingly, it does have a film rewind button on the left side which has been reassigned as a mode selection button: M, Av, Tv etc. Which is a clear example of the idea that new things are often lookalikes of their predecessors (e.g. the first cars looked much like a horse drawn coach). b.t.w. the fact that one does not have to buy film for present day digital cameras has certainly saved me (and you!) a lot of money! The very expensive 5D3 already nearly payed its price back to me in film costs (film+developing). Something to remember when thinking about buying a digital camera.
Kind regards, Rob.
*) If, after say four or five exposures you were in a hurry to see the results, you could cut the film, and in a dark place remove the short strip from the camera in order to develop it. The unexposed remainder you could still use. Remember that the Exakta at the time was being produced in East-Germany, which was a rather poor country.
