One of the models in this small series, the Akarex III, is ambitious with a rangefinder coupled to the lens. Change the lens, and you change the rangefinder!

The Akarex I does not have this feature, given its fixed lens, and therefore, its rangefinder does not need to be changed.

The history of the Aka brand (acronym for Apparate & Kamerabau) is closely linked to that of the Second World War and its consequences. The brand was created in 1946 by the two Armbuster brothers, in the French sector¹. One of the two brothers had expertise in camera production, having worked for major German manufacturers of cameras and shutters. The other owned a foundry and a tooling factory.

The production of a camera with a central shutter and interchangeable lens began in a former hotel in Wildbad. This camera was called the Akarette and was intended as a more affordable competitor to the Leica. The first examples produced negatives measuring 24 x 32 mm, which made it possible to increase the number of exposures per film. It quickly reverted to the 24 x 36 format, which had become a standard. Production gradually increased with the recovery of the German economy, making a move to larger premises necessary. Unable to find suitable facilities in Wildbad, the company relocated to the shores of Lake Constance, in Friedrichshafen, in the former flight training school². Production started there in April 1949. It diversified with simpler models than the first Akarette, as well as more advanced models equipped with a rangefinder.
In 1958, one of the two brothers left the company for Feinwerktechnik, while he was developing a stereo camera compatible with the View-Master, the financing of which was a source of dispute between the brothers. This departure marked the beginning of the company's decline. Bankruptcy came in 1960. A new company, Arette Feinwerktechnik GmbH, continued to build cameras until 1963, using remaining stock parts.

Aka cameras are sometimes found at French flea markets. Sellers familiar with the history of their camera often mention that it was purchased by a conscript doing his military service in Germany, either in the Black Forest or around Lindau, in the 1950s.

¹ As a reminder, the French sector, like the American, British and Soviet sectors, was a result of the Yalta agreements, which defined the division of Nazi Germany among the victors. Each occupying power exercised full administration over its sector. In 1949, the creation of the two German states considerably reduced the prerogatives of the four occupying nations. A military presence was maintained until after reunification, in 1993.

² Friedrichshafen is the city of the Zeppelin airships and Dornier aircraft

(original source in German)