However, as the first Akarette model was considered expensive at a time when Germany was still facing major economic difficulties, a more affordable model was introduced to the market. It was called the Akarette 0. It is recognizable by its black front plate (which often turns brown over time, as is the case with this example). It does not have a self-timer, although the shutter housing features an opening underneath for the passage of a lever. There are two separate viewfinders for the 50 mm and 75 mm lenses; in the latter, a yellow filter draws attention and helps avoid confusion. The small lever that moved a marker in the viewfinder, considered too expensive and complicating assembly, is absent on the Akarette 0. There is an accessory shoe on the viewfinder housing.

However, the lens mount remains the same, so all lenses from the Akarette series can be used. The lens is not truly screw-mounted but is secured by a threaded retaining ring (the second ring from the camera body).

Like all cameras in this family, this model gives a good impression of quality and finish, even in this basic version.

One distinguishes the Akarette 0a, with a Vario shutter (1/200), from the Akarette 0b, with a Prontor shutter (1/300), which is slightly more expensive.

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)