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The dual range 50mm f /1.9 Ektar was the more common of the two normal focal lengths. It was fast for its time, though a bit soft, but the general equivalent of its contemporaries. The dual range 50mm f /3.5 Ektar was more compact and was a better choice for sharpness and correction in situations where there was sufficient light.

Here. in the front view, you can see the layout of the controls, all grouped on the top deck; from left to right: the diopter adjustment for the viewfinder, the zoom control for the viewfinder

with a range of 50mm to 253mm, the exposure counter over the viewfinder window, the selftimer, fast shutter speed selector and slow shutter speed selector. The shutter release, designed for the left forefinger, was sometimes criticized, but I've never met an Extra user who found this to be a clumsy location, though focusing and shutter release require opposite handedness from today's designs. Then, virtually all film winding was done by lowering the camera and turning a knurled knob with the user's right hand; there were no rapid winding features, so Ektra established a design standard, just not the the current lever arrangement that Leica and Canon adopted in the 50s. The Ektra with the f /1.9 Ektar weighs 2 pounds, 7 ounces; for comparison a Canon 7 with a similar lens weighs just over 2 pounds. The 1941 price for this Ektar combination was $300.



	The dual range 50mm f /1.9 Ektar was the more common of the two normal focal lengths. It was fast for its time, though a bit soft, but the general equivalent of its contemporaries. The dual range 50mm f /3.5 Ektar was more compact and was a better choice for sharpness and correction in situations where there was sufficient light. Here. in the front view, you can see the layout of the controls, all grouped on the top deck; from left to right: the diopter adjustment for the viewfinder, the zoom control for the viewfinder with a range of 50mm to 253mm, the exposure counter over the viewfinder window, the selftimer, fast shutter speed selector and slow shutter speed selector. The shutter release, designed for the left forefinger, was sometimes criticized, but I've never met an Extra user who found this to be a clumsy location, though focusing and shutter release require opposite handedness from today's designs. Then, virtually all film winding was done by lowering the camera and turning a knurled knob with the user's right hand; there were no rapid winding features, so Ektra established a design standard, just not the the current lever arrangement that Leica and Canon adopted in the 50s. The Ektra with the f /1.9 Ektar weighs 2 pounds, 7 ounces; for comparison a Canon 7 with a similar lens weighs just over 2 pounds. The 1941 price for this Ektar combination was $300.

	A rear quarter view shows the controls on the camera back. The rear adjustable viewfinder element provides a focus adjustment for the finder. The lever to the left is for the unique double-stroke rapid film advance, while the small red ball in the concave housing is a feedback indicator that is vibrated by the 35mm sprocket holes as the film is advanced. The knob in the center just below the viewfinder opens the film back, while the dial below it can be set to indicate the emulsion that is loaded, particularly important for a camera with removable backs. Note the close spacing of the split image rangefinder and viewfinder windows, Kodak's solution to the compromise between the split image design used and the convenience of a combined, but darker superimposed rangefinder design.
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