The single lens reflex principle is even older and was widely used in cameras for the medium format plate- and film material.

Also to improve focusing accuracy fast lenses were needed, and from the start Carl Zeiss Jena provided the Tessar 1:2.8 f=5cm, soon to be followed by the Biotar 1:2 5cm and the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 1:2 f=5cm for the Kine Exakta.

[1] The Kine Exakta is made of two major aluminium alloy castings, the outer body shell and the internal frame for the mirror box, the shutter mechanism and the film transport.

The Kine Exakta controls are somewhat different from those found on most later 35mm SLR film cameras: the finder hood in its collapsed state automatically blocks the shutter release.

On the right-hand top plate sits a separately wound dual purpose dial, featuring long time exposure and delayed action shutter release.

It enables a partially exposed film to be removed from the camera in daylight for processing provided the left-hand take-up spool was placed in a cassette.

A small sector lever close to the shutter dial, with R and V engraved next to it in the top plate, controls the film transportation, R for rewind and V for advance, for rückwärts and vorwärts in German.

About a year later, a threaded hole was added at the right-hand front above the flashbulb synchronising contacts for securing the flashgun to the camera (version 4).