Praktica - East Germany's Rough Diamonds
Any Praktica love on the forums?
My first two SLR's were Praktica's and I've managed to re-acquire them both. The first is an MTL3 with a Pentacon 50mm f1.8, these are mechanical M42 mount SLRs, with a battery-powered lightmeter (stop down as expected for M42) these were produced between 1978 and 1984. I picked it up in great condition for £25 (circa $31).
The second is a later BX-20, these were produced between 1987 and 1990, and moved away from an M42 mount to use Praktica's own bayonet system (rumoured to be 'borrowed' from the Pnetax K in design), these were electronically controlled and offered a great deal more features, including an AP mode, AE lock, and LED viewfinder display. This one I picked up as a bargain, at £45 (circa $56) for the body and four lenses, all pretty much mint.
The lenses are as follows:
- Pentacon 50mm f1.8
- Pentacon 28mm f2.8
- Pentacon 135mm f2.8
- Sirius 28mm-70mm f3.5-4.5
I've run an expired roll of 200ASA film through the MTL3, I've not yet had a chance to give the BX-20 a run with film.
Examples from the MTL3:
The film was 'SupaSnaps' 200ASA colour neg, a cheap mailer order freebie film that had been in a box in my garage for at least 20 years (and arrived alongside a nice Olympus AF-10 from my in-laws - but that will be for another post). It was shot at 50ASA to account for the age and shows the MTL3's meter to be quite accurate, it's gained a colour cast, and the grain is sizable (I doubt it was particularly fine to begin with), and lost some saturation, but the contrast has held up well.
Uploaded files:
Quote from Gideon Liddiard Photography on June 8, 2023, 9:11 pmAny Praktica love on the forums?
They were part of my youth in the late 1980s in the former GDR: the Praktica cameras in the show windows, me on the outside. In that time I couldn't afford one because they cost around 800-1000 Mark if I remember correctly. That was more than a monthly income of most people. Praktica cameras were my dream, in particular the M42 models. I think they were of good mechanical quality for that time, at least comparable to japanese medium priced SLRs. Electronics is a very different story.
Fortunately my parents were able to gift me an Exa 1c for youth dedication ceremony and it came with the same Pentacon auto 1.8/50 as yours. The 1.8/50 has had a very good reputation at that time.
Fortunately in our school I could attend a photography project group with dark room and was able to learn the monochrome film workflow.
Later on photography wasn't one of my main interests until the beginning of the new millenium and then digital was the new thing for me - without the effort of the film workflow. At that time Praktica DSLRs weren't available and I didn't want to go back to film. Otherwise I probably have bought a Praktica instead of a Pentax K100Dsuper. 😉
It's great to see that you salvaged some photographic history - have fun with it!
E.
Edit: Nice loudspeakers on your desk - Presonus Eris. On my desk lives a pair of the Eris 3.5. 😀
Video review of the MTL3.
I started my photography journey also with a used Praktica LB. It was great because of the manual exposure meter. It allowed me to learn quite a bit about exposure and how each parameter influences the other.
But sadly it is leaking light, which made my last roll of film a bit disappointing. Does anyone know some tricks, to repair it? It would be great to use it one day again.
PS: It seems that Praktica owners have the same taste in speakers because I also have a pair of the Eris 3.5 😀
Quote from Uplaxer on June 13, 2023, 3:24 pmI started my photography journey also with a used Praktica LB. It was great because of the manual exposure meter. It allowed me to learn quite a bit about exposure and how each parameter influences the other.
But sadly it is leaking light, which made my last roll of film a bit disappointing. Does anyone know some tricks, to repair it? It would be great to use it one day again.
PS: It seems that Praktica owners have the same taste in speakers because I also have a pair of the Eris 3.5
You should be able to get some pre-cut light seal replacements for an LB, or you could cut them yourself, it's normally pretty cheap on ebay.
The Eris 3.5's are great desktop monitors, they have excellent sound for the money and are just the right size (for me).
Quote from Gideon Liddiard Photography on June 14, 2023, 5:53 amQuote from Uplaxer on June 13, 2023, 3:24 pmI started my photography journey also with a used Praktica LB. It was great because of the manual exposure meter. It allowed me to learn quite a bit about exposure and how each parameter influences the other.
But sadly it is leaking light, which made my last roll of film a bit disappointing. Does anyone know some tricks, to repair it? It would be great to use it one day again.
PS: It seems that Praktica owners have the same taste in speakers because I also have a pair of the Eris 3.5
You should be able to get some pre-cut light seal replacements for an LB, or you could cut them yourself, it's normally pretty cheap on ebay.
The Eris 3.5's are great desktop monitors, they have excellent sound for the money and are just the right size (for me).
Thanks for the advice 🙂 I will have a look at it and bring my camera back to life. It would be nice to shoot with it again.
First one from my BX20, taken with a 50mm/f1.8 Pentacon on Fomapan 100.
I'm currently shooting a roll in a Praktica Super Zoom 1200 AFD I found at a goodwill. It's actually my second roll, but the first roll turns out was already shot by the person who gave it to me! So I have no idea if it works, and I actually can't even find any documentation on this camera.
This is the only double exposure I actually liked from the roll: (my shot was the guitar)
Quote from Justin Tung on July 8, 2023, 8:25 pmI'm currently shooting a roll in a Praktica Super Zoom 1200 AFD I found at a goodwill. It's actually my second roll, but the first roll turns out was already shot by the person who gave it to me! So I have no idea if it works, and I actually can't even find any documentation on this camera.
This is the only double exposure I actually liked from the roll: (my shot was the guitar)
Nice double exposure, a very nice happy accident. IIRC the Praktica Powerzooms of that era are re-badged Samsungs', and are a great point-and-shoot for a bargain price.
BX20 Review and Sample Images Video
