I enjoyed this and your style of presentation is very engaging and informative. Thank you. Recently picked up a Praktica FX2 with a CZJ Tessar, both of which looked for for the bin. However, after some TLC it looks half decent and I'm going to run a roll through it and see what I get. I do like a WLF, owning a Mamiya C3 and Ihagee Kine Exacta from 1936. I do own a Contax II from 1936 too; not throwing it out any time soon 😁
Thanks for this very interesting video and for explaining the history of Praktica and Pentacon cameras ! I'm shooting different Prakticas since 1989. Actually i use the MTL and PLC cameras the most, they are very reliable and sturdy with a precise light meter and a very nice viewfinder . I love their style and their handling too. Another great advantage is the M42 mount, i use lenses from 20mm Flektogon to 180 mm Primotar or 200 mm Pentacon and i will try the 300mm Pentacon for astro photography in the next time. My favourite lenses for the Praktica are different CZJ Pancolars, Pentacon 50mm and Pentacon 29mm . They are always in the bag. For landscapes i choose CZJ Sonnar 135mm f4 ( stunning lightweight ) or Pentacon 135mm f2.8 additionaly. When it comes to older Prakticas i can recommend the first Super TL and the Nova IB which is one of the best SLR'S with a selenium meter you can find, even better than Kodak Retinas or Zeiss Contaflexes.
In 1971, when I was 15, my father bought the Practica Super TL. (The older of the two shown) This camera got me interested in photography. I sometimes look back at the black and white prints taken with the 50mm f1.8 pentagon lens and am still impressed by its sharpness and great contrast. In 1981 I bought myself an old Nikon F with the photomic head and 50mm 1.4 lens. I had to sell it in 1985 when I went back to college full time. It broke my heart. However, I have stayed with Nikon all these years for both film and digital. The Practica is with my kid sister still.
The Pentacon lenses were all overseen by Carl Zeiss Foundation who supervised the work of the individual factories in Jena and Dresden. Many of the Pentacon lenses were based on designs by Meyer-Optik Gorlitz. All the East German lenses are superior designs, each with it's own special character, yet the ones marked Carl Zeiss Jena seem to be unrivaled. Having said that, I do have a collection of Miranda lenses which are just as good and in some cases, better, than the Zeiss equivalent. I believe they were made by Sigma who also made lenses for Zeiss in later times. If you want to try a very cheap and very great lens which is available in quantity on ebay, try the Miranda 70-210 zoom, or the rarer 75-300. These are heavy metal bodied lenses that beat most East German Telephoto primes.
Nice video! I got fairly interested in film cameras recently, but more in the mechanical and history side than in actually taking photos, as well as attempting to repair a few since it’s a cheaper way to get a sense of how specific models operated. Something I kept noticing was that, at least till microelectronics started really taking off, Praktika (and to an extent Exakta) were putting out better SLRs than anyone else at the time. Especially in terms of repairability. Which seemed to contrast against alot of the information I could find online (in English) where people seem so keen to shoot down the cameras, as if they were some sort of existential threat to the integrity of their collections, that they’re often resorting to tacky and underhanded Cold War stereotypes to push their case. So if nothing else it’s reassuring to see someone corroborate how I’ve been feeling, as well as nice to get some more of the history/ story of these stupid machines.
I think the Praktica cameras you mention are particularly good value for money, considering the quality of the lenses. All their intellectual property was handed over to the Japanese after the war and it is interesting to compare the Japanese models. The best of the Japanese at the time were Miranda and Konica. The Miranda takes some beating in everything besides the lens. The Konica is built like a tank. These two cameras are good buying also right now, except the Konica seems to be bought for it's lens and there are many bodies being sold without lenses - it's a crime really to do that to old cameras. I always try to get the whole thing, including the case - that way they seem to be more pristine and fewer problems. Considering the state of the banking sector, I expect these old cameras to do a lot better than inflation as a small investment. The Exakta RTL1000 i feel is very undervalued, as are the Mirandas I've seen. The Prakticas are a bit of a risk on ebay - look for all original in case models that look like needing a good clean :)
@@saraofnorthwales The RTL1000 is one of the cameras i'm looking out for. I've got a few of the other Exaktas since I think they're probably the most interesting 35mm SLRs i'm aware of. Or the silliest, at least. But they've also got that problem of people selling the lenses seperately to the mirrorless guys. So i'm hoping at some point to see one for sale with anything but another 50mm lens. I do have a Miranda camera downstairs, I think a Sensomat, that i've yet to get working reliably. It has the common problem of the mirror sticking on low shutter speeds but even a fairly thorough clean hasn't fully solved the issue. It looks like it'd be a fun camera if I could get it working. Thinking about it now it could just be a weak spring, so maybe i'll poke about at it a bit more.
@@dangrundel The RTL1000 takes a special lens so its worthwhile to find one already with a lens. I found the lens first, so managed to pick up a body only pretty cheap. I have two of them, I liked them so much - neither of the photomic heads work, yet i'm not too bothered by that - it's the look of the industrial design I like - better by far than any Nikon. My most recent Exalkta buy is an original 1937 roll film model - it's amazingly almost the same size as the 35mm version - the original SLR. I think they call them the Vest Pocket model. I believe it was a mistake to go to 35mm film - this design is much higher quality negative size, could have evolved into a higher quality Pentaprism SLR. I suppose movie film was cheaper at the time ...
Good evening. A few days ago this beauty of a camera came into my possetion. It’s a Praktica MTL 5B with a leather case as well as a larger Leather camera bag, all three in mint condition, not a sctrach on them. It was sitting in a closet for the past 30-35 years or so. Now the thing is, that I know very little of film photography, other than when I was a l child in the 80’s (46 now) and do not know where to start, which film to choose for black&white or for coloured photos. I have no knowledge of what settings I shold make on the camera. I did change the battery though :) Could you please point me in the right direction and provide me with a few pointers and information about the camera and its lense? I would very much like to learn all there is to learn and of course to use this camera. After all it was not built to sit on a shelf or to be locked away in a closet somewhere. Thank you in advance! Here are some photos:
Hi, It's important with film photography to more or less get the exposure right. One can guess this in ordinary conditions, so it is best to start shooting there. If you get some ilford FP4 film (125 ASA) you will get very sharp results. 400 ASA will give a more grainy look. The exposure in bright sunlight should be about a 1/125 at f16 for FP4, for 400 ASA about 1/500th. In Overcast Sky - shoot at 1/60th at F8 or 1/125 if quite bright. For 400 ASA you need to double it about say 1/250th at F8. For any serious work in low light you probably need a light meter. These are very nice objects and come really cheap these days. The Weston Meters don't need a battery and are about as good as you get. Then you can read how much light is coming in and there is a scale on the light meter, you set the ASA and it gives you the Shutter Speed and aperture. I hope that helps.
Hi Having watched you video (very good by the way) you said you had an issue with your Kiev back, I have an identical camera and it has an annoying light leak it isn't bad but it creeps into the bottom of the frame and I can't get to the bottom of it, I'm probably clutching at straws but just out of curiosity what was wrong with yours, maybe I have the same issue and just can't see it Graeme
Hi, mine had broken latches. The new backs are pretty cheap on Ebay. You might try one to fix yours. It could also be the shutter not closing properly. Or closing too slowly at the end of the travel. I havent tried putting film through mine, yet I would like to one day. Thanks for commenting.
Just thought of something else - if the light leak is on the perforation as well as the frame, it is coming from the back, otherwise it is coming from the shutter. I hope that helps.
@@saraofnorthwales Thanks Sara I never thought to check the perforations on the film, that's a good point, I'll dig out some of the negatives and have a look, the problem is the leak doesn't show on every shot maybe 70% of them which suggests shutter to me, anyway thanks for taking the time to reply it's much appreciated
I have a Pentacon ZI body (I have Meyer Optik Gorlitz and Domiplan lenses also), but I have yet to use it. It could use a bit of lubrication. But it’s a beautiful unit.
A simple and inexpensive way to tackle light leaks on a variety of cameras is with the use of Tesa Tape. This is a black cloth tape which was developed for wrapping car wiring looms. It is very malleable and has a low tack, which means it leaves no residue. I've used it on numerous cameras, including bellows type, and it works exceptionally well. Although it's not permanent, it works very well and is quick and easy to do. It's cheap and available in different widths. If your using a camera daily, then it makes sense to have it properly repaired, however if you simply run a few rolls a year through your camera, then Tesa Tape will do a good job. And no, I'm not employed by or have any shares in the company, it's just a great tip which was given to me and for which I'm very grateful.
I enjoyed this and your style of presentation is very engaging and informative. Thank you.
Recently picked up a Praktica FX2 with a CZJ Tessar, both of which looked for for the bin. However, after some TLC it looks half decent and I'm going to run a roll through it and see what I get.
I do like a WLF, owning a Mamiya C3 and Ihagee Kine Exacta from 1936.
I do own a Contax II from 1936 too; not throwing it out any time soon 😁
Very excellent video. Thank you.
Enjoyed this video on the Praktica’s. I have the Super TL and enjoy using it. Thanks for sharing.👍👍
Thanks for this very interesting video and for explaining the history of Praktica and Pentacon cameras !
I'm shooting different Prakticas since 1989. Actually i use the MTL and PLC cameras the most, they are very reliable and sturdy with a precise light meter and a very nice viewfinder . I love their style and their handling too.
Another great advantage is the M42 mount, i use lenses from 20mm Flektogon to 180 mm Primotar or 200 mm Pentacon and i will try the 300mm Pentacon for astro photography in the next time. My favourite lenses for the Praktica are different CZJ Pancolars, Pentacon 50mm and Pentacon 29mm . They are always in the bag. For landscapes i choose CZJ Sonnar 135mm f4 ( stunning lightweight ) or Pentacon 135mm f2.8 additionaly.
When it comes to older Prakticas i can recommend the first Super TL and the Nova IB which is one of the best SLR'S with a selenium meter you can find, even better than Kodak Retinas or Zeiss Contaflexes.
I like the Nova models also, they have a fine design aesthetic, building on the "zebre" theme
In 1971, when I was 15, my father bought the Practica Super TL. (The older of the two shown) This camera got me interested in photography. I sometimes look back at the black and white prints taken with the 50mm f1.8 pentagon lens and am still impressed by its sharpness and great contrast. In 1981 I bought myself an old Nikon F with the photomic head and 50mm 1.4 lens. I had to sell it in 1985 when I went back to college full time. It broke my heart. However, I have stayed with Nikon all these years for both film and digital. The Practica is with my kid sister still.
The Pentacon lenses were all overseen by Carl Zeiss Foundation who supervised the work of the individual factories in Jena and Dresden. Many of the Pentacon lenses were based on designs by Meyer-Optik Gorlitz. All the East German lenses are superior designs, each with it's own special character, yet the ones marked Carl Zeiss Jena seem to be unrivaled. Having said that, I do have a collection of Miranda lenses which are just as good and in some cases, better, than the Zeiss equivalent. I believe they were made by Sigma who also made lenses for Zeiss in later times. If you want to try a very cheap and very great lens which is available in quantity on ebay, try the Miranda 70-210 zoom, or the rarer 75-300. These are heavy metal bodied lenses that beat most East German Telephoto primes.
Nice video!
I got fairly interested in film cameras recently, but more in the mechanical and history side than in actually taking photos, as well as attempting to repair a few since it’s a cheaper way to get a sense of how specific models operated. Something I kept noticing was that, at least till microelectronics started really taking off, Praktika (and to an extent Exakta) were putting out better SLRs than anyone else at the time. Especially in terms of repairability. Which seemed to contrast against alot of the information I could find online (in English) where people seem so keen to shoot down the cameras, as if they were some sort of existential threat to the integrity of their collections, that they’re often resorting to tacky and underhanded Cold War stereotypes to push their case.
So if nothing else it’s reassuring to see someone corroborate how I’ve been feeling, as well as nice to get some more of the history/ story of these stupid machines.
I think the Praktica cameras you mention are particularly good value for money, considering the quality of the lenses. All their intellectual property was handed over to the Japanese after the war and it is interesting to compare the Japanese models. The best of the Japanese at the time were Miranda and Konica. The Miranda takes some beating in everything besides the lens. The Konica is built like a tank. These two cameras are good buying also right now, except the Konica seems to be bought for it's lens and there are many bodies being sold without lenses - it's a crime really to do that to old cameras. I always try to get the whole thing, including the case - that way they seem to be more pristine and fewer problems. Considering the state of the banking sector, I expect these old cameras to do a lot better than inflation as a small investment. The Exakta RTL1000 i feel is very undervalued, as are the Mirandas I've seen. The Prakticas are a bit of a risk on ebay - look for all original in case models that look like needing a good clean :)
@@saraofnorthwales The RTL1000 is one of the cameras i'm looking out for. I've got a few of the other Exaktas since I think they're probably the most interesting 35mm SLRs i'm aware of. Or the silliest, at least. But they've also got that problem of people selling the lenses seperately to the mirrorless guys. So i'm hoping at some point to see one for sale with anything but another 50mm lens.
I do have a Miranda camera downstairs, I think a Sensomat, that i've yet to get working reliably. It has the common problem of the mirror sticking on low shutter speeds but even a fairly thorough clean hasn't fully solved the issue. It looks like it'd be a fun camera if I could get it working. Thinking about it now it could just be a weak spring, so maybe i'll poke about at it a bit more.
@@dangrundel The RTL1000 takes a special lens so its worthwhile to find one already with a lens. I found the lens first, so managed to pick up a body only pretty cheap. I have two of them, I liked them so much - neither of the photomic heads work, yet i'm not too bothered by that - it's the look of the industrial design I like - better by far than any Nikon. My most recent Exalkta buy is an original 1937 roll film model - it's amazingly almost the same size as the 35mm version - the original SLR. I think they call them the Vest Pocket model. I believe it was a mistake to go to 35mm film - this design is much higher quality negative size, could have evolved into a higher quality Pentaprism SLR. I suppose movie film was cheaper at the time ...
Good evening. A few days ago this beauty of a camera came into my possetion. It’s a Praktica MTL 5B with a leather case as well as a larger Leather camera bag, all three in mint condition, not a sctrach on them. It was sitting in a closet for the past 30-35 years or so.
Now the thing is, that I know very little of film photography, other than when I was a l child in the 80’s (46 now) and do not know where to start, which film to choose for black&white or for coloured photos. I have no knowledge of what settings I shold make on the camera. I did change the battery though :)
Could you please point me in the right direction and provide me with a few pointers and information about the camera and its lense? I would very much like to learn all there is to learn and of course to use this camera. After all it was not built to sit on a shelf or to be locked away in a closet somewhere.
Thank you in advance! Here are some photos:
Ohh…its not possible to send photos here I guess…that’s a shame…
Hi, It's important with film photography to more or less get the exposure right. One can guess this in ordinary conditions, so it is best to start shooting there. If you get some ilford FP4 film (125 ASA) you will get very sharp results. 400 ASA will give a more grainy look. The exposure in bright sunlight should be about a 1/125 at f16 for FP4, for 400 ASA about 1/500th. In Overcast Sky - shoot at 1/60th at F8 or 1/125 if quite bright. For 400 ASA you need to double it about say 1/250th at F8.
For any serious work in low light you probably need a light meter. These are very nice objects and come really cheap these days. The Weston Meters don't need a battery and are about as good as you get. Then you can read how much light is coming in and there is a scale on the light meter, you set the ASA and it gives you the Shutter Speed and aperture. I hope that helps.
Hi
Having watched you video (very good by the way) you said you had an issue with your Kiev back, I have an identical camera and it has an annoying light leak it isn't bad but it creeps into the bottom of the frame and I can't get to the bottom of it, I'm probably clutching at straws but just out of curiosity what was wrong with yours, maybe I have the same issue and just can't see it
Graeme
Hi, mine had broken latches. The new backs are pretty cheap on Ebay. You might try one to fix yours. It could also be the shutter not closing properly. Or closing too slowly at the end of the travel. I havent tried putting film through mine, yet I would like to one day. Thanks for commenting.
Just thought of something else - if the light leak is on the perforation as well as the frame, it is coming from the back, otherwise it is coming from the shutter. I hope that helps.
@@saraofnorthwales Thanks Sara
I never thought to check the perforations on the film, that's a good point, I'll dig out some of the negatives and have a look, the problem is the leak doesn't show on every shot maybe 70% of them which suggests shutter to me, anyway thanks for taking the time to reply it's much appreciated
I have a Pentacon ZI body (I have Meyer Optik Gorlitz and Domiplan lenses also), but I have yet to use it. It could use a bit of lubrication. But it’s a beautiful unit.
A simple and inexpensive way to tackle light leaks on a variety of cameras is with the use of Tesa Tape. This is a black cloth tape which was developed for wrapping car wiring looms. It is very malleable and has a low tack, which means it leaves no residue. I've used it on numerous cameras, including bellows type, and it works exceptionally well. Although it's not permanent, it works very well and is quick and easy to do. It's cheap and available in different widths. If your using a camera daily, then it makes sense to have it properly repaired, however if you simply run a few rolls a year through your camera, then Tesa Tape will do a good job. And no, I'm not employed by or have any shares in the company, it's just a great tip which was given to me and for which I'm very grateful.
You look and sound like Richard Harris.