Praktina FX (FX-A Version C)

<p>Praktina FX (FX-A Version C) with C.Z. Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0<br /> <br /> Hummel Nr. 109, Kadlubek KWE 2070<br /> <br /> <br /> This is a highly significant model originally built from 1953 by VEB Kamera-Werke Niedersedlitz, and after 1959 by VEB Kamera- und Kinowerke Dresden. This became in many ways the core of the VEB Pentacon of later years. In many ways this is the first "System camera" that was designed from the start as a system. The Exakta had system features, but "just growed" rather than having been intelligently designed as a system from the start. I think it likely that a Japanese maker of rangefinder copies of the pre-war Contax known as Nippon Kogaku took a good look at the Praktina when designing their new Nikon F system camera introduced in 1959. True to form for situations where the DDR industry had a claim to priority, this is rarely acknowledged (see such histories as <a href="http://www.cameraquest.com/fhistory.htm">link</a> , for example, but not to pick on that one especially). <br /> <br /> Production of the FX model was from 1953 to 1958. The fully automatic diaphragm IIA was made from 1958 to 1960. All models continued to be sold at heavily discounted prices for some time afterwards.<br /> <br /> <br /> It had interchangeable viewfinder elements (including the ability to choose different field lenses) with a removable pentaprism, a waist level finder, and even a stereo finder to work together with a "Stereotach"-like splitter on the front of the camera so you could see the image in 3D in the finder. The mirror was not an instant-return type, but for sports use and the like, an optical non-focusing viewfinder was provided with a field roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens. It had a 17m cassette for 'bulk' film, especially for use with an electric (12v) motor for film advance. A spring powered motor was also available (rather like the Robot cameras). There are only three major variants (Praktina, Praktina FX, and Praktina IIA), but there are something like a total of 8 minor variants depending on the number of flash sockets, certain labels, and so on) (Dr. Mike Otto's site on Praktica (<a href="http://www.praktica-collector.de/">link</a> ), also includes these cousins and a break-down of the variants can be seen at <a href="http://www.praktica-collector.de/Praktina.htm">link</a> ).<br /> <br /> One of my examples of the FX has the premium normal lens for the camera, the Carl Zeiss Jena (in export, C.Z. Jena) Biotar 58mm f/2.0. Herbert Keppler of Modern and Popular Photography presented in one of his later columns a comparison of this lens to the current Nikon offerings at http://keppler.popphoto.com/blog/2007/04/inside_straight.html with surprising results. It is, quite simply, one of the all-time classic lenses, often copied, but rarely excelled. My other FX has the less expensive normal lens, the C.J Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8 (lately used by SP in his series on Bangalore and other old DDR cameras and lenses). The pictures below were all shot with the Biotar. A full range of lenses from fairly wide angle (for the time) to 1000mm lenses were available in the distinctive Praktina bayonet mount. It's a bayonet and twist collar combination. The same kind of mount in a larger size was also used for 6x6cm cameras like the Pentacon 6 and some models of Kiev. The mount superficially looks like the Canonflex and Canon FL lenses also introduced in 1959. By the end of the series many of these were available in fully automatic diaphragms for the Praktina IIA.<br /> <br /> The pictures below first show the model FX Praktina with the Biotar and the page from the <em>Reiche Auswahl</em> 1956 DDR catalog for their own citizens.<br /> <br /> The film canister is a roll of Fuji ProPlus 100 color negative film, which I understand to have been made in India. Certainly the canister has only the minimun information on it in Roman characters. Sincere thanks to Subbarayan Prasanna for allowing me to try this out. It's a nice film.</p><div></div>

<p>As you can see in the pictures taken with the camera, the combination of the Indian Fuji ProPlus 100 and the Biotar produces superior results. These are highly compressed for the web, but the originals look almost like Kodachrome in their crispness. The Indian Fuji film seems to have a little more shift to the brown and maroon than the Fujicolor 100 I shot last week, but this little roll of film has, after all come halfway around the world through many struggles and over a fair length of time in transit--so who knows what it has been through? It was processed by my local camera store in C-41.<br /> The picture on the left is a campus building with a sculpture, the picture on the right yet another view of the havoc wreaked by our storm of last May 8.</p><div></div>

<p>This next set of pictures show a view of some waterfowl in the campus lake -- usually we have wild ducks and Canada geese, and I have no ideas where these showed up from. The other view is the same classy brick wall that I have photographed with many lenses, here showing the quality of the Biotar. The wall was not evenly lit, so no conclusions about vignetting should be drawn.</p><div></div>

<p>The final pair of pictures show two different trees, both snapped off at mid-height by the May 8 storm. At our local airport, wind speeds of 109 mph were clocked.<br /> <br /> That's all folks. I really like the Praktinas, and it won't be so long before I shoot with another of these. </p><div></div>

<p>Excellent review, JDM. I know next to nothing about Praktina so it's interesting to learn something new. It's especially interesting to learn that this was the first system designed from the start as a sytem, as I was under the impression that Exakta was. It's a beautiful camera with a fantastic lens that obviously performs quite well, as one would expect from that particular lens. Thanks for a great post.</p>

<p>That's an eye-opener, JDM. I know quite a bit about Prakticas but, like Andy, very little about Praktinas. The brick wall demonstrates the integrity of the Biotar; there are few modern kit lenses that could come anywhere near that lack of distortion. Thank you very much for your efforts.</p>

<p>WOW![in caps!] those are lovely pictures with rich colour and a great deal of depth. Perhaps, it is the combination of the Biotar and the Fuji Pro-Plus. The film makers told me that this film was specially designed for India, to highlight the brown skin colour in wedding and other photographs with people in them. Kodak made a similar film, some time ago; but it was imported and not made here. The particular Kodak film is not available any more. Perhaps they could not compete with Fuji/JINDAL, which has a very extensive network of labs around the country to process this and other films [my last count went over a 130 cities and towns!]. Thanks again JDM!, for the lovely post and narrative on the Praktina. Regards, sp.</p>

<p>OK, OK, here's the translation:<br>

The 35mm SLR with waist-level and prism finder is manufactured according to the most up-to-date rules of design. The viewfinder has a folding loupe, and also when using the prism finder the image on the ground glass (which appears in correct orientation) can be seen through an eyepiece with high magnification so all details of the object will be clearly visible. Besides that,the Praktina has a focal-plane shutter coupled to the film advance which can be set from 1 sec to 1/1000 sec. Built-in selftimer, flash sync contact, handy tilted shutter button, film reminder and an additional optical viewfinder for sports shots are more advantages of this high-end camera. Lenses can be changed in a snap due to the newly designed bayonet mount.<br>

The Zeiss measuring loupe (probably a split-image screen WB) which can be fitted to the camera instead of the normal ground glass screen turns the SLR into a rangefinder camera.<br>

Most of the lenses mentioned on the previous page (Contax D) will be available as interchangeable lenses (for the Praktiona WB) and will be available sooner or later.<br>

More accessories available: extension tubes and bellows with extension tubes for close-up shots, eye cup, additional loupes compensated for wearers of eye-glasses, spring-driven motor for serial shots, electric motor drive with solenoid release, 17m cartridge, mounted correction lenses for the Newton finder and the prism finder, Zeiss prism attachment for Tessar f/2.8 50mm for stereo shots, stereo viewfinder (in preparation).</p>

 

<p>Interesting post JDM, the Praktina is a highlight from KW, and not that common here in Australia. Even better with that exotic film from the East. KW made a clockwork drive for the Praktina, you don't happen to have one of those do you!</p>

<p>Thanks for the historical foundations and interesting examples from this camera. I appreciate your scholarly approach. On a purely visual note, the juxtaposition of the brick wall and duck pond shot is kind of cool. </p>

<p>I do have the wind-up motor. It works fine, although it takes a little jiggling, etc. to get it to mount correctly. Once it's on, you've got a nice mechanical drive. I've never actually timed it to see how many pictures in a minute.</p>

<p>Thanks, Winfried, for the translation. Yes, it is a split image rangefinder, this one has that screen.</p>

<p>Thanks all, and yes Louis, I hate to admit it, but there's just something about that wall. Some people think the brick wall pictures are my best pictures. ;)</p>

<p>And thanks again, Subbarayan, for the chance to shoot this film.</p>

<p>Hi JDM, the colours came out nicely. And Subbarayan stated something which I never knew, that the Fuji proplus was adapted for use in India. :)<br>

The brick wall is one of the nicer shots, I must agree. It seems to just pop out at you!!</p>

<p>For those who are interested, here is the "Federmotor für Praktina" mounted on another of my Praktina FX cameras, this one with the C.Z. Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8 mounted.</p><div></div>

<p>JDM, excellent post, loved reading the history of these cameras. Boy, is the Federmotor imposing, or what? The colors on the campus sculpture and the waterfowl images came out great. I wonder if chrome and black combo is gorgeous on its own, or is it the ubiquitous black of the DSLRs these days that make us appreciate the classic look more?</p>

<p>When I left India, Kodak film was very expensive, the most affordable were ORWO color and "cut" B&W film ("cut" as in the retailer would fill spare cassettes from long spools of film), and an Indian brand called Indu. There was not much Fuji film available, but later on I believe a lot of Konica film was available. The lettering on the film cannister in your shot above made me smile. It is in Devnagari (Hindi) script, and the very top says "proplos" (no caps are available in the script), but the "aa" sound in "plus" has become the "o" sound in "floss". At the bottom, the part I can read says "phujicolor".</p>

<p>Interesting! Like the duck shot too. (And was a fan of Keppler. Always enjoyed his articles)...</p>

<p>I forgot until I mounted the Spring Motor on it that the device has the advantage of making the camera into a "instant return" mirror, since it winds the film on, cocks the shutter, and lowers the mirror after each exposure. On the IIA, it also opens up the aperture each time. The ensemble of lens and motor are not awkward, although they look that way. I couldn't get a count of the speed of it, what with all the clockwork working, spinning parts and loud thunks, but it seems to be about as fast as most modern digital cameras. A middle sort of wind (this is 60-years old after all) gives six or seven exposures.</p>

<p>And thanks Shash, for the transcription of the Hindi text.</p>

<p>and thanks to all for your comments and additions.</p>

All SLR,s no matter who made it, owe huge credit too the engineers who designed the Praktina Fx lla, FX and its variants. It's 1955 folks and this SLR camera designed system, is four years ahead of the Nikon F system, far ahead of German SLR,s and all Japanese SLr,s, but Asahiflex and Miranda and Topcon are close behind. By 1959 Nikon F with its eyelevel prism is announced, and instant return mirror, with its high quality becomes the pro rage but,  was it? TTL metering is announced in 1963 by Topcon ,via Toshiba designed electronics, patented! Topcons re auto lenses and re super body ; meter in a matrix etched full sized mirror and the meter is in the body. So prisms, waist levers and magnifiers all work. Getting around Topcon TTL meter patent proves to a legal and engineering headache for all competitors! No doubt that Topcon engineers studied Praktina lla in great detail. I am sure, Nikon F and Topcon engineers used the Praktina lla as their guide, with Topcon well ahead in TTL metering. As far as optics, Topcon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta all had most excellent variations on the double guass  lens design.