To start at the beginning, sort of - it was the early 2000’s and I was working in Brussels for Uncle Sam. One of my great pleasures on the weekends was to visit the local “brocantes” or flea markets, that would pop up here or there throughout the year. On one such occasion I encountered a young woman selling a complete camera package — a made-to-spec camera bag holding an apparently unused-since-1983 Praktica Super TL 1000 camera and three M42-mount lenses: a Domiplan 50mm f/2.8 “automatic lens” #10609230, a Pentacon auto 2.8/135mm MC lens #1024146 marked “German Democratic Republic” in white letters and a Pentacon auto 2.8/29mm Multi Coating lens marked “German Democratic Republic” in small letters on the underside of the lens. Also in the bag were a Vivitar 2600 flash and instructions, a Praktica Super TL 1000 instruction booklet in four languages (including English), an official document showing that the camera has passed Belgian Customs to enter the county, and a guarantee card only partially filled out by the seller Photo-Hall in Blankenberge. (This card says the camera’s serial number is #1314856 but I can’t find that number on the body itself.)
I bought the set, and have never used it. And now, as I age and downsize (both my camera collection and me personally!), I’m putting it on the market for whoever might be looking for what appears to my eyes to be the most unused and pristine Praktica Super TL 1000 in captivity. Not a mark, not a scratch, not a dent, nothing. The lenses are also pristine.
Details: the Domiplan lens is has very tight focusing, to the extent that the lens will unscrew itself from the camera before it will focus. It may loosen up in time The Domiplan has a rear lens cap but no front lens cap. The focusing ring will turn if you hold the lens in both hands. The other two lenses come with original front and rear caps and work just fine; both have “A” and “M” for automatic or manual aperture operation (the Domiplan does not). The 135mm has a built-in collapsible hood that is a little floppy. The flash works.
I have tested the meter and it works — it’s a typical match-needle design. The instructions call for a 625 battery, which I happen to have, and it works fine. I also tested the meter with an adapter for modern batteries, trying with a 357 and an LR44 alkaline, and both work. In fact, all three methods showed the same exposure.
One of the camera’s more lovable quirks is that the indicated speed on the shutter speed dial is off by one mark — that is, when you set the camera to 1 second according to the little arrow, the camera is really set to B, And so forth up the scale, 60 on the camera is really 30, 1000 is really 500, and the true 1000 isn’t marked at all. But that’s the spirit of the GDR as expressed in the Praktica Super TL 1000!
The case is in excellent visible condition, but the fact is the foam used as padding under the cloth-covered dividers has deteriorated. Should anyone choose to buy this set — and really, how can you resist? — I would NOT ship the items in the case. I’d seal of the camera bag in its own plastic bag, and fully wrap each of the other items as necessary. I think if the buyer wanted to refurbish the bag in order to have the true complete Praktica camera travel set from 1983, it wouldn’t be too hard to do.
I am attaching only one photo, but have others -- it appears my iPhone makes huge photo files and when I reduce them to get under the 2MB limit on Photo they appear small and pixelated. I'm happy to send other photos if you request.
So — for the camera body, the three lenses, the flash, the bag, the instruction manual, the import and sales document, I’m asking a $75 plus shipping, straight from the 1983 to you (via here in northern Virginia). I can’t imagine there’s a cleaner Super TL 1000 out there.
I bought the set, and have never used it. And now, as I age and downsize (both my camera collection and me personally!), I’m putting it on the market for whoever might be looking for what appears to my eyes to be the most unused and pristine Praktica Super TL 1000 in captivity. Not a mark, not a scratch, not a dent, nothing. The lenses are also pristine.
Details: the Domiplan lens is has very tight focusing, to the extent that the lens will unscrew itself from the camera before it will focus. It may loosen up in time The Domiplan has a rear lens cap but no front lens cap. The focusing ring will turn if you hold the lens in both hands. The other two lenses come with original front and rear caps and work just fine; both have “A” and “M” for automatic or manual aperture operation (the Domiplan does not). The 135mm has a built-in collapsible hood that is a little floppy. The flash works.
I have tested the meter and it works — it’s a typical match-needle design. The instructions call for a 625 battery, which I happen to have, and it works fine. I also tested the meter with an adapter for modern batteries, trying with a 357 and an LR44 alkaline, and both work. In fact, all three methods showed the same exposure.
One of the camera’s more lovable quirks is that the indicated speed on the shutter speed dial is off by one mark — that is, when you set the camera to 1 second according to the little arrow, the camera is really set to B, And so forth up the scale, 60 on the camera is really 30, 1000 is really 500, and the true 1000 isn’t marked at all. But that’s the spirit of the GDR as expressed in the Praktica Super TL 1000!
The case is in excellent visible condition, but the fact is the foam used as padding under the cloth-covered dividers has deteriorated. Should anyone choose to buy this set — and really, how can you resist? — I would NOT ship the items in the case. I’d seal of the camera bag in its own plastic bag, and fully wrap each of the other items as necessary. I think if the buyer wanted to refurbish the bag in order to have the true complete Praktica camera travel set from 1983, it wouldn’t be too hard to do.
I am attaching only one photo, but have others -- it appears my iPhone makes huge photo files and when I reduce them to get under the 2MB limit on Photo they appear small and pixelated. I'm happy to send other photos if you request.
So — for the camera body, the three lenses, the flash, the bag, the instruction manual, the import and sales document, I’m asking a $75 plus shipping, straight from the 1983 to you (via here in northern Virginia). I can’t imagine there’s a cleaner Super TL 1000 out there.