Praktica Appreciation Thread

AgX · Sep 7, 2015

An interesting explanation. Though when you look at the bottom you'll see at the right something that looks to me like remnants of that "1" in a tringle, which means "high Quality", a designation which was standard for all Prakticas.

And did not use the ADN press agency Nikon F2s long before?

Another collectors site explains that "S" as designation for those B200 sold via CZJ Ltd. ,UK.

Xmas · Sep 7, 2015

Sewin said:
Some good advice there.

Although we don't get much sun in Wales, I wonder how many people in the past knew what a lens + sun could do to a cloth shutter curtain.

Apparently it still happens, just google and check it out , particularly Leica.

Well it is common knowledge (or gossip) that exaktas (no instant return mirrors) get sunburn damage in the second curtain which turns brittle and cracks. Note both of mine are ok.

You have to be careless to get a hole in a Leica.

Sewin · Sep 7, 2015

The small image to the right is the Pentacon logo.

AgX · Sep 7, 2015

I mean to the right when printing is not upside down...

Sewin · Sep 7, 2015

Here's some of mine:-

PLC3

B200

And finally a BC1 note the difference.

AgX · Sep 7, 2015

That makes some sense. As the first two pictures show the "Q1" logo and not the "triangle1" as I thought.

The Q1 indeed stands for highest quality, better than grade 1.

Interesting that the BC1 is lacking any grading. My L2 is graded 1.

Maybe only samples meant for the homemarket and the COMECON show grading logos. As the meaning of those logos was unknown in the West.

Sewin · Sep 7, 2015

Hi AgX,

To be honest I've not taken much notice of the grading symbols.

Do you think it makes any difference or was it just a marketing gimmick?

Everyone look at the base of your Prakticas now for one upmanship

AgX · Sep 7, 2015

It was important for sale of goods to the USSR for instance. A degrading meant rejection or price deduction by the importing agency.

The grading and the logos were applied as well on industrial as consumer goods but it is not clear to me whether the grading was related to the design/construction as such or the actual output (quality control).

darthj · Sep 7, 2015

Sewin said:
This might help

http://www.praktica-collector.de/218b_Praktica_B200S.htm

Only 80 made apparently and look at the price when new.

And we are up to post 200!

That is what he paid as a collector, not the EVP (fixed sales price) when new.

darthj · Sep 7, 2015

Sewin said:
Hi AgX,

To be honest I've not taken much notice of the grading symbols.

Do you think it makes any difference or was it just a marketing gimmick?

Everyone look at the base of your Prakticas now for one upmanship

The Gütezeichen and Güteklassen were part of a quality control system with regular testing in specialised Laboratories. Far from a gimmick.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gütezeichen_(DDR)

darthj · Sep 7, 2015

AgX said:
An interesting explanation. Though when you look at the bottom you'll see at the right something that looks to me like remnants of that "1" in a tringle, which means "high Quality", a designation which was standard for all Prakticas.

And did not use the ADN press agency Nikon F2s long before?

Another collectors site explains that "S" as designation for those B200 sold via CZJ Ltd. ,UK.

In East-Germany an extra letter indicated a modification (upgrade) of the product, not an export model. Hence the Wartburg 353W, Trabant 601S, ...

The letter itself usually has no meaning at all, not for the B200S anyway.

The limited production of about 80 pieces in a timespan of a few months (according to known serial numbers, see Flickr group for lonely B200S owners), the production method (transformation of a few handpicked B200) and the higher quality only make sense if indeed they were to be handed out to a few select people only. Not so much if they were intended for export in larger numbers. Because of the handpicking only a few cameras would have been available at any given time. Besides, there was already a special B200 for the UK, the chromed version.

A shipment of B200S did get into the UK but I doubt that happened through official channels.

The Flickr B200S group :

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2303710@N20/discuss/72157635737810374/

Post your serial numbers if you got one !

Sewin · Sep 8, 2015

Thanks for that darthj,

Very interesting.

The search for a B200S begins!

Sewin · Sep 9, 2015

You might be interested in this one out of my "Prakticas" (I did post it somewhere else) you don't see or hear of too many over here.
It has an absorbing history for such a basic little camera.

It dates from the mid 50's and look whats on the body and lens.

KW on the body casing

Number 1 in a triangle and the Pentacon symbol.

darthj · Sep 9, 2015

Sewin said:
Thanks for that darthj,

Very interesting.

The search for a B200S begins!

It's not going to be easy ...

Sewin · Sep 9, 2015

Not if you have them all

darthj · Sep 9, 2015

Not yet ...

About 70 are still out there.

AgX · Sep 9, 2015

The Pentona has several remarkable features:

-) parallax indicater stamped out of the cap (well, not that remarkable as it got no Albada finder)

-) guide-number/distance calculater at the aperture ring

-) your sample bearing the KW logo stamped on the cover, but yet a Name that relates it to the Kinowerke Dresden.
(Or started that camera at KW under a different name?)

cuthbert · Sep 9, 2015

Too many pictures of Prakticas and few pics taken with Prakticas.

Sewin · Sep 10, 2015

I agree cuthbert,

How are you loading your pics? Are you scanning?

AgX the guide number / distance calculator on the bottom of the lens had me fooled initially.

AgX · Sep 10, 2015

The problem with that calculator is that there is no GN-designation at that scale and one must guess for its meaning.
Then one just adjusts the distance scale to the GN and the same moment the proper aperture is set at the shutter.

Later japanese cameras got even more luxury. You only adjusted the GN-lever at the camera properly and then by focusing the right aperture was set automatically.

Keep in mind that up to the 70s the GN was typically related to 18DIN film speed, not 21DIN.

Sewin · Sep 10, 2015

I'ts an interesting little camera, very light and nice bright viewfinder.

The only problem it has is the shutter sticks open at speeds of 1/30 and below, turning the speed back to 1/60 closes it.
I don't fancy taking it apart, so will leave as is.

cuthbert, I'll have a rummage through my drawers later for some old Boots! processed prints from the 80's and 90's taken on an LLC. The negatives are long gone, but I should have a few old prints somewhere, lost lots of prints when moving house a few times and I think the ex wife through many away

cuthbert · Sep 10, 2015

Sewin said:
I agree cuthbert,

How are you loading your pics? Are you scanning?

AgX the guide number / distance calculator on the bottom of the lens had me fooled initially.

The pic has been taken with my Jenaflex and the Vario-Sonnar, and I used Agfa Precisa 100, the lab scanned the slide.

Other E6 shots with the Jenaflex:

cuthbert · Sep 13, 2015

darthj · Sep 14, 2015

I don't have many pictures suitable for this (or any) forum as most films I shoot are for camera testing purposes but I can show you this one. Taken in October 2013 with a B200S. And then scanned with a low quality scanner.

AgX · Sep 15, 2015

Maybe we should start a thread devoted solely to test target photos...

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