Praktica MTL 3

altair · Apr 20, 2009

Hi all! I'd like to get everyone's views of the Praktica MTL 3 camera as an entry to the M42 system. I'm thinking of getting one in addition to the Spotmatic that I'm bidding on eBay just because the MTL 3 is going for so cheap! Matt Denton has nothing but good to say about the MTL 3 on his webpage, but on another forum I read people were like dissing it this way and that..saying it's heavy, bulky, badly made, doesn't last long and has an earth-shattering, camera shake-inducing shutter. Personally, I just like the front-mounted shutter, the film loading system and the supposedly nice film-advance mechanism. Vague, I know...

I've no prior experience to any M42 camera, let alone any East German cameras. So I'd appreciate you guys' feedbacks, especially those who've owned/used this MTL 3 in the past.

Cheers and thanks a lot in advance!!!

Woudschim · Apr 20, 2009

I owned a MTL3, one of the best small format slr's I used.
I sold all of it though, since I rather shoot medium format, but yes, the MTL3 is a very fine camera, it did everything I ever needed, and there are some great M42 lenses, I even still use a Pentacon 135mm f/2.8 with an adapter on my Nikon D80. (altough I rarely shoot digital)

Excalibur2 · Apr 20, 2009

You can't lose getting a MTL3 as they are so cheap, and you have a full range of screw lenses available to you, and IIRC has a useful flash sync speed of 1/125 sec

Picked one up for £3 and use it now and again with my pentax lenses...why don't I use my pentax S3 with the lenses? because it doesn't have a built in meter, no flash hot shoe and the flash sync speed, with a silly thingy that fit on the top of the pentaprism to hold a flashgun, is 1/30 sec.

pschauss · Apr 20, 2009

Add my vote in favor of the MTL3. The viewfinder is brighter than most and the split image focusing aid makes it easy to focus. One of the problems with many of the cameras which use stop-down metering is they tend to under expose at higher stops because the light meter reads the light coming into the eye piece. The MTL3 seems to have solved this problem somehow.

Anscojohn · Apr 20, 2009

I think one has to be: a complete luddite; a crypto-bolshevik; dirt poor; extremely frugal; or just the compleat anti-snob to appreciate the Practika. I am or have been, all of these. Yes; they are noisy and kind of tinny. But, fact of the matter is, they generally work quite well. I had a collection of East German lenses for them over the years that I now which I still had.
In 35 mm, I have owned Canon; Kiev, Kodak; Leica, Miranda, Olympus; Nikon, Pentax, Praktica and even Zenit. I can probably tell which photographs were taken with which. Others might have greater difficulty just looking at the prints.
The revolutionary western-made 35 mm SLR camera was the Exacta. From 1940 onward, the lowly Praktica was out there churning away. And it was Praktica which pioniered the M-42 "pentax" thread mount.
BTW, I currently have two Prakticas--an MTL, and a Super TL. I still dig them out and use once in a while use them for nostaligia's sake.
Come to think of it, a very dear friend has the 100 mm 2.8 Meyer Orestor 'click stop" manual diaphragm lens I gave her thirty some years ago. She shoots it on a Pentax Spot F. I once tried to finagle it back from her "if she's not using it any more." Her response was unrepeatable.
One other thing. For bulk loaders, that funky-wire take up spool means you don't have to cut a leader for film loading on the Prakticas.

altair · Apr 21, 2009

Thanks all for the really helpful feedbacks! Hmmm, interesting...most of u seems to be in favor the MTL 3....darn, I let one slipped by me on the bay last nite... It came with a Helios 44-2 lens, and it went for only GBP13!

elekm · Apr 21, 2009

I have the LTL3, and I don't know where it sits in the Praktica history. It's a well built camera that doesn't have a lot of frills.

Like most European cameras, there are no foam seals (to degrade) as the back was designed properly to block light.

The shutter is somewhat loud, and the viewfinder (on the LTL3) is spartan with just a meter needle and circle.

However, it's a very reliable camera because of its simplicity. The front mounted shutter release is sort of an acquired taste, as the saying goes, but it's simple to use.

altair · Apr 21, 2009

elekm said:
I have the LTL3, and I don't know where it sits in the Praktica history. It's a well built camera that doesn't have a lot of frills.

Like most European cameras, there are no foam seals (to degrade) as the back was designed properly to block light.

The shutter is somewhat loud, and the viewfinder (on the LTL3) is spartan with just a meter needle and circle.

However, it's a very reliable camera because of its simplicity. The front mounted shutter release is sort of an acquired taste, as the saying goes, but it's simple to use.

I see, appreciate your input here elekm! But hey, no light seals? Wow, that's interesting..I didn't know that! But aside from that, did u have any problems with the camera at all?

AgX · Apr 21, 2009

The MTL3 is the successor of the LTL3 with beter focussing aids on the screen, an additional flash contact and a different body cover.

elekm · Apr 21, 2009

The LTL3 has been problem free. The meter is CDS, which means that it can be slow to react to changing light conditions -- take a half second or so for the meter to settle as you sweep from a light area to a dark area.

The choice of materials is decent, and the quality of construction is very good. I'm impressed by it.

naeroscatu · Apr 21, 2009

I have used MTL3 and MTL5 back in the '80 and had no problems; mind you they were new at the time. Basic manual cameras that nowadays may require CLA. I have about four of them parked because of various problems. I'm saying take above recommendations with a grain of salt. We are getting old, they are too.

Pumal · Apr 21, 2009

I have an MTL 3 and an MTL 5. I like them both. I agree with all comentaries. When used with my Super-Multi-Coated Takumars; the results are outstanding.

Woudschim · Apr 22, 2009

However, with the Praktica's, the shutter is prone to malfunction after a while. I have had 4 Praktica's in total, one of them never worked, and another died while being used. But as long as they keep working, you've got a real fine camera!

zenrhino · Apr 22, 2009

I have an MTL3 -- My first SLR ever. Got it in 2000, it was made in 1947 (IIRC), and it still works just fine. It's definitely east German -- nothing smooth, finely milled or sophisticated about it. But if you like match needle metering (and I do) and a solid no-frills camera (I do), it's great.

Adrian Twiss · Apr 22, 2009

The Praktika was my first SLR with TTL metering. My first SLR was a Zenith E. The Praktika was much more refined than the zenith and the 50mm Tessar was a very nice lens. There was a memember of the camera club I used to belong to that had an extensive collection of SMC takumar lenses (all screw thread) but used praktika bodies. His view was once they break throw them away and buy another one.

archphoto · Apr 22, 2009

The MTL's are rather easy to repair, with the shutter the main problem I have seen is that you cannot tension it, a commoun problem that needs adjusting of one screw, inside..... easy.........

Peter

AgX · Apr 22, 2009

zenrhino said:
I have an MTL3 -- My first SLR ever. Got it in 2000, it was made in 1947 (IIRC), and it still works just fine.

The MTL3 was made 1978-1984.

The first Praktica model was released in 1949.

Brook Hill · Apr 22, 2009

I have a Practica SuperTL in a mint ever ready leather case plus a Practica Nova and some other bits. I am willing to give these to anyone who would like them provided you pay the delivery costs or collect. I am away this weekend if anyone is interested send me a PM and I will sort it out next week. I live in Surrey, England

Tony

Praktica MTL 3

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