TUTORIAL: Praktica Super TL / Praktica Nova top removal with pictures!

[j-dogg]

If you Google "Praktica Super TL/Nova Top Removal" there are 3 pages of people asking how to do this, and mine had a loose prism so let's do something about that.

Today I'm going to show you in great detail how to get the top off, and it looks scary but actually it isn't. I'll also cover the prism installation as I'm sure that's why you're looking for this.

This was a camera I got free from my aunt, and it was bought brand-new in a camera shop in Owatonna, MN for 187 dollars in 1973, I have the original receipt somewhere. It was sold with an Orestron 50/1.8 lens which apparently is worth a ton of money now.

To begin, there are 4 screws holding the top on, two on the front and two on the back. Remove them. They are very small and small machine thread, do not lose them. Make sure you have a really nice screwdriver set, I use the I-Fix It Manta whatever the big one is.

Next, disassemble the film take-up spool rewind shaft. Do not remove the lower part like I did, because getting that ball bearing back in is a huge pain and I lost mine trying to do it, but I'll get to that later. It unscrews from the top hold the shaft with a small set of pliers and turn the rewind handle like you're rewinding a roll of film. If you messed up it will look like this but it's no big deal it's fixable.

Next, turn your attention to the two dials on the right side. You will need to get the covers off and they are held on with glue and I wasn't able to use an Xacto knife to get it off like all the text parts say. I heated them up with a gas torch used to light cigarettes to loosen up the glue. Then you can twist it off or get an Xacto knife under it. Be careful how much heat you apply you can discolor the dial which I did a little bit but just be mindful of it.

We'll do the shutter speed dial first, it's easy. Remove the center screw. Remember the shutter speed setting, I set all my cameras to BULB before disassembly, a hold over from working on Kodak Retina Reflexes. Gently lift up on the dial, it will slide right on up. Set the ISO to 400 facing straight down, you will need to put the ISO dial back the same way when you re-assemble the top. Remove this center pin with a small set of tweezers, then the washer under it. Pull up on the ISO dial. Do not touch the brass ring with the gears, there's nothing holding it in now.

 

[j-dogg]

Now let's work on the advance lever. Remove the center screw. There is a keyed washer and three not-keyed washers under it. Remove them together. The brass ring comes off counter-clockwise with a lens spanner tool, remove it. Remove the advance lever. Remove the washer under it.

There is a circlip here. Do not remove it, I did in the photo and found later I didn't have to. This holds in the film counter. You do not need to remove it to get the top off.

 

[j-dogg]

Now we are ready to lift up on the top. Carefully and very gently, pull up on the top, shimmy it up by the sides. Do not pry with a tool it should just slide right off slowly.

 

[j-dogg]

This one had a loose prism. If yours is loose, now is a great time to clean the ground glass under it. Be careful to not touch the clear parts of the prism or you'll have to clean them, but if you do I used The Safety Director Lens Wipes and they worked great.

I re-attached mine using UV activated JB Superweld. You don't need a lot, and it cures very quickly with the UV light which helps prevent outgassing and sets it immediately. I applied a very small amount to the sides of the prism where it touches the metal. Once I set it, I hit it with the UV light. I let it sit 15 minutes for good measure and re-hit it with the UV. You only need 10 to 15 seconds to cure it using the UV. Less is better

Once you set the prism, let's get the top back on. Installation is the reverse of disassembly with a couple of caveats and I will cover them here. The first one in the spring under the film counter. If it's reset to 0 it will protude the spring from the side of the counter wheel and this will prevent the top from coming down. Slide the film counter to 20 to tension the spring and get it out of the way, the top should come down now. Also be mindful of the yellow wire in that area, push it down if it's riding on the top of the camera assembly like mine was.

Also pay attention to the black cover on the front of the prism. It will try to ride down the front as you slide the top down. Don't let it, I used a small bamboo dowel rod to push it up as I was sliding the top down.

The pin that starts the rewinding just sits on top of the lever in the camera so when you set the top down, make sure that pin is installed. The top of the camera holds it in place. When you get the top back on and go to install the rewind lever, the correct order bottom to top is

large washer
rewind lever
film type knob
brass retaining ring
these washers, the one in the middle is the keyed washer, put this one in last, and put the other three in first
make sure the keyed washer is correctly installed, install the center retaining screw
install the cover, my glue melted enough to have some stickiness and it's set, it's a pretty tight fit

re-install the film ISO knob and the shutter speed selector, washer goes in first followed by the dowel pin, the film speed selector knob keys into that dowel pin. now move to the rewind knob. if you did it wrong you have this laying next to it. Install the ball bearing, it's spring loaded. Install the lower shaft first. Try to put it in on the edge to push the ball bearing down. If you messed up like I did and yeeted it trying to install it, I hope you have a Beseler Topcon 5.8cm/1.4 also on the table, disassembled, because it has the same size bearings for the aperture ring and I stole one lmao. DON'T DO THAT!! Just do it right the first time, I got lucky.

If all goes well, it should look like this.

Any questions, post them here.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Excellent, thank you very much!

 

[chuck3565]

If you Google "Praktica Super TL/Nova Top Removal" there are 3 pages of people asking how to do this, and mine had a loose prism so let's do something about that.

Today I'm going to show you in great detail how to get the top off, and it looks scary but actually it isn't. I'll also cover the prism installation as I'm sure that's why you're looking for this.

This was a camera I got free from my aunt, and it was bought brand-new in a camera shop in Owatonna, MN for 187 dollars in 1973, I have the original receipt somewhere. It was sold with an Orestron 50/1.8 lens which apparently is worth a ton of money now.

To begin, there are 4 screws holding the top on, two on the front and two on the back. Remove them. They are very small and small machine thread, do not lose them. Make sure you have a really nice screwdriver set, I use the I-Fix It Manta whatever the big one is.

View attachment 359218


Next, disassemble the film take-up spool rewind shaft. Do not remove the lower part like I did, because getting that ball bearing back in is a huge pain and I lost mine trying to do it, but I'll get to that later. It unscrews from the top hold the shaft with a small set of pliers and turn the rewind handle like you're rewinding a roll of film. If you messed up it will look like this but it's no big deal it's fixable.

View attachment 359222


Next, turn your attention to the two dials on the right side. You will need to get the covers off and they are held on with glue and I wasn't able to use an Xacto knife to get it off like all the text parts say. I heated them up with a gas torch used to light cigarettes to loosen up the glue. Then you can twist it off or get an Xacto knife under it. Be careful how much heat you apply you can discolor the dial which I did a little bit but just be mindful of it.

View attachment 359223

We'll do the shutter speed dial first, it's easy. Remove the center screw. Remember the shutter speed setting, I set all my cameras to BULB before disassembly, a hold over from working on Kodak Retina Reflexes. Gently lift up on the dial, it will slide right on up. Set the ISO to 400 facing straight down, you will need to put the ISO dial back the same way when you re-assemble the top. Remove this center pin with a small set of tweezers, then the washer under it. Pull up on the ISO dial. Do not touch the brass ring with the gears, there's nothing holding it in now.

View attachment 359224

View attachment 359225

This is fantastic! I know how to disassemble earlier and later Prakticas but not this model. Thank you!