I'm a big fan of the Dresden-based cameras. It was the heart of the German camera industry before WWII, then the Brits bombed it and the Soviets stole all their equipment. The companies that were able to survive and rebuild after the war produced some very interesting cameras in difficult circumstances. Then the East German government consolidated them down into one company and made these Prakticas. Some of the earlier cameras from companies like Altissa, Ihagee, Welta, Belca, Zeiss, and KW are simple and basic, but well-made with a unique charm. Keep up the good work Ben!
Hello Ben. Too bad more camera manufacturers did not adopt that location for there shutter button, It would be a much more comfortable and natural positions when you think about it. A interesting Vlog, as always ...
This video was helpful, thank you! I've got some questions. Could you explain, what is that ring placed around rewind knob for? Have you noticed any exposure issues because of the lower voltage of battery (I assume that's not the required 4.5v battery)?
Thanks! Good question. The ring is for automatic metering for lenses with electric aperture value transmission (use open setting) or without (use solid setting). More information available here: www.butkus.org/chinon/praktica/praktica_plc3/praktica_plc3.pdf . No, I did not notice any exposure issues, only a slight overexposure in some images, which actually looked good because of the tendency to lose details in the shadows for normally exposed color film.
@@retrotechmall kind of a late response but as far as i know these prakticas contain a circuit tahat doest something with the battery voltage thanks to that you acn use a battery with a around 30% difference tot he original 4.5:
Hey, I really enjoyed your review! Do you know if the shutter release / lever needs the battery in it to operate? I pick one up today, and without a battery I can't for the lever or operate the shutter
Yes, it does need a battery to operate. Original battery used for this was different, however, you can use a AA battery for this. Cap the gap between the terminal with a small piece of aluminium foil. The exposure will be off by about a stop because the voltage is different, but as you could see it did not affect my images significantly.
Super educational!! Thank you very much!!
I just bought this camera, thanks for the great review!
Very nicely reviewed Ben. You're becoming more relaxed producing these vlogs. Great graphics at the end as well. Be well guy.
Wayne Simon Yes, I am, and having fun too :-). As always, thanks Wayne!
I agree with you on the Praktica cameras, the view finder is dim compared to other cameras of the time.
True. Thanks for watching :-)
I'm a big fan of the Dresden-based cameras. It was the heart of the German camera industry before WWII, then the Brits bombed it and the Soviets stole all their equipment. The companies that were able to survive and rebuild after the war produced some very interesting cameras in difficult circumstances. Then the East German government consolidated them down into one company and made these Prakticas. Some of the earlier cameras from companies like Altissa, Ihagee, Welta, Belca, Zeiss, and KW are simple and basic, but well-made with a unique charm. Keep up the good work Ben!
Hello Ben. Too bad more camera manufacturers did not adopt that location for there shutter button, It would be a much more comfortable and natural positions when you think about it. A interesting Vlog, as always ...
Thank you! You are right on that, it quite a shame. Thanks for watching :-)
Some Petri SLR cameras had the same shutter button location.
Well presented
Thank you!
You can buy the original leather-case for 20 euro by ebay. It gives two versions.
Thanks for the tip!
This video was helpful, thank you! I've got some questions. Could you explain, what is that ring placed around rewind knob for? Have you noticed any exposure issues because of the lower voltage of battery (I assume that's not the required 4.5v battery)?
Thanks! Good question. The ring is for automatic metering for lenses with electric aperture value transmission (use open setting) or without (use solid setting). More information available here: www.butkus.org/chinon/praktica/praktica_plc3/praktica_plc3.pdf . No, I did not notice any exposure issues, only a slight overexposure in some images, which actually looked good because of the tendency to lose details in the shadows for normally exposed color film.
@@retrotechmall kind of a late response but as far as i know these prakticas contain a circuit tahat doest something with the battery voltage thanks to that you acn use a battery with a around 30% difference tot he original 4.5:
Do you develop and scan your own negatives?
Yes, I actually do, both black and white and color :-)
You must clean your nice Kamera :-).
But I do, lol :-)
Hey, I really enjoyed your review! Do you know if the shutter release / lever needs the battery in it to operate? I pick one up today, and without a battery I can't for the lever or operate the shutter
Yes, it does need a battery to operate. Original battery used for this was different, however, you can use a AA battery for this. Cap the gap between the terminal with a small piece of aluminium foil. The exposure will be off by about a stop because the voltage is different, but as you could see it did not affect my images significantly.
Film Life Vlog thank you very much for your help. I found a seller on eBay selling an adaptor that you place cell batteries in. Firing away now
@@crazyolba you don't need the battery to operate it, at least you shouldn't if everyrhing work s as intended, the battery is just for the lightmeter