Over the last 50 years, I have certainly encountered my share of cameras from the other side of the former “Iron Curtain.” In fact, my first SLR in 1973 was an Exa 1a, which was my only camera aside from a Kodak Instamatic for about 8 years. While that Exa 1a had its shortcomings, I took some pretty decent photographs with it. Alas, I’m not a fan of Exaktas, because as beautiful as they look, they are too damned fiddly and the left-handed film advance just isn’t for me, not to mention the lack of wide-aperture lenses due to the narrow lens mount opening. But enough about Exakta.
Another post WWII East-German manufacturer, K.W. (Kamera-Werkstatten), became part of the V.E.B. Pentacon group in 1964. So, Praktica is also part of the Pentacon brand, which means that there are Praktica SLRs with the K.W. branding, as well as Contax D, Pentacon and Praktica SLRs under the VEB Pentacon umbrella. Confusing, right? I find it ironic that Zeiss-Ikon (West Germany) put so much energy in to making the Contaflex line of lens-shutter SLRs, while the East German Pentacon made superior focal-plane shutter SLRs with M-42 mount lenses. It’s obvious, in the lens of hindsight, which system has had a greater impact on photography from the 1950s onward. The sheer number of M-42 mount cameras and lenses is impressive, and while many people might not know about Prakticas, they might know about Pentax Spotmatics, which used the M-42 mount. If you have read some of my previous posts about M-42 cameras, you know that I enjoy using them. For one, there are a lot of M-42 SLRs out there that you can still buy for a fraction of their actual value.
A late 1950s Pentacon F SLR
I’ve previously owned several different Prakticas - a Super TL, back in 2001. That model was made between 1968-1975, and has a horizontal cloth focal plane shutter, and only 1/500 sec maximum shutter speed. A Praktica LB2, which has an external selenium meter (discussed here). In 2009, I purchased a late 1950s-made Praktica FX3, which has a waist-level finder. I wish that I’d saved that nice little 50mm Tessar lens from that one. I also tried out a Praktina FX from the early 1950s, which had a special bayonet mount. I currently also own a Pentacon F, made in the late 1950s, that is pretty much the same as a Contax D. That brings me around to discussing this camera, the Praktica MTL3.
The Praktica MTL3 was manufactured from 1978-1984, and features a match-needle stop-down metering display in the viewfinder. Typical for many SLRs of the time, the shutter speeds are B, and 1 sec- 1/1000 sec. The body has a standard ISO hotshoe, self-timer, and front-mounted shutter release which has the metering button nearby. ISO settings are 12-1600. A small triangle on the left side of the viewfinder indicates that you have not cocked the shutter. The MTL3 also features a vertical metal-bladed shutter, which in my opinion, lasts longer than the typical horizontal rubberized cloth shutters used in so many cameras of the time - Minolta, Pentax, Canon, and a slew of other brands, except Nikon.
So, it’s fair to say that while the MTL3 doesn’t have any unique features, it IS a well-made, robust metal-bodied SLR that has an accurate meter (even with a 1.5V alkaline cell replacing the 1.3V mercury cell), and as a fan of the +/- meter display, it’s perfect for someone learning film photography. The shutter IS loud, but I have heard louder. Comparing it to a Pentax Spotmatic is appropriate, since they take the same lenses. The Spotmatic is certainly more sleek and lighter, but the Praktica MTL3 will certainly get the job done. There are some really excellent reviews of this camera online, so I am not going to spend more writing about its features here. Of the different Prakticas that I have used, it’s the one that I would not hesitate to take along on a trip. It’s certainly a more refined camera than a Zenit, and it is also rather attractive. I’m pretty sure that with a couple of different lenses - a wide-angle and a short tele, as well as a nifty-fifty, you could make it your go-to SLR. It’s not flashy, it’s not expensive, but it does operate well, and is easy to use.
Some sample photos from my first outing with the camera. All shot on a roll of expired Kodak Gold 400 rated at ISO 200. Downtown Asheville, NC. Film developed by Ball Photo, and scanned by me on my Epson V700.
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