cameras

Praktica BX 20 SLR Cameras made by Eastern German VEB PENTACON DRESDEN was a dream of almost every amateur of photography behind the Iron Curtain. They were a symbol of much further developed technology than Soviet Union Zenit cameras. The most important was far better quality of the lenses. After 10 years using of Zenit ET (already described on my blog) I bought second hand Praktica BX 20 - a semi automatic SLR camera. I was very happy having much better quality of the photos. I took the camera twice to Scotland. I used it on my Shetland trip. Unfortunately Praktica BX 20 cameras used to have a problems with quality of the components, especially with film tranport gears. I was loosing every 3 - 5 pictures on every 36 pictures film, due to the malfunction of the gear. I stop using that camera when I bought my first Digital camera - a hybrid one, full manual Konica Minolta A1 DiMage.

Some technical specification after Praktica collector page (http://www.praktica-collector.de/235_Praktica_BX20.htm) :

Producer: VEB Pentacon Dresden Betrieb des Kombinates VEB Carl Zeiss Jena
Production period: December 1987 to December 1990
Shutter type: steplessly working electronically controlled vertical-run two-magnet metal-blade focal plane shutter
View finder: fixed eye-level view finder (Pentaprism, field of view: 95%) with field lens with triple rangefinder wedge, truncated microprism screen, groundglass field, 14 red LEDs for shutter speed signalling (right side of the view-finder image) changes their brightness with brightness of the image, on the left side one LED for flash ready signal, one for locked metered value (AEL) and one for exposure compensation (+/-), “cocked/no cocked” signal (orange colour of the aperture setting reflection window)
Film transport / frame counter: single stroke 125° wind-on quick-release lever with 25° stand off position, accepts BX-motor winder, folding crank rewind knob, auto-zeroing frame counter
Self timer: mechanically, approx. 10 sec delay
Metering system: TTL-metering (12 to 3200 ASA)
Exposure times: B, steplessly automatic speeds between 40 sec and 1/1000; manually precise speeds of 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250,1/500, 1/1000; mechanical range 1/100 sec
Lens mount: Praktica-B-mount with EDC (electronic diaphragm control)

Further details: http://www.praktica-collector.de/235_Praktica_BX20.htm

Photo taken from: http://www.collection-appareils.com/pentacon/html/
pentacon_praktica_bx20.php

I would like to introduce my cameras to you. Today is one of my first cameras, and the first reflex one. An old Zenit ET.

Zenit ET (Zenith ET) - Made in USSR by KMZ (Krasnogorskiy Mekhanicheskiy Zavod - Krasnogorsk Mechanical Works). Design of the camera is dated for 1965.

Some specifications:
Zenit ET
Type: Reflex camera
Lens: replaceable, thread M42, originally mounted Lens HELIOS M44 2/58 Aperture: from 2 to 16
Shutter: focal-plane shutter
Shutter times: from 1/30 to 1/500 plus B
Viewfinder: pentagonal prism.
Self-timer: 7 s.
Exposure-meter: external selenium exposure-meter, placed above the lens.
Frame size: 24×36

My comment: In 1997 my mother bought this camera for me from a Russian or Belarussian woman who was visiting us sometimes for selling some things in the markets and bring goods to USSR. It was my first reflex camera, a real one. I took hundreds of photos using it, especially during my trips to Scotland. The camera was exposed to a hard weather and travel conditions during that trips. Finally its chassis started to leak some light, so some of the pictures had a bright smudges (about 10 from 36 pictures on each film). Later another problems appeared whit the shutter springs. I needed to hit camera with a stone or something to make it work. The camera ended on the shelf in my living room as a part of decoration.

Those specification and my comments are also added to the subpage of my blog.