East German lens appreciation thread

Mos6502 · 2026-02-12T00:51:23-0800

And of course, the universal CZJ Tessar 2.8/50, an early silver barrel, fully manual version in this case.

cabriolet by Berang Berang, on Flickr

47000008 by Berang Berang, on Flickr

wall by Berang Berang, on Flickr

Sanug · 2026-02-12T04:35:50-0800

Mos6502 said:
I suppose I shall start with the humble Pentacon 3.5/30, an unusual lens, and an unusually good lens!

The Pentacon 3.5/30 is the same lens as the well known Meyer Lydith. The Meyer Optics Plant in Görlitz had been integrated into the VEB Pentacon. Afterwards all Meyer lenses had been renamed Pentacon.

Another fantastic lens is the Meyer Orestor 2.8/100mm.

Praktica MTL 5
Meyer Orestor 2.8/100
Adox HR-50
Silver Gelatine Print

Valkir1987 · 2026-02-12T09:50:07-0800

santino said:
Mine (EE2) seems to expose correctly but the shutter speeds displayed in the viewfinder are erratic. Is it possible to calibrate the displayed shutter speed?

Yes it is possible. First you need to make sure to have the right battery. A real PX-21 or 14500 3.7V Lithium Battery or rechargeable equivalent. A battery adapter with three LR44 batteries won't work properly. They deliver the demanded voltage but not the required current this circuit draws. Thi

On each side of the camera is a rubber strip, underneath are four screws that hold the plastic front panel of the camera. When removed, you see a printed circuit board. On the right side of the board are three trimpots. You need the top two, R10 and R13. Mark their starting position (with a sharp pencil) before you change the value.

More information can be found here. The link underneath contains the original schematic.

Praktica EE2 een begin...

https://manuals.sterremuur.nl/Photo/Praktica/Praktica-EE2_RFE_1977-15s.pdf

Dayrell bishop · 2026-02-12T10:22:23-0800

Meyer optic orestor 100mm f 2.8 , in

the garden.

ChrisPlatt · 2026-02-12T10:52:14-0800

On a related note:

I own a Prakticar 35/2.4 (Flektogon) lens that I'd love to try using.
Which Praktica bayonet mount camera body is the most reliable?

TIA,
Chris

Valkir1987 · 2026-02-12T10:58:10-0800

ChrisPlatt said:
On a related note:

I own a Prakticar 35/2.4 (Flektogon) lens that I'd love to try using.
Which Praktica bayonet mount camera body is the most reliable?

TIA,
Chris

The B100 with the old style dotted covering. It has the most reliable electronics, as described below. The BX-20 has a more reliable shutter, but a weaker winding mechanism that needs to be used with care.

Vom Vorreiter zum Hinterherläufer | zeissikonveb.de

p.giannakis · 2026-02-12T11:00:29-0800

ChrisPlatt said:
On a related note:

I own a Prakticar 35/2.4 (Flektogon) lens that I'd love to try using.
Which Praktica bayonet mount camera body is the most reliable?

TIA,
Chris

I would say the B200/100 but they are getting old now. Another suggestion would be the latest BX20s as they tend to be newer. You have to keep the contacts clean otherwise the LED lights flash like a Christmas tree. Biggest issues with the B line are dead shutter capacitors.

Valkir1987 · 2026-02-12T11:33:27-0800

p.giannakis said:
I would say the B200/100 but they are getting old now. Another suggestion would be the latest BX20s as they tend to be newer. You have to keep the contacts clean otherwise the LED lights flash like a Christmas tree. Biggest issues with the B line are dead shutter capacitors.

I've repaired lot of B series cameras, even have stock of nos parts, but haven't had any dead capacitors yet. They can 'leak' when they get older and cause shortcuts. Maybe I'm just lucky.

santino · 2026-02-12T12:03:51-0800

In my experience the B200/B100 are the most reliable (even though they are the oldest). As far as I know, those models had their micro chips from NEC, the later B models not.

Valkir1987 · 2026-02-12T12:53:38-0800

Posted this more often, one of my personal favorites. Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 2.0 on the Exakta VX500, Fuji Provia 100f

das · 2026-02-12T12:57:53-0800

santino said:
In my experience the B200/B100 are the most reliable (even though they are the oldest). As far as I know, those models had their micro chips from NEC, the later B models not.

My BC1 has been great. Except for that electronics issue on the bottom of the camera where it breaks sufficient contact somehow. It's in the shop for it. 🙂

p.giannakis · 2026-02-12T13:16:21-0800

Valkir1987 said:
I've repaired lot of B series cameras, even have stock of nos parts, but haven't had any dead capacitors yet. They can 'leak' when they get older and cause shortcuts. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Bought a BMS from new back in the early 90s. Started having issues with the shutter 5 years later. By that point there was no official importer in Greece as Praktica had pulled the plug. The repair person told me that he had plenty of these with capacitor issues and that it didn't worth repairing.
Personally, I wouldn't know for sure if they were the capacitors or not - I just took his word for it.

valdas · 2026-02-12T13:49:45-0800

Zeiss Jena Flektogon 20/2.8, HP Plus:

valdas · 2026-02-12T13:52:17-0800

valdas said:
Although it is a lens appreciation thread, I'd like to praise this machine - in my eyes this is the best ever SLR made in East Germany. And of course, Zeiss Jena Distagon 20/2.8 goes well with this camera...
Well, it sits in one of my bags unused from 2022, I need to go out and shoot shoot shoot...

View attachment 4887404

my bad, that was Flektogon, of course, not Distagon...

johnf04 · 2026-02-12T15:57:28-0800

Taken with a Praktica MTL3 with its standard Pentacon 50mm lens, with a yellow filter.

julio1fer · 2026-02-12T18:59:56-0800

Sonnar 135mm, taken with Exakta VXII.

East German lens appreciation thread

Mos6502

Well-known

Sanug

Well-known

Valkir1987

Well-known

Dayrell bishop

Well-known

ChrisPlatt

Thread Killer

Valkir1987

Well-known

p.giannakis

Pan Giannakis

Valkir1987

Well-known

santino

FSU gear head

Valkir1987

Well-known

das

Well-known

p.giannakis

Pan Giannakis

valdas

Veteran

valdas

Veteran

johnf04

Well-known

julio1fer

Well-known

Similar threads