Praktica FX3: So what have I got?

[reagan]

While following my sweet wife through several garage sales today, I stumbled onto (and came home with) a Praktica FX3 w/Tessar 2.8~50mm lens. It was pretty grubby, but cleaned up rather nicely and seems to be in decent working order. (I’ve got a roll in it now, so better conclusions can be drawn about that in a couple of days.)

I Googled around a little and came up with some info (along with an RFF thread by Beniliam on Exactas) ~ FX2s are near identical, they were produced in mid to late 50s, found a link to download a photocopied manual of a “similar” model, etc. This one, as others I saw on the web, has the ink stamp on the back cover: “Germany U.S.S.R. Occupied” and has two flash sync’s. It also sports an interesting VF, though it wouldn’t be quick to use, fun just the same. Darn ingenious.

So out of curiosity, I was just wondering if anyone around here has/had one and if they liked/hated it, good pics/bad pics, whatever? The screw mount is M42, right? Any “Beware of…” quirks?

 

[ray_g]

I haven't had a praktica, but I have that lens and it is very nice. Congrats on the find!

 

[Seele]

CVBLZ4,

First of all, the Praktica is not a rangefinder camera so it is definitely very OT but I think I might let you off this time 🙂

Made by the KW company during its second German-owned period (it was first German, then American, then German, then American, and now German again) it's the last model made during the waist-level period of the Praktica which started as the Praktiflex before the war (that's during the first American-owned period). The extra marking on the back of the camera indicates that it was exported to the US, for they were not marked as such when sold in other markets.

While the waist-level finder might seem odd to modern eyes, do not forget that it was in 1949 that the image-erecting pentaprism first came into being offering eye-level, right-way-round viewing; all reflex cameras prior to that were with waist-level finders (with few exceptions). While KW was a late adopter of pentaprism viewing, Carl Zeiss supplied clip-on prisms for these models, and starting from the FX2, the viewfinder hood was redesigned with that curved front, and takes a KW-made prism which fits inside the hood rather than the Zeiss one which sits on top of it.

If you can get on with the shutter speed dial (photographers back then must have darn good eyesight!) and its dual-range design, it is a great camera to use; the advantage of the FX2/FX3 family is that it has the automatic diaphragm activator so that practically all M42 lenses can work correctly.

The FX chassis was later revised to incorporate a fixed pentaprism and becomes the IV/V series; many cognoscenti believes that the IV/V series is the best Prakticas made in the classic period.

 

[reagan]

First of all, the Praktica is not a rangefinder camera

No RF? See, now I knew something wasn't right, but just couldn't put my finger on it. 😱 No wonder it was so cheeeap!

Yep, I knew this was going to be way OT, but just thought I'd wiggle it in anyway. Please forgive.

Thanks Seele for the great info. The history of older cameras makes them all the more fun/desirable to me... I guess I just like tinkering with things that are about my age. It didn't dawn on me that the stamp on the back was in English... thus aimed at US market. I did read somewhere that FX3s were exports and FX2s were the same camera made for domestic. Not sure about that.

Yeah, I'm really pretty impressed with the VF setup. Through the lens allows you to focus up close. That alone opens up new avenues And you're right, I stared at the shutter speed dial for several minutes before finally figuring it out, but it seems to work okay though I'm not sure how accurate the speeds will be.

ray_g, the lens looks pretty clear. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes through it!

Thanks guys! Appreciate the time.

 

[Seele]

Several styles of that "Germany USSR Occupied" markings have been documented, and they were applied by US Customs rather than at the factory, thus in English.

By the way, setting the shutter speed before winding is much easier to do, especially if you need to switch from one speed range to the other; the Contax reflex does that in a somewhat more elegant way though. But it sure took KW a long time to abandon that two-range shutter on the Prakticas although the high-end Praktina had that since day one.

 

[RichardS]

I have two different FX models, but no FX 3. The two cameras I have both say Praktica FX, and they are different because one has two connections for flash and the other has three connections. Both say Made in Germany and both have the letters KW engraved on the top.

I don't remember where or when I got them but I know I used them at least once. That would have been years and years ago. They work but they're not very handy to use.

I also have a Praktica VCL 2 which is a much later camera, probably the 1970s, and which I still used on occasion. I like it because everything is interchangeable, lens, ground glass, hood and maybe other things that I can't think of right now.


Dick

 

[pshinkaw]

I have an original FX model (FX-1?) It came with a 50/3.5 manual stop-down CZJ Tessar. I attempted to try an M42 Isco Westanar semi-auto on it, and found that the stop-down pin jammed in the mount when the lens was screwed in. Apparently the designer of the original FX models did not plan for the later introduction of the M42 stop-down pin. Understandable for the time, but just don't take full compatibility for granted on these cameras.

-Paul

 

[former member]

I had the reverse problem many years ago: The preset CZJ 50mm F2.8 would not go onto the Argus/Cosina without jamming on the aperture actuation linkage of the body. The rear of the lens was inset into the camera, and did not move when banged into. Result was a Jam. I filed the rear of the lens down to so that it did not make contact.

 

[reagan]

"Germany USSR Occupied" markings ... they were applied by US Customs rather than at the factory"

Wonder what that was about? The word "Germany" ENGRAVED on the top wasn't clear enough?

They work but they're not very handy to use.

Right, the few shots I took with it this morning, I found myself "fiddling" with it alot. Thought I might try some closeup shots of something using a tripod.

Mine looks like this one except it's marked FX3 instead of FX2.

Thanks again for the input guys!

 

[doubs43]

I have two different FX models, but no FX 3. The two cameras I have both say Praktica FX, and they are different because one has two connections for flash and the other has three connections. Both say Made in Germany and both have the letters KW engraved on the top.

I don't remember where or when I got them but I know I used them at least once. That would have been years and years ago. They work but they're not very handy to use.

I also have a Praktica VCL 2 which is a much later camera, probably the 1970s, and which I still used on occasion. I like it because everything is interchangeable, lens, ground glass, hood and maybe other things that I can't think of right now.


Dick

Dick, the 3-contact version of your FX models is the newer of the two. The original FX (also sold as a "Praktiflex FX") was introduced in 1955 and had 2 non-standard flash plugs on the base of the camera. Later came the 3-contact model with "X" at the top, "F" on the bottom and the center contact being ground or "earth" to our European friends. The last model of the FX had a standard socket and offered only one for "X" sync. The FX-2 was introduced in 1956 and was the first to have the pentaprism viewing as well as an automatic mechanism to operate the lens iris blades. The FX-3 was the same as the FX-2 except it was sold with a lens designed to work with the iris mechanism. Apparently the FX-2 was sold with lens that required setting the taking aperture first which brings up the question why the camera had an automatic activation mechanism in the first place!

Your newer Praktica is a VLC-2 and shares the interchangeable finders and screens with the Exakta RTL-1000. Unlike the Exakta which only offered a meter in a finder, the VLC-2 will have a built-in meter powered by a PX-21 or 523 size battery giving 4.5 volts. It looks much like a standard AA battery. I have a VLC-2 but the meter isn't working. It's still a nice camera though and I have both the pentaprism and waist-level finders for it. It was made sometime in the 1970's.

Walker

 

[RichardS]

Wonder what that was about? The word "Germany" ENGRAVED on the top wasn't clear enough?

This was at the height of the Cold War when there were court suits over who had the right to use the name Contax on cameras, with different results from courts in West Germany and courts in East Germany, not that this concerned the Contax suits..

But the customs service may have just wanted people to know that they were buying an "enemy" camera or there may have been some restrictions on the import of cameras from East Germany.

Dick