Pentacon Orestegon Kodak 200
A small photo tour at Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon, France, to test the Pentacon lens 2.8/29 mm (former Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestegon) with a color film Kodak 200.
The lens was mounted on my Pentacon Praktica VLC3 SLR camera body equipped with its waist-level finder and the squared focusing screen. The 24-exposure Kodak 200 was exposed for 200 ISO using the camera reading or the indication of my Minolta Autometer III with a 10° finder for selective measurement.
La Grande Île, November 7, 2022
Parc de la Tête d'Or
69006 Lyon
France
About the lens:
The Pentacon Auto 1:2.8 f=29mm is the former Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestegon 2.8/29mm lens (zeissikonveb.de/start/objektive/wechselobjektive-1960er/m...) conceived in the sixties and integrated in the VEB Pentacon Dresden, Germany, in the seventies. It has still a diaphragm ring "zebra" but the focusing ring of this series is more influenced by the Japanese production of that time.
About the camera:
The Praktica VLC is of the 3rd generation (VLC3, 1978-1981) and was manufactured by "VEB Pentacon" (formally Zeiss-Ikon) in Dresden, Germany. It came with orignal Pentacon accessories including, a shade hood for its normal lens Pentacon "electric Multi-coated" 1:1,8 f=50mm, a waist finder, a straight magnification finder, and the regular pentaprism. There are also 6 different focusing screens, the Pentacon hot shoe for a flash, lens and body caps, and a Praktica ever-ready case.
The camera has a CdS photometric circuitry powered by an unusual 4.5V battery that I replaced by a set of 3 LR44 alkaline batteries in series. As the ASAHI PENTAX Spomatic SP, the bridge circuit is insensitive to the voltage difference. To be independent of the finders, the cell is functioning behind the mirror as in the Topcon Super D or the Miranda Auto Sensorex EE.
This Praktica operates at full aperture using an electrical transmission of the aperture using 3 contacts on the M42 lens mount. It could however operates any non electric M42 lenses at real aperture too by acting on the rotary switch at the top left. As for the other Praktica of the L series the shutter is made of vertical steel curtains making the X-flash synchro at about 1/125 s.
Overall Pentacon produced 85 000 Praktica VLC between 1974 and 1981 among about 3 millions of Praktica "L" (LLC MTL TL L etc).
Pentacon Orestegon Kodak 200
A small photo tour at Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon, France, to test the Pentacon lens 2.8/29 mm (former Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestegon) with a color film Kodak 200.
The lens was mounted on my Pentacon Praktica VLC3 SLR camera body equipped with its waist-level finder and the squared focusing screen. The 24-exposure Kodak 200 was exposed for 200 ISO using the camera reading or the indication of my Minolta Autometer III with a 10° finder for selective measurement.
La Grande Île, November 7, 2022
Parc de la Tête d'Or
69006 Lyon
France
About the lens:
The Pentacon Auto 1:2.8 f=29mm is the former Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestegon 2.8/29mm lens (zeissikonveb.de/start/objektive/wechselobjektive-1960er/m...) conceived in the sixties and integrated in the VEB Pentacon Dresden, Germany, in the seventies. It has still a diaphragm ring "zebra" but the focusing ring of this series is more influenced by the Japanese production of that time.
About the camera:
The Praktica VLC is of the 3rd generation (VLC3, 1978-1981) and was manufactured by "VEB Pentacon" (formally Zeiss-Ikon) in Dresden, Germany. It came with orignal Pentacon accessories including, a shade hood for its normal lens Pentacon "electric Multi-coated" 1:1,8 f=50mm, a waist finder, a straight magnification finder, and the regular pentaprism. There are also 6 different focusing screens, the Pentacon hot shoe for a flash, lens and body caps, and a Praktica ever-ready case.
The camera has a CdS photometric circuitry powered by an unusual 4.5V battery that I replaced by a set of 3 LR44 alkaline batteries in series. As the ASAHI PENTAX Spomatic SP, the bridge circuit is insensitive to the voltage difference. To be independent of the finders, the cell is functioning behind the mirror as in the Topcon Super D or the Miranda Auto Sensorex EE.
This Praktica operates at full aperture using an electrical transmission of the aperture using 3 contacts on the M42 lens mount. It could however operates any non electric M42 lenses at real aperture too by acting on the rotary switch at the top left. As for the other Praktica of the L series the shutter is made of vertical steel curtains making the X-flash synchro at about 1/125 s.
Overall Pentacon produced 85 000 Praktica VLC between 1974 and 1981 among about 3 millions of Praktica "L" (LLC MTL TL L etc).