Praktica MTL5

Last week I wrote about the Pentax P30T, a last attempt by Pentax at a manual focus SLR from 1990, before moving over to AF and the MZ range. This week I’ve been playing with a Praktica MTL5. Made between 1983 and 1985, in East Germany. It had quite a short run, but was replaced by the near identical MTL5B which had a much longer run. Apparently there were just over half a million made, so not rare by any means! Although they date from the 80’s perhaps not surprisingly in my opinion they have a very 70’s feel to them. Metal, but not with the assured weight of a Spotmatic. Reliable mechanical, but with a light aluminium dryness unlike say a Nikon. Perhaps the best description maybe “one up the chain from a Zenith 11”, with which they were contemporary (1981-1990).

Pretty much all of the control is on the top plate of the camera. Shutter speed is from 1000th down the usual steps to 1 sec, then B, with a flash sync which with this camera is 125th. The ISO setting (no DX here!) in within that dial and calibrates the built in meter. This is a simple – o + and when you’re in the middle on “o” you have the “correct exposure! The meter is activated by squeezing in a small black lever just above the shutter release. It runs from 2 LR44 type batteries – only the meter need them, everything else is mechanical.

The standard “kit” lens supplied was a Carl Zeiss Jenna 50mm, it’s a simple but very effective Tessar design. Widest aperture of f2.8. Under the shutter release is a self timer, they seem to be a little random, and the general conclusion is that it’s about 7 seconds “on average”! There is no little blinking LED here, but then the shutter makes a healthy clunk such that unless you were in the middle of a motorway you’d know when it’s fired! In the centre of the release button is a socket for a standard mechanical release.

Of course I loaded up a roll of film and had a wander around the neighbourhood. This is perhaps the most notable thing about the MTL5/5B the loading, there is an un-usual wire loading system that grabs the film and twists it back on it’s self. I have to say that I always find it very positive and have never had any issue with it. The usual FP4 (Movie) and as is common for me at the moment, FX55, 20 degrees 10 mins, gave the following results.

I’m assuming that my camera hadn’t been used in ages as it was very stiff to start, after half a dozen exposures it got into the swing. It’s one of those cameras that frankly isn’t a joy to use, it’s perfectly functional, one could argue and indeed never need for anything else, but I think when one gets to a certain age, the “joy” of using a “nice” camera is part of the fun. That said the lens is good – as a Tessar it should be!

Once upon a time I used to sell these, I had fun re-acquainting myself with it – I won’t be keeping it, I’ll pass it on, like many of us I have far too many cameras. I can now say it’s film tested!!