Praktica FX2

[iangreenhalgh1]

I found this beauty in a local shop and it's in amazing condition, looks like it has hardly ever been used and everything seems fully working, it fires on all shutter speeds and I can't find any pinholes in the shutter curtains. The Tessar that came with it is in perfect shape too.


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[martinsmith99]

Nice find. I like the old Prakticas; I own a Nova, a iv and a Super TL.

How are you liking the finder?

[iangreenhalgh1]

I think the finder is not bad, but the metal is very sharp on the edges.

[iangreenhalgh1]

We had nice light today so I quickly shot a roll through the FX2. To my amazement, everything works perfectly, even the film counter, and I found it really fun to use, taking readings with my old Weston Master II (I remembered how much I love that old thing) and transferring the setting to the camera then taking my time to properly compose the shot. Only thing I wasn't so keen on was the focus screen, hard to tell when you had correct focus, but as i was shooting at f8 and f11 it wasn't a big issue.

I'll post the scans tomorrow, fingers crossed I didn't bugger it up!

Gotta say, for a 60 year old camera, this is a joy to use and I had a lot of fun, been getting a bit bored of shooting with my NEX lately but the session with the FX2 rekindled my enthusiasm!

[skida]

Out of all the SLR cameras I have, I have more fun and get more satisfaction with the Zenit E and Praktica Nova (using Sunny 16 rule) than any of the "higher quality" ones. Looking forward to seeing your first results.

[iangreenhalgh1]

I have the Zenit E and Nova, I like em both, this one has a similar feel.

Here are the results, camera works fine, but my photo skills are somewhat lacking:

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[Attila]

Not bad at all, better processing , fixed holes on curtain will help next time to get more better results.

[iangreenhalgh1]

I'm just pleased the camera works properly and my Weston meter is accurate, I had loads of fun shooting these, it inspires me to try all my other old cameras now.

[skida]

[Orio]

I have the FX2, it's a great camera for street photography.
The only drawback is that the mirror is really noisy. But in a trafficked street it often still goes unnoticed.

[erkie]

Don't you love the feel and heft of real steel ! I have the FX 3. Which is the same camera. Mine is nicknamed the "Rat Trap" for the sound it makes on release . The nice thing is that on a tripod you can just press the release until the mirror releases then wait a second and press a little farther and the shutter will fire . To this day it makes me smile when I use it .

[iangreenhalgh1]

Yes, the FX2 is great for street photography, people just ignore you in a way they don't if they see you with a modern camera, probably they don't realise these old cameras will capture them in just the same clarity. Look at #12, they weren't the slightest bit bothered I was stood right behind them with the FX2.

I agree, the shutter and mirror are both very loud, the mirror makes a 'plop' and the shutter makes a 'clonk', I can understand why the 'rat trap' nickname!

Today I'm going to shoot my new Zorki-6 with Industar 26-M red P, again using the Weston meter as it seems to be pretty accurate from the FX2 results.

[mrken]

very nice camera

[Lloydy]

That's a fine looking camera. Can you use it at waist level with that viewfinder or do you need it closer to the eye ?

[erkie]

On mine for critical focus I flip down the magnifier and hold it about 8-12 inches from my eye then hold it at waist level and use the open finder for composition . Of course on the street I just zone focus and use the open finder for comp only . I'm curious as to how Ian and Orio find it ? It's not a Pentax MX finder brightness wise . And taking a photo in portrait orientation will illicit some funny looks

[iangreenhalgh1]

I have poor eyesight so I found it easier to have it up close to my face, focusing on the screen is very difficult so I also used zone focus, as I was shooting at f8, f11 and f16 as the film was 200ASA and it was very sunny, the dof made up for any focus errors.

[Orio]

[Mos6502]

The FX series is great. I've always wanted one with the auto aperture plunger though. Unfortunately my FX which has worked great for years (and only cost me $1) has suddenly stopped working properly - the mirror does lower all the way. I haven't yet torn into it deep enough to figure out the problem.