Practika MTL 50 light meter woes.

[MTHall]

My MTL 50 since last year, has had an irritating habit, when using the light meter after a week or so's `rest', only the bottom led lights. If you operate the shutter speed or film speed controls back and forth a few times, it kicks back into life. Just a little niggle like that and the use of a western master V, plus a certain lazy streak and I didn't worry over much. But now the darker evenings are setting in and TV's full of the usual rubbish it was out with the watchmakers set and a dead MTL50 body. I quickly found the `on/off' switch next to the battery, under that plastic panel held by a single screw, next to the battery and cleaned it with some methylated spirit. But I wasn't convinced this contact was the real culprit, although it works perfectly well, for now! under the bottom cover, next to this contact are two variable resistance sliders, connected to the shutter speed control and film speed control, a spot of switch cleaning fluid on these while operating these controls might permanent fix the malady methinks?

A caution to those who wish to follow this!!! adjacent to the on/off contacts are three screw like adjusters (NO they're NOT screws and don't try tightening them!!) Only those who do know what they are doing and have the right kit should touch these, NOT those who think they know, right??

[iangreenhalgh1]

The light meters in these Prakticas are very unreliable, they often fail. It's not just Prakticas, many 70s SLRs have dodgy meters.

[MTHall]

iangreenhalgh1, it is true that their reliability is at risk, they are after all at least 25 years old and a quarter of a century can be unkind to the best of kit. I remember when in the mid seventies, no-one wielding a Practika or Zenit would ever be taken as a`serious' amateur photographer and derision and scorn would greet them if they sort to try. Even today, the humble Zenit is looked down upon, whatever its condition. But if you ignore all that, you'll find that they're a tough old beast, that can take pretty good exposures under the hardiest of conditions. Zenits are idiot proof, like an AK47. Practikas less so, as they're the next level up in refinement, but the number that have survived still functioning is testament to their quality manufacture. It is a mistake to view Zenits and Practikas as cheap imports from the eastern bloc, on their home turf they were expensive and highly regarded. Exports were for currency exchange for foreign currency exchange, just like their motorcycles and cars, hence their deflated price.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Sure, I own several Prakticas and Zenits, they are good cameras. I'm just saying, the electronics were not reliable. The Selenium cells on Zenits usually still work though.

[skida]

I have two MTL50s and wasn't sure whether or not to trust the meters, so I shot some using the meter and some using "sunny 16". No real difference in the outcome so maybe I am lucky with these. I also have 6 or 7 Zenit bodies, each with a problem and have given up on that brand of body.

[MTHall]

I have a couple of Zenits, one is a sixties 3M that works fine, but is stuck with a Helios 2/58 (Lieca type tread), the other is a Moskow Olympics Zenit E, it also works fine, they don't get used at all, the 3M has a non return mirror system common in old 35mm SLR's and neither have auto iris. I don't doubt that they would produce a good photo and I do like a basic camera, but these are a little too basic. The Practika on the other hand, is nice to use and has a couple of CZ lense to play with, plus an old (but nice) Fuji zoom, I also have a fair selection of M42 lenses accumulated over the years.

Why has no-one corrected me on my spelling of Practika? I've just noticed that on the camera front is says Praktica!! ooops!

[philslizzy]

I just sold all my Praktica and Zenits, every one of them had issues, in my opinion the best thing about them were the lenses. Yeah I had a Zenith B with a 3.5 industar back in 1974, my first SLR. It cost about £22. So much more convenient than the kiev with its viewfinders and rangefinder focusing.

But what an awful beast too, sticky shutter, light-box flare, no slow speeds. The Prakticas were luxury compared, but way out my budget. I bought an Exakta RTL1000 basically a bayonet fitting Praktica with metering head. Now that was a nice camera.

Every Praktica that has passed thru my hands in the last few years has always had a dead meter. Well done you for fixing it.

[Fishchip]

My first 35mm, acquired a few months ago, was/is a Praktica MTL3. The lightmeter on this one too has issues; I did manage to fix it briefly with a solder but it's conked out again and I'm sausage-fingered enough that I don't want to try it again with its related burns. I have a Chinon CE-5 now that I snap happily away with, but I should say what attracted me to the Praktica in the first place is its reputation for indestructability (apart from, obviously, the lightmeter =P). I'm in the navy and there's just something appealing about bringing a super-rugged 35mm on deployments to take pictures with, and leave my 'fancy' CE-5 at home or at least in my locker. To that end I'm trying to stay more with M42 lenses that I can use on the Chinon with an adapter.

The CE-5's lightmeter is quite functional and is helping me learn to judge light situations for when I have to go naked with the Praktica. Yeah, I'm fairly a novice to photography in general. =)

[Lloydy]

Martin, if you like the MTL 50 and want a very nice one, all working - I've just put batteries in it and the meter is fine, I have one that is just about mint that I might let go. I'd throw in a virtually unmarked but jammed solid MTL5 with it.
I wasn't planning on selling it, but if you want one to use then it's better than sitting on shelf here.

[philslizzy]

[MTHall]

Worked for me too, until I was bought a Leningrad 4 and technology began to rule from then on. To think it all began with a simple wooden box................

[Excalibur]

[buerokratiehasser]

Light meter is nice if works
if not use digicam
P&S unless nokia or jaytech or whatever
are more reliable anyway
(they calculate from all bits of the liveview sensor)

Only problem is - it's a hassle, it's slow, and you may have framing issues

[exaklaus]

Well, I've sold a few hundreds of Prakticas!!! Most of them with lightmeters still alive! Did not test if working 100% accurate. But most were well alive!
Many electronics of old cameras died after 20-30 years. Prakticas weren't so much worser than other camera models. So my experience. And I really don't like the L-Prakticas, but the cameras were made pretty good...
The engineers in former GDR were absolutly good but had to live with the problems caused by shortage economy of socialism.
Sometimes, they had no chance to get things going within their possibilities. No money, no resources ....Like for the TTL flash measuring. So patents were was sold to Olympus, guess many know the Olympus TTL flash measuring? Not many know today that this was developed by the Praktica Pentacon engineers.

Were (and why???) did I start? Don't care...

Klaus

[Basilisk]

I have just bought a MTL5 with a selection of pentacon and CZJ lenses in spotless mint condition. I have a lightmeter app on my iPhone, and it seems to agree pretty closely with the meter on the camera - even though the battery could have been in the camera for years!
The MTL5 seems to have been in production exactly 30 years ago, but I am struggling to see any real difference from the MTL3 that I learnt to shoot with (apart from the classy leatherette finish!).
So much history in these chunks of technology. They seem to be pretty much lifted from the Pentax Spotmatic of the 60s, but what more do you need? We got by pretty well without programme modes.
By the late 80s with the big boys introducing autofocus, Prakticas were doomed. The late B series bodies were ugly anyway, and like the DDR, time was running out.

Just handling one of these bodies takes me back to touring Berlin as the wall was being demolished back in '89 - makes me feel old.

[exaklaus]

[Basilisk]

[exaklaus]

I used the B-Prakticas for some years with very good success.
From the B Praktica, I switched to digital.
Klaus