The Pentacon Six is a

single-lens reflex In photography, a single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a type of camera that uses a mirror and prism system to allow photographers to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. SLRs became the dominant design for professional a ...

(SLR)

medium format Medium format has traditionally referred to a film format in photography and the related cameras and equipment that use film. Nowadays, the term applies to film and digital cameras that record images on media larger than the used in 35&n ...

camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

system made by

East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

manufacturer

Pentacon Pentacon is the company name of a camera manufacturer in Dresden, Germany. The name Pentacon is derived from the brand Contax of Zeiss Ikon Kamerawerke in Dresden and Pentagon, as a Pentaprism for Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras was for ...

from 1966 to 1992. The Six accepts lenses with the Pentacon Six mount, a breech-lock

bayonet mount A bayonet mount (mainly as a method of mechanical attachment, such as fitting a lens to a camera using a matching lens mount) or bayonet connector (for electrical use) is a fastening mechanism consisting of a cylindrical male side with one ...

History

Praktisix

The Praktisix was manufactured by Kamera Werkstätten (KW). It is a 6×6 SLR modelled on contemporary 35 mm SLRs. It was followed by the Praktisix II and Praktisix IIA, all with minor, relatively cosmetic changes. They all have rather poor reliability, including poor frame spacing.

Pentacon Six

In 1959 Kamera Werkstätten became VEB Kamera and KinoWerke Dresden. In 1964 they became VEB Pentacon and in 1970, Kombinat VEB Pentacon. With the unification of the East German photographic industry the Praktisix was modified to become the Pentacon Six. Frame spacing was improved through the use of a roller with teeth that is turned by the film as it advances; when the correct length of film has advanced, the mechanism disengages. When the TTL-metered prism was introduced, the letters 'TL' were added to the name plate but no other changes were made to the camera body. The Pentacon Six was imported into the U.S. as the Hanimex Praktica 66 by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n distributor Hanimex. This was to get around U.S. laws prohibiting direct imports from communist countries. The Pentacon Six TLs is a version modified to shoot 4×4.5 cm frames for photo IDs.

Exakta 66

The Exakta 66 is based on the Pentacon Six but was made in West Germany by Exakta GmbH,

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. The body is rubber coated, the film advance lever moves through a shorter angle, and it has a TTL-metered prism coupled to new Schneider lenses. The Exakta 66 is not to be confused with several earlier cameras with nearly exactly the same name. These Exakta 6x6 cameras were produced by

Ihagee Ihagee was a camera manufacturer based in Dresden, Germany. Its best-known product was the Exakta single-lens reflex camera. History Johan Steenbergen, a Dutchman, founded a camera company called ''Industrie- und Handelsgesellschaft'' in Dresd ...

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, in the pre-war years and with interruptions until 1954.

Viewfinders

The Praktisix and Pentacon Six come with a simple

waist-level finder The waist-level finder (WLF), also called waist-level viewfinder (WLVF), is a type of viewfinder that can be used on twin lens and single lens reflex cameras. While it is typically found on older medium format cameras, some newer and/or 35 mm ...

with a flip-up cover. A non-metered prism was available for the Pentacon Six, with a TTL-metered prism produced later. A third-party adaptor allows the metered prism from the Kiev 60 (which is based externally on the Pentacon Six) to be attached to most Pentacon Sixes and Exakta 66's. It is brighter, shows more of the view, and is available new. The same adaptor also allows the Kiev 60 waist-level finder to be used. This finder is reportedly inspired by the one found on

Rolleiflex Rolleiflex is a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werke. History The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of med ...

TLR cameras TLR may refer to: Biology *Toll-like receptors, proteins of the immune system *Tonic labyrinthine reflex, in newborn humans Travel *Suzuki TL1000R motorcycle *The IATA airport code for Mefford Field, California, USA *The ICAO airline code for Ai ...

and is also better than the original Pentacon finder.

References

External links

The Pentacon Six System
by TRA
Pentacon Six
at camerapedia.org * {{usurped,

} at Commie Cameras

Praktisix Story
by Coopiecat JAPAN Single-lens reflex cameras 120 film cameras