Made between 1980 to 1984 by Pentacon.

Technical info

Lens mount: M42
Shutter: 1/1000s to 1s + B
Light meter: Through the lens, center weighted (ISO 12 - 1600)
Battery: One PX625 (1.3v mercury)
Flash: Flash hot shoe (sync 1/125 sec)
Weight: 550g

Takes standard 135 film
24×36 mm negative size.



Viewfinder:

Little bit small but I would say okay size and the brightness is one of the better that I have seen on the Praktica series.
Not as bright as the best Nikon or Pentax from the same time but still good.

Info:
Right side has a match needle info for the light meter.

Focus aid:
Split screen and Microprism


Shutter type:

Focal plane
Vertical metal blade.

All mechanical.


Build quality:

These are very well made and has a all metal body plus a very reliable metal bladed shutter.

Look, feel and sound:
Simple and boxy look, maybe not the best looker but still okay.
Overall it has a nice and solid, shutter knob have nice and distinct steps.
The film advance lever feels however a bit stiff and mechanically.
It is also a quite noisy one.




Usability:

Can be a very usable one for those that's looking for a reliable and all manual camera.
But has no features more than a hot shoe and a light meter.
And the light meter takes a 1.3v mercury battery which is not very common for a camera from 1980.
Have not been able to test if it can use and get a correct reading with today's 1.5v replacement battery.
But it is a all mechanical camera so it can be used without a battery.

This camera also feel fairly good in your hands and it is logical how you operate it.



Conclusion:

It was a bit of a surprise when I read that this camera came out in 1980.
And this shows quite well that improvement from model to model was not exactly huge from Pentacon.
This has the exact same body as the Praktica MTL 3 which came out two years earlier.
But this has a brighter viewfinder and a better focus aid system.
They also removed the PC-sync and the Self-timer.
Go back to the 1970 and you find the Praktica LTL.
And this is still almost the exact same camera as the Super LT1000.

Overlooking that this was maybe a bit outdated when it came out.
It is still quite a nice camera and these are very reliable so it will very likely work for many years to come.
They are also found very cheap today which is always a nice plus.


Thumbs up:
Great build quality
Reliable
Viewfinder
Value for the money

Thumbs down:
Mercury battery for the light meter.
No mirror lock or equivalent.
No self-timer.