Praktica MTL 3 film camera review

[@thomassonntag8237]

I have an MTL 5b from the mid 80‘s . Very simple and reliable . On holidays I always carry a second Camera (Revue ML) infact built identical by the same East German Company Pentacon in Dresden but to be sold in West Germany exclusively by Revue Quelle. So having both is like using a german heritage product. These cameras can be used without a battery using the Smartphone App as a lightmeter, they work fully mechanical . Something you‘d dream of with a 40 year old Canon AE1…. These japanese cameras were superior but they‘re not going to last.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

I used to have a Revueflex SLR made by cosina. One of my favourites to be honnest !

[@jonbas6]

Dad had one of this since mid 80's, and now that he's passed, I'll keep it!

[@MrAnalogDan12]

Sure ! It has sentimental value

[@Kolibri1337]

The loading mechanism of the Praktica L-series (like all the MTLs) is quite genius, because out of an 36 exp. film I always get at least 38 exposures and sometimes also 39 exposures. And never had any problem loading it. I own two MTL 5B, one LB and an LB2. And also a Revue ML. But the quality of the images is not defined by the Praktica, it's defined by the lenses. And the Pentacon lenses are pretty good, but of course the also East German manufactured Carl Zeiss Jena lenses are way superior. And for medium format I own the big East German brother of the Praktica, the Pentacon six TL, also with Carl Zeiss Jena lenses. These cameras are so simple, pragmatic, minimalistic. I just love that.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

You might like my upcoming video

[@dezmondwhitney1208]

As the MTL5 B was my first 35mm camera, I really had a great time with it and learned a lot about light and composition with it. However it was not long really before the Pentax MX and Nikon FM drew away my attention. I eventually went with the Nikon and sold the Praktica. In my opinion having used all 3 cameras, they were all quite capable. I obtained nice prints and slides with each of them. Thank You for your assessment.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

They are capable cameras indeed.

[@dezmondwhitney1208]

@@MrAnalogDan12Thank You for your informative and also entertaining uploads I have a DSLR. However I have fond memories of B&W printing and the Darkroom. I still have my Yashica 124G Too. Cheers.

[@hamish5214]

That abandoned building... I would've gone in 😎. Could take some interesting pictures with light shining trough those broken glass windows.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

That's for another video. But I won't go in alone for safety reasons.

[@ebullientcookie7572]

Hi sir,Which camera would be better Praktica MTL3 with Pentacon 50mm f 1.7 or Vivitar v3000s with vivitar 50mm f1.8

[@MrAnalogDan12]

Both are fine, so get the one in the best condition.

[@ebullientcookie7572]

Thank you,sir

[@1973sonvis]

I agree to all you said. But nowadays more and more people want to shoot film. And film cameras are becoming a scarce commodity as they are no longer manufactured. So then every camera is cool as long as it it working, even a Praktica. Keep it up! 😊👍🏻

[@MrAnalogDan12]

Definitely ! A working Praktica is better than a faulty Nikon. But i'm always baffled by the price some sellers ask.

[@nevillewatkins4997]

I remember watching this video when you first put it out. I'm only commenting now because I've just picked up a lovely MTL3 for peanuts. I have heard - and I can't vouch for the accuracy of it - that Praktica had mastered the art of plating the plastic top plate, which apparently no other company had mastered. So they did a deal with a Japanese manufacturer to sell them the technology in exchange for more advanced electronics. Hence the later electronic models.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

I would not be surprised if this legend ends up being the truth.

[@mickeyjmoons]

I began a sport photography career in the early 80s with a Praktica MTL3 and 50mm lens photographing rodeos. The MTL3 was robust and reliable with a simple match needle exposure indicator, other than that, completely manual. The sort of camera that made you learn your craft rather than rely on technology.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

They're simple cameras that do the trick !

[@nazahamed5860]

as long as the shutter fires accordingly, film advances as it should (the MTL3 film advance is not as smooth as Nikon or Canon though but it gets the job done) and tonnes of lens to choose, the M42 use to be dirt cheap but since film photography is trending, some models come with a hefty price tags. But as a film photography enthusiast, I like to have and use either Japan made cameras, Russians, China or Germans because each model has its own characteristic.

[@vvjuyu9327]

Thanks...your video adds me some knowledges.. cool...yeah i got 1 of this model..

[@chip9649]

Do colour film work with this camera

[@MrAnalogDan12]

Any camera can use color film. Even a camera from the 1910's. As long as you get color film it will be fine.

[@chip9649]

@@MrAnalogDan12 thank you. Im a novice to cameras. Im going for a 70s look do you think this camera would be suitable for that

[@MrAnalogDan12]

@@chip9649 this is early 1980's. For a quintessential 1970's camera look for a Spotmatic from Pentax or a Fujica ST801. I reviewed both cameras.

[@Hauptsache2Takt]

Did u Shot kodak gold With this Setup and can show some samples pls?

[@MrAnalogDan12]

I used to. It works just fine, and colors are not too saturated.

[@milkyway6080]

What you said is true but a Pentax MX is way more expensive than a Praktica. You can usually find these for cheap, with or without a lens, and I do prefer their metal shutter tbh. And yes, they also look cool. About reliability I don't know. I liked to think it was reliable, then the advance lever got stuck during an holiday last summer, I had to put the roll on my Konica Autoreflex T4 and rely on it. It was an easy, cheap fix and it works fine again now but I guess I can't really trust it. The best mechanical M42 body is probably my Revueflex SC-I (aka Chinon CM-3, CM-1 or AM-3)

[@MrAnalogDan12]

Definitely ! These Chinon and or Cosina Bodies are really built like tanks !

[@francescaizumi7661]

Hi, really enjoyed the vid Which film did you use? thx

[@MrAnalogDan12]

the new Agfaphoto APX 100. Similar to the Kentmere 100

[@WRCzATL]

It's funny to stand there, taking good pictures with a 40-45 year old camera, and repeating how unreliable it is. And then recommending an old AE-1, when their electronics ARE notoriously unreliable at this point. Give me a solid, surviving mechanical camera at this point. Yes, I prefer my Pentax MX, but I also have a fully functional Praktica MTL3 as well. It has long outlived its battery.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

The mechanical ones help up pretty good, but as soon as they introduced some electronics things went south fast. But i disagree about the Canon AE1, these are reliable cameras. The A1 are prone to failure (adressable). Btw, after I shot this video, I had to dissassemble the 50mm lens to fix the diaphragm, it got stuck wide open.

[@WRCzATL]

@@MrAnalogDan12 I've read a lot of stories of '70s & '80s electronic cameras failing, including AE-1s. It's just a matter of time. One of my three ME Supers has bitten the dust that way.

[@sputumtube]

There's nothing wrong with Praktica cameras. They work just as well as more expensive Nikons, Canons etc. The photograph is made by the photographer, not the camera.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

they had this undeniable feature : Their low price. These cameras allowed people to get a decent SLR camera without breaking the bank.

[@mjdegrey4843]

Sorry. I have to take issue with your comments on build quality. For the price, these cameras were excellent. Yes they were/are very basic. But they were the best bang for the buck that you could get. What do you need in order to learn about photography? A camera that works, with a decent lens. That's it. Everything else is just windows dressing.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

I actually agree with you. They WERE the best bang for the buck that you could get. But times have changed. Many sellers are now asking crazy prices for these cameras, sometimes more than what you'd have paid for them brand new back in the day. A lot of Prakticas I see for sale nowadays have issues, wether it's a damaged prism, unresponsive light meter or jammed mechanics.

[@mjdegrey4843]

@@MrAnalogDan12 I'm forced to agree with you on prices. I still say Prakitica SLRS are great pieces of kit. Either an MTL3/5/5B or a Pentax K1000 are bomb proof.

[@Diggnuts]

There is a lot of difference between these series. The old curtain shutter series are really robust and the worst thing that happens to them is needing a new curtain. The L series are tanks. After that it got worst. The MTL5 is the worst of them. The B series is so-so. I have them all, often in duplicate, so I have some experience with these.

[@MrAnalogDan12]

What I learned was that the Quality Control was sometimes not conducted properly. That might explain why some people have cameras that work fine and others have cameras that were faulty from the get-go. As an example, the two Prakticas I reviewed were working perfectely.

[@Diggnuts]

@@MrAnalogDan12 That is true and there were some corners cut as well. I have a LTL right now that is mechanically perfect, but the way the prism assembly and the silver layer on it is constructed just goes bad over time. Luckily there is a way to modify a better prism assembly to fit in there. Best of the bunch in my experience is the Super TL2. And from the earlier cloth shutter variety the Nova 1B is very well constructed and the glue still holds up.