| Author |
Message |
    
Peter
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 05:39 pm: | 
|
I have an old Praktina FX-2 on which everything works but is sticky/dirty/slow.It is a user camera, not for display, can anyone tell me how to take the top/bottom covers off and get to the shutter for lube? Thank you. |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 06:30 pm: |
|
There is a Praktina FX, and there is a Praktica FX2.... they are quite different cameras. I can help you with the PraktiNa, but not with the PraktiCa.
: ) = |
Peter
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 06:43 pm: |
|
Great! I have the Praktina FX, second version (dual flash contacts, springloaded aperature Tessar 50mmf2.8. Help, please! The camera took great photos last spring, and wandering around downtown actually using the little dinosaur was a great way to meet people! |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 07:28 pm: |
|
If it is a Praktica F.X 2 it is very simple. My first camera modification was done forty years ago. I put a F.X 2 top and waist level finder on a 1VF - wanted the bottom position lever wind but waist level finder for macro work. As I just took the thing apart and it all went back, it must have been easy. Have the beast in front of me now as I write, mint and still working after a lot of use.
Top is taken off by removing all the screws and lifting the bits. Use common sense and just keep going until everything is off. Screws for the baseplate are under the leatherette on the 1VF and I assume the F.X 2 is the same, as only difference between the two models was the lever wind and pentaprism finder on 1VF. The top plate assembly I fitted was provided gratis by the UK distributor of VEB Pentacon, I was the usual penniless student at the time. They said as my mods sounded interesting they would like to help.
On the 1VF the tripod bush is in a raised alloy disc at rewind end, you have to remove the plastic insert to get at the screws. This is obvious because the leatherette goes under the alloy disc - so disc has to be removed to get at the covering. Just look carefully how covering is fitted around tripod bush etc and it will be obvious what has to come off. |
Peter
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 07:42 pm: |
|
I am afraid there is a misunderstang here. I bought the camera in 1971 New Old Stock. The owners manual refers to it as a Praktina FX-II. This is the second version of the Praktina FX, with dual flash contacts and the ability to use lenses with the spring-loaded aperature. It has the auxilliary viewfinder to the left of the prism, the body-mounted breech lock bayonet lens mount, the tiny little prism housing which releases below the lens mount, and the motor drive point (and, in fact, the spring powered motor as well!) Please help me clean and lube my little beast! |
Peter
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 08:29 pm: |
|
Sorry. It is the FX-A. I was going on memory. |
Joe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 08:34 pm: |
|
Just to get us all on the same page, we're talking the PRAKTINA FX-A? Right? |
Peter
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 08:42 pm: |
|
Right. PRAKTINA FX-A. 50mmf2.8 Tessar. Shutter "squeeks" on winding, curtains do not travel all the way when fired, left curtain drags about 1/8" when cocking, self timer drags. Camera worked fine last spring, sat for 10 months with the shutter cocked (stupid-stupid-stupid...)HELP! PraktiNa FX-A.
At least the spring motor still works! |
rick
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 09:21 pm: |
|
sketches are en route to your email address (hope it's real; if it isn't, email me for them)
: ) = |
Joe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 07:27 am: |
|
and a bonus tutorial on the Praktica FX2. all is good  |
Jan Dvorak
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 05:22 pm: |
|
Joe,
Just to add to the discusion - there were two Praktina models; an FX and a IIa. If yours was purchased as 'new old stock' in 1971, it would be a Praktina IIa, there never was an FX-A.
The difference between the FX and the IIa was the way the auto aperture system functioned. The lenses were physically interchangeable, but an auto-aperture FX lens on the IIa would have to be used in stopped down mode, and vice versa.
The Praktina IIa was a superb camera and extremely well made for an East German product. Rumours in the late 1960's were that KW had to stop production because some of the breech lock lens system patents were held by Canon at the time.
All the best,
Jan |
Biff
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 05:36 pm: |
|
cording to this there is an FX-A
http://www.praktina.com/r24camed.htm |
biff
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 05:42 pm: |
|
here too http://www.praktica-collector.de/109_Praktina_FX_A_T1.htm |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 06:35 pm: |
|
I would be very careful with sites like those. It is like the Zorki 1 and its various 'marks'. I suspect that somewhere down the line some collector or expert has identified the various modifications made to the basic FX and put them into groups. The real question to be answered is did the Factory use A, B, C and D in official literature. I suspect not, but stand to be corrected.
Things like this happen time and time again, respected authors just repeat 'facts and specifications', because another noted authority mentioned it in his last tome. Unfortunately the internet has a far greater proportion of this garbage than the printed page. |
biff
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 07:07 pm: |
|
i'm pretty sure only tru stuff can be put on the internet |
Jan Dvorak
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 08:49 pm: |
|
Glenn is correct. There never was an FX-A factory designation. The owner of the above site, who is a Praktina collector, identified the variations himself, by giving them the A, B etc. suffixes.
Unfortunately, I am of an age that allowed me to use the Praktina in the late 1960's, it was my first SLR when I still lived in Prague. During those times I followed camera design quite closely and can quote even more useless information...
A perfect example of a collector making his own variations is Dr. Dechert of the Canon rangefinder fame. In order to identify the many variations of Canon rangefinders made during the 1950's, he came up with abbreviations that the factory never knew about.....
Even more interesting - the curent Canon Museum adopted Dr. Dechert's ID system on their internet site and now it seems that it was the factory who came up with the different suffixes. This is how myths are born.
A little bit off the subject; this information will definitely not help Peter to fix his camera, but I had some time on my hands......
Cheers,
Jan |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 06:28 am: |
|
Jan,
Once again you prove the value of 'I was there'
Biff,
If you follow that belief you are in for a very rude awakening. As this usually happens when it is something important/life altering, I would start to question some of the internet content - especially on private/personal sites.
Glenn |
USMC-VietVet
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 06:35 am: |
|
Another oldtimer here, I worked in a chicago camera store in the late 50sand early 60s as akid. the A was a semi-official designation used in the retail end the diff being stop-down or SEMI-automatic ap capabilty. I say semi-official because the official distributor, Specialty NY, used it. but that's just typical SNAFU if you ever worked for a big corp, the factory didn't have to sell tehm did they? nice cameras that sold poorly. stopped making them in mid 60s and he bought his in 71 sounds about right. that spring drive was cool though. |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 10:29 am: |
|
hey, there's only tru stuff on MY site.... |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 11:13 am: |
|
Sorry Rick should have said 'present company excepted'. If practical photographic help sites publish rubbish, they will soon get rubbished themselves and anyway the worst sites have nothing to do with cameras/photography.( More worryingly they give false information to sick/disturbed people.) I have no problem with Canon using Dr. Dechert's ID scheme or people identifying the FX marks by A,B,C etc, as long as it is known that this is not Factory terminology. If the FX suddenly becomes a valuable asset, we will be seeing fakes engraved with A,B,C etc. There are some very weird Zorki 1 on the market, and I do not mean the Leica fakes. |
USMC-VietVet
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 12:32 pm: |
|
forgot this. i agree with glenn that people can make up their own nomenclature but when i looked at those cites i noticed that one of them was using A to mean 1st as in A,B,C but the A was used by stores to mean Automatic even though the lenses were onl semi-automatic. the semis came 2nd so it really confuses things. also i meant to ad that i remeber that in the USA praktinas ran into the problem that the were stamped GERMANY on them and not EAST GERMANY or GDR DDR and this got them in hot water with hte feds, customs, ftc, somebody. you hafta remember this was the height of the cold war, building the berlin wall, sputnik, cuban missles,etc. people wouild really get upset if they unkowngly bpught a COMMIE camera specially in chicago with a large east euro emigre population. this is all pre-1964 becasue by then i accepted lyndon johnson's invite for a world tour. i'll bet there are still some parktinas in the basements of some midwest camera shops because there us distributor sucked and was definately undercapitalized so if they ever do become valuable there are some mint ones out there. |
biff
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 02:18 pm: |
|
well when i finally get my money from that nigerian bank transfer we'll see who's laughing then. internet on dude |
Glenn middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 03:01 pm: |
|
Sorry Biff, did I miss a wry sense of humour in your 'tru stuff' post? I'm still waiting for approx $350 million from a bank manager who seems to have had customers who died in every plane crash in the last 12 years. |
Robert
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 04:50 pm: |
|
Any idiot can have a Web site - I used to have 3!!! |
Biff
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 05:54 pm: |
|
Glenn, "wry" would be overstating it, most people call it "lame" ;0
p.s. i'm starting to worry about that transfer
AND I'm completely up to date on Praktina arcana thanks to you, Jan, and USMC. |
NilsHolgersSon
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 03:50 am: |
|
Confusing, all this. Very confusing. |
LewisCarrol
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 04:15 am: |
|
I have heard of people who were desparately looking for spares for a special type of camera they owned, then instead found it was officially nonexisting because some enthusiast had wilfully mixed up bottom plates, top caps, nameplares, plastic ornaments and so on because he wanted sth unique. The net is ful of weirdos, right? |
Joe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 08:49 am: |
|
>The net is ful of weirdos, right?
Ahem, a ... present company excluded |
rick
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 08:05 pm: |
|
wow. this must be the longest thread on this forum. and i thought praktina repair was kind of esoteric......
: ) = |
Marco
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 09:21 pm: |
|
It`s almost midnight on this Sunday, I'm ready to go to bed, bit anxious awaiting a tense week I`m afraid. All of a sudden, before closing for the night come across this innocent-looking thread. Draws my interest (i have a couple of Praktinas awaiting attention somewhere) and start reading, intent on taking notes. Five minutes later all tension is gone, I am now in a great mood, have had more than one good laughter, peak as I picture Nils writing his short comment.
Thanks everyone for such great sense of humour. Fantastic community, taking good care of both cameras and aficionados. |
Peter Lewis
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 09:45 pm: |
|
Wowwwww.....
This thread seems to have taken on a life of it's own! By the way, THANKS, RICK! For two things- the sketches were great, and I finally know someone whose handwriting is worse than mine! Are you a doctor? No, I could still understand it...
Anyway, I don't mean to add another 30 posts (What's the record, by the way?) but can anyone tell me where I can find shutter curtains? And leather covering which has the emblem embossed in the back? Since I'm goung to de-gunk the little beast, I might as well.
This was my first serious camera. I was 16, and saving up for my first motorcycle when I went to Kansas City with my father. While he was busy in an office, I wandered and found myself in a never-found-again camera store where I proceeded to drool all over the displays of beauty. When the store owner found that the Sensorex was my favorite because of it's style and reputation for strength, (but I couldn't afford it) (Actually, I couldn't afford ANY of his cameras!) he disappeared, yes, into the basement. When he reappeared, he had a Praktina FX and two boxes. He asked me what I thought of it. It was love... so small, so quiet, so wierd. I bought it, the spring drive, and a 100mm lens that was stolen later which I don't remember too well. Total, with a case, a couple of books, some film and some filters was $50.00 even!
I DO remember the local high-school hotshot with his Nikon laughing at my little oddball buddy... until we compared 11x14s. For edge-to-edge sharpness and contrast,, my Tessar kicked Nikkor butt. And it was so nice to use...this Praktina has always just...felt "right".
But I digress. Sorry. Just call me Dr. Frankenstein, for the Beast shall live again! |
Peter
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 10:00 pm: |
|
By the way, just got an e-mail estimate on a CLA and curtain repair...$224.95! HAHAHAHA! I could buy one that's had all that from a store I trust for less than $100.00, but it wouldn't be my little beast! |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 08:10 am: |
|
If only we could have those basement trips today. Sadly, the basement stock has either been chucked in a skip or has a price tag ending in four or five noughts and is being hawked about the fairs circuit! |
Michael Linn
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 07:39 pm: |
|
Uh, Peter, could you PM me with your stand up source for a Praktina with curtain repair etc. from a store you trust for less than $100. I don't mind if it's not my own little beast- I have my own that I've done that repair on.... I don't even mind which Praktina model it is.... I'm willing to pay shipping from wherever... |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 10, 2006 - 10:39 am: |
|
The Thread that Wouldn't Die.........
My favorite material for shutter curtains for these is rubberized darkroom curtain fabric. I have gotten one bad piece of it though, not properly vulcanized or something, so it pays to buy it in person rather than by click. Micro-Tools has some curtain material as well. I have been unimpressed with some of theirs too, I'm afraid; in particular don't buy their clever red curtain stock, which is not at all light tight and not suitable for shutters. I think I'd be a little ticked if I had restored a red curtain Leica with that stuff.....
I can spare a bit of material; if you have trouble finding it, drop me an email
: ) = |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 10, 2006 - 10:41 am: |
|
oh, yeah...
for the leather, i use 1.5-2.0 ounce morocco grain pigskin from tandy leather. like all natural things it varies a bit from hide to hide, but a good piece is a near perfect match for the zeiss/pentacon/kw leather. |
Peter Lewis
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 12:31 pm: |
|
Thanks, Rick!
Man, this is a thread for memories...I didn't know Tandy was still around! I made my first pair of mocassin boots from one of their kits... the principal told me I couldn't wear them in school, and when I went to get them from his office at the end of the day, they'd dissappeared!
I staked out his house for weeks... |
Peter Lewis
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 06:13 pm: |
|
If anyone is interested in Eastern European camera sales and repair bargains, I just sent this e-mail to Michael Linn. How does a CLA and curtain replacement for $100.00 with warranty sound?
Hello again!
Sorry it took me so long. The dealer is Dr. Gejza Dunay in Slovokia. His e-mail address is [email protected] He is on e-bay as Cupog, with a USA address for payment if you wish to pay via money order, as I do. I just bought another Praktina FX (CLA'd) for $97.00, plus $20.00 for shipping. If you google "cupog" you will find that he has an excellent reputation for quality and integrity. He will also CLA and replace the curtains (on a Praktina, at least) for $100.00, TOTAL including return shipping!
If you send him an e-mail, he communicates well, although time-zone delays are sometimes a pain. I hope you will do business with him- quality and integrity deserve our support!
Peter |
simon
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 07, 2006 - 10:14 am: |
|
have a Praktica IV that the viewfinder (pentaprism) very dirty and slow shutters not work that need cleaning and repairing, for it's hard to find people to repair Prakticas in Hong Kong therefore I wish to do it myself then I need to remove top plate on it. could someone kindly teach me how to remove the top plate in detail? Thank you very much! |
Bill Jensen
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 10:25 pm: |
|
I recently acquired a very nice Praktiflex FX with a CZ tessar 2.8 50. The fast shutter speeds are ok by sight and sound, but the slow speeds need help. I can't figure out how to remove the speed dial so the top cover can be removed.
The other parts come off as expected. I usually can get the slow speeds working if I can get to the mechanism. Thanks for some anticipated advice and suggestions. |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 05:27 pm: |
|
Bill,
As I said in my original post, I just kept unscrewing. First remove slothead screw in center of speed range selector dial and lift off dial. You will now see two small slots in the inner edge of the dial with the speeds engraved on it. You have to make a key to fit the slots and allow you to unscrew dial. NOTE, the outer edges of slots are angled. The easiest way to make a key is to take a cheap screwdriver or driver bit and with a Dremel cutting disc, make a slot to clear the range selection shaft and put slight chamfer on outer edges of tip. Hold lift-up ring and unscrew dial.
I do not know where the slow speed escapement is located - if you listen carefully when you set the slow range it appears to be under the bottom plate. However when the slow speeds actually run, the sound appears to be under the top plate.
As my IVF based FX special has never needed stripping down that far, I cannot give you an accurate pointer.
Glenn. |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 05:43 pm: |
|
PS. Should have mentioned for those that do not know, the Praktiflex FX was the export version of the Praktica FX. As Praktica F.X and F.X 2 were sold in UK I suspect that Praktiflex version was meant for US market only. However as my knowledge of Praktica history is hazy at best, I stand to be corrected. |
