Praktica LTL-3

Those of you who are regular visitors to my blog, would probably know by now that i am not a big fun of Prakticas. My first camera was a Practika, the BMS Electronic, which lasted for only five years of relatively good treatment before its shutter became erratic. This erratic shutter is my common experience with all Practika B-series that i've tried (BMS, BX-20, BC1, BCA) and a few MTL's that I've come across in car boot sales and charity shops. Those who have already read my post on the BX-20 (if you can call it "a post") might think that i am determined never-ever to buy a Praktica again. But i suppose i'll always have a soft spot in my heart for those cameras. Which was exactly what made me buy this LTL-3 when i saw it. The price was £2 , it seemed to be working fine and i got for free the Jena Tessar 50 f/2.8 which has sticky aperture blades ...so... what the heck... why not?

From a couple of resources on the Internet, it seems that the LTL-3 was the last of the Prakticas where there was some sort of quality control in place. Production testing became more loose with the next MTL-series and to my experience the quality control was not there anymore with the B-series. The reason behind that had to do with the fact that Praktica, just like any other communist subsidised public company was unable to catch up with the competition in the late 60's. The fact that they stayed with the M42 mount until early 80's, reduced it's client base only to the amateur, casual snapshotters on a limited budget. Just to give you an idea of how outdated this camera was when it went on production, Minolta had the SRT and XE series in production and was preparing the XD/XG series, Canon had the F1, AE-1, Nikon had the Nikorrmat FT-3 and Olympus had the OM-1. The LTL-3 feels more like a camera from the mid-60's rather than the mid-70's.

But this doesn't make it a bad camera per se. It is well made and it carries the universal M42 lens mount, which means that there is a big amount of good quality optics out there in low prices. The chassis and both top and bottom plates are made of metal, which is something that is reflected on the camera's weight. My sample came with a stuck frame counter, i removed the top housing and I was pleasantly surprised by the complete lack of plastic parts. Only metal. The camera seems to have suffered a fall, there is a small nick on the bottom plate which i assume was what caused the frame counter to get stuck. Just like any other Praktica i've used, the shutter and the mirror slap is something out of this world. This is not a stealthy camera, the mirror causes a lot of vibration and noise. But there is something reassuring in the way it sounds, it does sound like a quality shutter if you know what i mean. A nice surprise is the film advance level, so smooth and it takes around 120 degrees to wind the shutter, not like the ridiculous 270 degrees in the Zenit. 

The viewfinder is quite big but there are two issues. First of all it's dark, no fresnel screen in there. Look through a Minolta X-700 viewfinder and then look through the Praktica. You will think you've gone blind. Another thing is the eye piece that is very easy to accidentally touch with your nose. In my case it makes it look smudgy and requires cleaning all the time. If it was a bit more recessed it would have been much better.  

The Praktica LTL-3 uses the good old stop-down light metering. There is a level that you push in in order to close the aperture and get a meter reading. The camera utilises the needle match method, you need to bring the needle visible in the viewfinder, inside a circle that signifies the correct exposure. Another good thing is that a small metal pin is shown in the viewfinder when you need to wind the shutter. Prakticas are also famous for "ergonomically" placing the shutter in front of the camera, just above the self-timer. It takes time to get used to it though, i still sometimes try to reach for the shutter on the top of the camera. Loading the film is soooo easy, just leave it on the spool and it will do the rest, no need for threading. Did i tell you that the LTL-3 uses string and hard felt for light seals? Yeap, no need to fight with the gooey stuff any more.

Conclusion.

This is a camera that stands out on it's own right as a user but cannot be compered with cameras of the same vintage. The only camera that i can really compare it favourably against is the Zenit 12XP. The LTL-3 seems to be a step up, more refined, a bit brighter viewfinder, better film advance and shutter noise, a much smoother shutter release button and a bigger range of shutter speeds. But if you compare it with any other offer from Japan or Germany you immediately realise how much it lugs behind. I think that the Fujica STX-1, which is pretty much in the same league, is a better camera, more refined, more compact, more quite. The Praktica has a working light meter and can accept the Helios 58 f/2  though and that is the main reason why i prefer using it at the moment. But i cannot help thinking that a Fujica ST-series is a much better option if you are out there searching for an M42 camera. If you find it just like i did, for a couple of quids, then yea, why not?

Lasting Impressions

I have sold this camera since. I offered it with the Soligor 35 f/2.8 to make the offer more attractive. Big and heavy, I never got on well with it. As far as i know others do.... so.....