Firstly, hats off to you for taking the time to repair this lowly Praktica. They're great cameras, but most people wouldn't bother going to the effort that you have done. Secondly, I thought your use of well lit, close up stills to show what you were doing was a very good idea. I've watched others taking cameras apart, and often it's hard to determine exactly what they are doing, and results in my trying to pause at the right spot to figure it out. I shall look forward to your further postings, and I'm sure you'll get some great images courtesy of the 2.8 Tessar.
The Praktica L with an F2.8 Tessar was my first 'proper' SLR, and the first camera I earned money with ... ooooo fifty years ago ... so it has a special place for me 🙂 Glad you like the 'stills' presentation ... it's fun to produce. Ash
@@ashsphotolounge Likewise, my first proper camera was a Praktica MTL3 with the same lens, and that was around 44 years ago. It was 2nd hand, I still have it, it still works, and all I've ever done to it is change the battery. I love it's simplicity, the position of the shutter button, a loud mirror slap, and string light seals.
Hi Ash, long time, no hear. I hope you're in fine fettle. I'm sure there's a whole bunch of people missing your regular vlogs and that I'm not the only one. T'would be good to hear from you - or at least, learn that you're well. Atb
Years ago i received a top tip about removing those small aluminium cover plates with no damage. It sounds a bit weird but here it goes. first you glue on with a contact cement like bison tix a long flathead screw. then you put the camera in an oven set on 50 degrees Celsius. the aluminiun cover will then sag out of its place because of the weight of the screw. the screw then can be removed from the cover plate with no damage at all on the plate. in the same oven time you soften up the glue that holds the faux leather so if needed you can peel that off to right then without damage.
@@ashsphotoloungewell its just for a few minutes you’ll have it in there and you are taking it apart anyway for repair. So it seems like an ideal chance to clean and lubricate the internal mechanics anyway. And the electronics are fine at 50 degrees. Praktica’s don’t have a lot of it to start with and if it got cooked as soon as it is 50 degrees you couldn’t even solder the contacts. I would be more carefull with more complex cameras for sure.
Nice video, but I have a problem with shutter speed/ISO dial. I bought cheap MTL 50 and the ISO dial numbers were hidden below, also the shutter speed plate was missing. I could figure out the shutter speed but with ISO was tricky. But I also figured out that ISO100 light meter works at shuter speed 1/2 but doesn't at 1sec. ISO1600 , light meter works at 1/30 but doesn't at 1/15. So I wanted to fix the plate, I teared it apart and now no matter how I put it back together the light meter works at any ISO. Everytklhing seems to be wrong with ISO. Any tips how to figure it out and assembly it? Thanks
Hello, I purchased a Praktica LLC. Sadly shortly after the purchase it broke: the mirror stays up and everytime I crank the lever to max (like so far until the shutter should be cocked) it seems like it automatically fires (it only sounds like it does. when switching the exposure times the sound changes) but the shutter doesn’t open. Also when I crank the shutter, the shutter metal plates move half up, but when it ,,shoots,, it slowly sinks down again. The camera worked before, it all happened after I used the self exposure! When I looked trough some video to get some help I found none. But I saw that you have a identical Praktica LLC like I have so I thought you could maybe help me? Sorry for my bad englisch. Greetings from Germany.
Firstly, hats off to you for taking the time to repair this lowly Praktica. They're great cameras, but most people wouldn't bother going to the effort that you have done. Secondly, I thought your use of well lit, close up stills to show what you were doing was a very good idea. I've watched others taking cameras apart, and often it's hard to determine exactly what they are doing, and results in my trying to pause at the right spot to figure it out.
I shall look forward to your further postings, and I'm sure you'll get some great images courtesy of the 2.8 Tessar.
The Praktica L with an F2.8 Tessar was my first 'proper' SLR, and the first camera I earned money with ... ooooo fifty years ago ... so it has a special place for me 🙂
Glad you like the 'stills' presentation ... it's fun to produce.
Ash
@@ashsphotolounge Likewise, my first proper camera was a Praktica MTL3 with the same lens, and that was around 44 years ago. It was 2nd hand, I still have it, it still works, and all I've ever done to it is change the battery.
I love it's simplicity, the position of the shutter button, a loud mirror slap, and string light seals.
Thanks just the inspiration and instruction I was looking for. Just paid £10 for 2 Prakticas of unknown quality expecting delivery next week!
Glad to have helped ... they are quite straight forward to tinker with and fix really.
Hi Ash, long time, no hear. I hope you're in fine fettle. I'm sure there's a whole bunch of people missing your regular vlogs and that I'm not the only one. T'would be good to hear from you - or at least, learn that you're well. Atb
Years ago i received a top tip about removing those small aluminium cover plates with no damage. It sounds a bit weird but here it goes. first you glue on with a contact cement like bison tix a long flathead screw. then you put the camera in an oven set on 50 degrees Celsius. the aluminiun cover will then sag out of its place because of the weight of the screw. the screw then can be removed from the cover plate with no damage at all on the plate. in the same oven time you soften up the glue that holds the faux leather so if needed you can peel that off to right then without damage.
I would be dubious about 50 degrees C not cooking the electrics and melting any grease out of the vital internal bits
@@ashsphotoloungewell its just for a few minutes you’ll have it in there and you are taking it apart anyway for repair. So it seems like an ideal chance to clean and lubricate the internal mechanics anyway. And the electronics are fine at 50 degrees. Praktica’s don’t have a lot of it to start with and if it got cooked as soon as it is 50 degrees you couldn’t even solder the contacts. I would be more carefull with more complex cameras for sure.
Hopefully you will repair some more Prakticas and show us how it is done.l have several none working ones.
Nice video, but I have a problem with shutter speed/ISO dial. I bought cheap MTL 50 and the ISO dial numbers were hidden below, also the shutter speed plate was missing. I could figure out the shutter speed but with ISO was tricky. But I also figured out that ISO100 light meter works at shuter speed 1/2 but doesn't at 1sec. ISO1600 , light meter works at 1/30 but doesn't at 1/15.
So I wanted to fix the plate, I teared it apart and now no matter how I put it back together the light meter works at any ISO. Everytklhing seems to be wrong with ISO. Any tips how to figure it out and assembly it? Thanks
Nice job Ash 👍
Hello, I purchased a Praktica LLC. Sadly shortly after the purchase it broke: the mirror stays up and everytime I crank the lever to max (like so far until the shutter should be cocked) it seems like it automatically fires (it only sounds like it does. when switching the exposure times the sound changes) but the shutter doesn’t open. Also when I crank the shutter, the shutter metal plates move half up, but when it ,,shoots,, it slowly sinks down again.
The camera worked before, it all happened after I used the self exposure!
When I looked trough some video to get some help I found none. But I saw that you have a identical Praktica LLC like I have so I thought you could maybe help me?
Sorry for my bad englisch. Greetings from Germany.
@@LeHe-ww7ik let me have a bit of a think about your issue
@@ashsphotolounge thank you!
I have sn MTL3. My first SLR and my youngest camera by 20 years. I enjoy using it.
excellent :-)
it is prAltica, not praktIca.