Pentacon Praktica Super TL, results

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Pentacon Praktica Super TL. Photograph gallery.

Close up of Elephant Hawk Moth

As my first "proper" camera was a Praktica Nova B, I was looking forward to using this derivative Super TL. I tend to imagine my liking of the marque is somewhat biased, but even so I was pleased with the way this Super TL performed. The shutter clattered through a roll of film returning a complete set of correctly exposed negatives over a wide range of speeds.

Here is an Elephant Hawk moth resting, this is a cropped image, as I was already at the limit of the Oreston's close focus.

Misty morning scene

A shot just out of a misty dawn sun

Beagle Pup light aircraft

A Beagle Pup light aeroplane. The "Pup" dates from 1967, so is contemporary with the Praktica Super TL.

The aeroplane was a decent design and deserved more success than the 150 or so examples built. There are still quite a few soldiering on, this one was photographed in 2014 at Popham airfield.

Steal locomotive, Pacific class 34007

the last steam locomotives in the UK were withdrawn in 1968, the same year the Super TL was introduced. This Pacific No. 34007 "Wadebridge" was built in 1945 and was actually withdrawn from use in October 1965. It is seen at the Watercress Line in Hampshire, some 49 years later in 2014, very much alive and steaming.

Detail of a 1950's Heath and Son's Maritime vernier sextant

Detail of a 1950's Heath and Son's Maritime vernier sextant, I just liked the light coming through the shades.

Providing you find a decent example, there is no reason why any of these solidly built Prakticas can't be used, although fairly weighty they are still very usable.

Dutch Elm

These attractive patterns are left by a boring Bark Beetle, the initial trench beneath the bark is caused when the female bores beneath the bark and lays her eggs. The remaining tracks are caused by the hatchlings as they make their way out into the world in due course. Unfortunately for this Elm some of the beetles carry a fungus which kills the tree, as in this case.

Douglas A4 Skyhawk

First flown in the early 1950s, The Douglas A4 Skyhawk remained in production until 1977, so is a contemporary of the Praktica Super TL, which is why I photographed this rarity at RIAT in July 2022. Sadly the sky was decidedly flat.

Boeing 727

The cloud was more obliging for this elderly Boeing 727. The protoype 727 was fflown in 1963, four years before the appearance of the Praktica Super TL. This example is operated by the UK as part of the oil spill response fleet. Having little residual value, it's not required to be airborne all hours of the day to earn its keep, so makes a good choice.

These days I don't operate the camera with batteries installed, so all exposures are manually judged, a dark yellow filter being employed here to help bring out the clouds.