C41
Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →half-frame
The KW Penti II (1961) is a half-frame 35mm camera produced by Kamera-Werk Dresden (KW) - later reorganised under VEB Pentacon - in Dresden, East Germany. It is the direct successor to the original Penti of 1958, retaining the gold-anodized aluminium body, the coupled film-advance-and-shutter-cocking lever, and the Meyer-Optik Domiplan 30/3.5 fixed lens, while adding the camera's primary new feature: a selenium exposure meter.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the half-frame-35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →C41
Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
View profile →BW
Develop half-frame-35mm film
We're growing the lab directory near you. Browse all labs.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The original gold pocket camera gains an eye: the Penti II adds a selenium meter to East Germany's most distinctive half-frame.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | Half-frame 35mm (18x24 mm) |
| Lens | Meyer-Optik Domiplan 30/3.5 |
| Mount | Fixed |
| Year introduced | ~1961 |
| Shutter | Leaf: ~B to 1/125s |
| Meter | Selenium (uncoupled) |
| Exposure | Manual |
| Viewfinder | Optical, no rangefinder |
| Focus | Zone (distance scale) |
| Battery | Not required |
| Frames per 36-exp roll | ~72 |
KW introduced the original Penti in 1958 as a compact half-frame camera with a distinctive anodized aluminium body and no built-in metering - consistent with the assumptions of camera design at the time, where external exposure meters were standard for serious amateur use. The camera sold in East Germany and was exported through Pentacon distribution channels to Western markets during the early 1960s.
The Penti II arrived in approximately 1961, following the reorganisation of KW into the VEB Pentacon structure. The addition of a selenium meter reflected the rapid shift in the consumer camera market toward cameras with built-in metering: the early 1960s saw the widespread adoption of CdS and selenium cells on compacts and SLRs alike, and a camera without any metering aid was becoming commercially disadvantaged in this period.
The Penti II was the final significant development of the Penti series. No Penti III is documented, and the half-frame format occupied a small portion of VEB Pentacon's production output relative to the Praktica SLR range. The Penti II continued in production through the mid-1960s before being discontinued.
The Penti II is the most complete expression of the Penti concept: the distinctive anodized aluminium body and coupled advance lever of the original, now with the metering capability that the 1960s market expected. It represents a pragmatic response to market conditions rather than a technical leap - the underlying camera is essentially the same as the Penti I.
In the half-frame landscape of the early 1960s, the Penti II competed indirectly with the Olympus Pen series, which was achieving significant commercial success in Japan and internationally. The two cameras serve roughly equivalent photographic purposes - compact half-frame shooting for casual and everyday use - but occupy very different aesthetic positions. Where the Olympus Pen was understated and precision-machined, the Penti II is colourful and distinctly European industrial in character.
For collectors, the Penti II is slightly more practical than the original Penti by virtue of the integrated meter, though the meter's use remains informal. Working selenium cells are common on well-stored examples - selenium degrades slowly over decades unless exposed to prolonged strong light.
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →KW Penti II
Image coming soon