C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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slr-35mm
The Praktica B100 (1985) is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera produced by VEB Pentacon in Dresden, East Germany. It sits at the base of the second-generation Praktica B-mount lineup, positioned as the most affordable route into the electronic B-mount system. Where the BC1 offered both aperture-priority and manual exposure control, the B100 is an aperture-priority-only camera: the photographer sets the aperture on the lens and the camera's silicon blue cell TTL meter selects the shutter speed automatically. There is no manual speed override.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The entry point to the Praktica B system: aperture-priority automation in a polycarbonate shell, with access to Carl Zeiss Jena's full B-mount lens range.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm (24x36 mm) |
| Mount | Praktica B bayonet (electronic) |
| Introduced | ~1985 |
| Shutter | Electronic focal-plane: 1s - 1/1000s + B (stepless in Av) |
| Flash sync | 1/100s (X-sync) |
| Meter | Silicon blue cell TTL, open-aperture |
| Exposure | Aperture-priority auto only |
| Viewfinder | Pentaprism |
| Focus | Manual, split-prism + microprism ring |
| Battery | 4x AA (LR6) |
| Mechanical fallback | None |
VEB Pentacon introduced the Praktica B bayonet mount in 1979 with the first B-series bodies, replacing the long-running M42 screwmount that had defined Praktica cameras since the 1950s. The B mount was an electronic bayonet with dedicated contacts for aperture-value transmission, enabling automatic open-aperture metering in a compact and repeatable mount. The transition to B-mount represented a significant engineering investment for the state-owned Dresden factory.
The B100 appeared in 1985 alongside the BC1 and served as the entry-level B-mount body. Its limitation to aperture-priority-only operation was a deliberate market positioning decision: photographers who wanted manual control were directed to the BC1. The B100 targeted the growing segment of amateur photographers who wanted automatic exposure without the complexity of multiple shooting modes.
Production continued through German reunification in 1990 under Pentacon GmbH. By the early 1990s, the Praktica B-mount system faced severe competition from Japanese manufacturers offering autofocus SLRs at similar price points, and production wound down over the following years. The B100 is the most basic B-mount body from VEB Pentacon's mature product period, and surviving examples are common and inexpensive.
The B100's significance lies primarily in what it enables rather than what it is: as the least expensive working entry point into the Praktica B-mount system, it gives photographers access to the full range of Carl Zeiss Jena B-mount optics at minimal body cost. The Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 MC, Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 MC, and Sonnar 135mm f/2.8 MC are optically capable lenses with a distinct East German rendering character, and they function correctly on the B100 in full automatic mode.
For students and budget-conscious film photographers in the mid-1980s Eastern Bloc and Western European export markets, the B100 offered a functional, modern automatic SLR that was markedly cheaper than equivalent Japanese cameras. Its simplicity - aperture-priority and nothing else - also made it genuinely easy to use.
Praktica B-mount electronic bayonet. The full B-mount lens range applies equally to the B100 and BC1:
M42 lenses can be adapted with a B-mount adapter but lose automatic aperture coupling and revert to stop-down metering. Without manual exposure control on the B100, stop-down metering is especially awkward; the B100 is best used with native B-mount lenses.
TTL flash via hotshoe with compatible Pentacon or Metz units.
The B100 was sold in East Germany and exported to Western Europe through Pentacon's distribution network. It was aimed at and used by amateur photographers and students seeking an affordable automatic SLR. No association with specific photographers or notable projects has been documented.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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