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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The Praktica BC2 was introduced in 1986 by VEB Pentacon (operating under the KW - Kamera-Werk - legacy) as a refinement of the Praktica BC1. It retained the Praktica B bayonet mount introduced with the BC series and offered both aperture-priority automatic exposure and manual control. The BC2 represented a late-era attempt by East German camera manufacturing to remain competitive with Japanese mid-range SLRs through incremental improvements in ergonomics and build finish, while holding compatibility with the existing B-mount lens ecosystem. Production took place in Dresden.
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
East German SLR refining the BC1 with improved ergonomics and retained B-mount glass compatibility.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Praktica B |
| Years | 1986 – ~1990 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/1000s + B, electronic horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | Center-weighted silicon |
| EV range | ~EV 2 – EV 18 |
| Modes | Aperture-priority + manual |
| Weight | ~490 g |
| Battery | 2x AA |
VEB Pentacon introduced the Praktica B mount in 1979 with the Praktica B200, replacing the long-lived M42 screw thread that had been the foundation of the Praktica system since the postwar era. The B mount was a bayonet system designed for electronic lens communication, enabling automatic aperture control from the camera body - a feature that simplified AE operation compared to the stop-down metering required with M42 lenses. The BC series (BC1 in ~1984, BC2 in 1986) represented a mid-range consumer tier within the B-mount lineup. The BC2 refined the BC1's control layout and reportedly improved viewfinder brightness, though the underlying electronics and shutter mechanism changed little.
Production ended around 1990 as German reunification collapsed the East German state manufacturing apparatus. VEB Pentacon was wound down; the Praktica brand was eventually sold and continued under western ownership, but the Dresden-era camera line effectively ended with reunification.
The BC2 is primarily of interest as a late product of East German camera manufacturing, a tradition that had produced influential cameras from the prewar KW Praktiflex through the Contax S (the first pentaprism SLR) and the long Praktica M42 line. By 1986 that tradition was in its final years, squeezed by Japanese manufacturers on quality and cost. The B-mount system itself was technically sound - the electronic aperture coupling was ahead of many contemporaries - but the system never achieved the lens ecosystem breadth of Nikon F or Canon FD.
For collectors, BC2 bodies are inexpensive and largely ignored, which makes them a low-cost entry point into the B-mount lens system. The Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 bundled with many BC-series bodies is a capable standard lens with some following among portrait shooters.
The Praktica B mount is a bayonet with electronic contacts for aperture control from the body. Key lenses:
M42 lenses can be adapted with a simple ring adapter, though AE function is lost and stop-down metering is required.
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.
View profile →Praktica BC2
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