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.
View profile →slr-35mm
The Praktica BMS is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera produced by VEB Pentacon in Dresden, East Germany, introduced around 1984. It belongs to the Praktica B series - the family of bodies built around the Praktica B bayonet mount, introduced in the late 1970s as a replacement for the long-running M42 screw-thread system. The BMS sits in the mid-tier of the B series alongside the BC1 and BC2, offering aperture-priority autoexposure and manual metering via a CdS TTL meter.
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.
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 →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
A 1984 mid-tier East German B-mount SLR with a refined CdS TTL meter and aperture-priority automation.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm (24x36 mm) |
| Mount | Praktica B (bayonet, electronic contacts) |
| Introduced | ~1984 |
| Shutter | Electronic horizontal cloth focal-plane: 1s - 1/1000s + B |
| Flash sync | ~1/100s (PC socket + hot shoe) |
| Meter | TTL CdS, open-aperture |
| Exposure modes | Aperture-priority auto, manual |
| ISO range | 25 - 1600 |
| Viewfinder | Eye-level pentaprism |
| Focus | Manual, split-prism + microprism collar + matte |
| Battery | 2x AA (required for all operation) |
VEB Pentacon introduced the Praktica B mount around 1979 with the B200, its first body to replace M42 with a bayonet. The mount incorporated electronic contacts to communicate aperture data from lens to body, enabling aperture-priority automation without stopped-down metering - a capability that M42 could not support without mechanical coupling workarounds.
The B series expanded through the early 1980s across several price tiers: the B100 and BC1 as entry and mid-range models, the BC2 as a refinement of the mid-tier, and the BX10 and BX20 as upper-tier bodies with broader automation. The BMS was introduced in approximately 1984 as a mid-tier variant characterised by its CdS metering cell, which preceded the transition to silicon blue-cell sensors adopted in the BCS and BX-series.
Production of B-series bodies continued until the GDR's dissolution in 1989-1990. VEB Pentacon's camera operations wound down rapidly during the period of German reunification, and brief attempts to sustain Praktica production under successor organisations did not restore commercial viability.
The BMS is primarily of interest as a mid-stage document in the evolution of the Praktica B series - sitting between the early BC1/BC2 and the later silicon-cell BCS and BX models. The use of a CdS sensor links it to the long tradition of CdS metering in the Praktica MTL range, while the B bayonet mount and electronic aperture coupling represent the factory's forward-looking direction. For collectors tracing the full arc of B-series development, the BMS occupies a specific transitional position.
For working photographers, the BMS offers access to the Praktica B lens ecosystem - particularly the Pentacon 50/1.8 MC standard lens - at very low cost. The aperture-priority mode is practical for everyday shooting; the manual mode works well with an external meter if the built-in CdS cell has drifted. The electronic shutter's battery dependency is the primary practical limitation.
The Praktica B bayonet mount accepts all B-mount lenses produced by VEB Pentacon and associated manufacturers. Electronic aperture coupling functions correctly with native B-mount glass only; M42 adapters reduce the camera to stopped-down manual operation.
Primary B-mount options:
Dedicated Praktica B-mount flashguns and TTL flash adapters (Metz SCA system) exist; check BMS-specific compatibility before purchase.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →C41
Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →