KW Praktica TL 31975

History

VEB Pentacon consolidated the Praktica brand from KW following the nationalisation of the East German camera industry in the early 1950s. The Praktica L series, launched in 1969, introduced a vertical metal shutter and a modern body layout that would persist across the line for more than a decade. Through the early to mid-1970s, Pentacon systematically built out the L-series range: the basic L and L2, the LLC with open-aperture coupling, the LTL and LTL3 with TTL metering, and the TL series as a mid-range metered option.

The TL 3 arrived around 1975, consolidating TTL metering in a body positioned between the entry-level unmetered models and the fully refined MTL variants. It was exported widely under the Praktica name and, in some markets, under retailer house brands. In the UK it appeared through Dixons and specialist photographic chains; in continental Europe it was sold through state-run photographic distributors.

The MTL 3, introduced in 1978, effectively superseded the TL 3 with an improved metering circuit and refined ergonomics, though the two bodies are mechanically similar and share the same shutter unit.

Why It Matters

The Praktica TL 3 represents a distinct moment in East German camera production: the point at which TTL metering became standardised across the mid-range Praktica line, making accurate exposure accessible to photographers who could not afford Western alternatives. Exported in large numbers during the mid-to-late 1970s, TL 3 bodies were the introduction to SLR photography for a generation of European students and amateur photographers.

Today the TL 3 is frequently overlooked in favour of its more celebrated MTL siblings, making it genuinely underpriced on the used market. For M42 lens users, a working TL 3 offers a fully mechanical shutter that operates with a dead battery and accepts the same magnificent Zeiss Jena and Meyer-Optik glass as any other Praktica L-series body.

Lenses & Accessories

The M42 mount is the TL 3's primary asset. Recommended native glass: Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50/1.8 (multicoated later production), Flektogon 35/2.4, Sonnar 135/3.5; Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50/1.8, Trioplan 100/2.8, Orestor 135/2.8. Any M42 lens from Pentax (Super-Takumar, SMC Takumar), Fujinon, Vivitar, Tokina, or Cosina is directly compatible.

Accessories: standard M42 extension tubes for close-up work, bellows attachments, cable releases (standard thread), and PC-socket-compatible flash units. The TL 3 does not have a hot shoe - an accessory shoe adapter is required for flash mounting.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Sold widely to student and amateur photographers in the UK, West Germany, and the Netherlands during the mid-to-late 1970s as a budget-entry TTL SLR.
• Appeared in East German photographic society publications as a standard recommended body for club-level work through the late 1970s.
• Popular today among M42 system builders seeking an inexpensive, fully mechanical body for Zeiss Jena or Meyer-Optik lenses.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Praktica TL3