KW Pentacon B 2001979

History

VEB Pentacon had produced M42-mount cameras under the Praktica name since the early 1950s, building a reputation for workmanlike mechanical SLRs at accessible price points. By the late 1970s, Japanese manufacturers had decisively moved to electronic bayonet systems -- Canon's FD, Olympus OM, Pentax K-mount -- that supported aperture-priority automation and open-aperture metering without the limitations of the passive M42 screwmount.

Pentacon's response was the Praktica B mount, launched in 1979. The B mount is an electronic bayonet that transmits aperture data from lens to body, enabling the autoexposure and open-aperture metering that M42 could not cleanly support. The B 200 (and its sibling the Praktica B200) were the founding cameras of this system.

The Pentacon B 200 was marketed in parallel with the Praktica B200 in certain export markets, with the Pentacon brand sometimes used for cameras directed at buyers who associated the Pentacon name with the broader VEB Pentacon manufacturing identity rather than the Praktica line. The functional specifications are effectively identical between the two branded variants.

The B-mount system continued through the 1980s with successors including the BC1 (1985) and BX20 (1986), which introduced updated ergonomics and polycarbonate body components. The Pentacon B 200 represents the first generation of this system, retaining the metal-alloy construction of the transition-period body.

Why It Matters

The Pentacon B 200 matters principally as part of the historical moment when East German SLR manufacturing attempted to match Western and Japanese camera design at the level of electronic automation. Launching an entirely new electronic bayonet mount under GDR industrial conditions in 1979 was a substantial engineering commitment.

For contemporary film photographers, the B 200's practical value lies in access to the Praktica B-mount Carl Zeiss Jena lens series -- the Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 MC, Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 MC, and Sonnar 135mm f/2.8 MC are optically well-regarded and typically underpriced relative to equivalent Western glass. The B 200 provides these lenses in their native automatic-coupling configuration, with aperture data transmitted correctly to the body for metering.

The mid-tier positioning of the Pentacon B 200 means it occupies a practical niche: not the cheapest B-mount body (the B100 filled that role), but without the later ergonomic refinements of the BC1 and BX20. It is a working photographer's entry point to the B-mount ecosystem at low cost.

Lenses & Accessories

The Praktica B electronic bayonet is the defining constraint and opportunity of this system. Key native lenses:

• Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 MC - standard lens; high contrast and good central sharpness
• Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 MC - wide-angle; close-focus capability
• Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/2.8 MC - portrait telephoto; smooth background rendering
• Carl Zeiss Jena Aus Jena 28mm f/2.8 MC - wide-angle option
• Carl Zeiss Jena Vario-Pancolar 35-70mm f/4 MC - standard zoom

M42 lenses can be adapted via B-to-M42 adaptor rings, reverting to stopped-down metering. This gives the B 200 access to the large M42 ecosystem as a practical workaround.

TTL flash via the B-mount hotshoe. Compatible with Metz 45-series units via the appropriate SCA adaptor, and with Pentacon/Praktica-branded TTL flash units.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Marketed through Pentacon's export channels in Western Europe alongside the Praktica-branded equivalent, targeting photographers seeking aperture-priority automation at East German price points.
• Used in East Germany and Eastern European markets where the Pentacon brand was recognised independently of the Praktica consumer line.
• Collected today as the founding model of the Praktica B electronic bayonet system.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Praktica B200 - B-mount system history, specifications, and variant coverage