Pentacon

VEB Pentacon was an East German camera maker formed in 1964 from the fusion of many companies, among which Kamera Werke and Welta. Originally Pentacon had begun as a model name, the export name of the bodies derivated from the Contax S. The use of the name Contax had been prohibited to the East German company VEB Zeiss Ikon, and they had forged that name from Pentaprism and Contax.

The production of VEB Pentacon essentially concentrated on the Praktica SLRs.

After the end of the soviet block and just before the German Reunification Pentacon got into the hands of the "Treuhand", a state owned company which should privatize all the state-owned companies of East Germany. But, lead by westgerman business people, the Treuhand closed a lot of companies. The first big hit against the East German economy was taken against the Pentacon group. Oct 2nd 1990, one day before the Reunification, Pentacon's liquidation began. The final day of production was June 30th 1991. The company still had 3331 employees. The next day it had just 232 who had to finish liquidation.

Pentacon GmbH (2006)

The only investor who had been interested in saving Pentacon was Heinrich Mandermann, the man who once had saved lens maker Schneider-Kreuznach and was co-founder of camera trader Beroflex. But he waited until the time after liquidation until he bought parts of the company from the Treuhand - of course he got them cheaper then. He got one of the modern Pentacon buildings which once did serve for military production. This part of Pentacon, now the new Pentacon GmbH, is still located in Dresden, and includes a service office for older cameras. But camera production has been outsourced to South Korea. The camera and lens brands represented by the new Pentacon are Praktica, Exakta, and Schneider Dresden. Around 150 people are working there.

35mm SLR, focal plane shutter

Praktiflex

Earlier than Pentacon, see KW.

Praktica FX

• Praktica FX
• Praktica ("Model III")
• Praktica FX 2
• Porst reflex FX 2
• Praktica FX 3
• Praktica F.X 2
• Praktica F.X 3

Praktica IV / V

• Praktica IV
• Praktica IV B
• Praktica IV M
• Praktica IV BM
• Praktica IV F
• Praktica IV FB
• Praktica V F
• Praktica V FB

Praktica nova

• Praktica nova
• Praktica nova B
• Praktica mat
• Pentaflex SL
• Porst reflex FX 3
• Praktica PL nova I
• Hanimex Praktica nova I
• Praktica PL nova I B
• Hanimex Praktica nova I B
• Pentor I B
• Porst FX 4
• Praktica PL electronic
• Praktica PL electronic B
• Praktica super TL
• Hanimex Praktica super TL
• Porst reflex FX 6
• Revueflex SL

Praktica L

• Praktica L
• Praktica LLC
• Praktica LTL
• Praktica LB
• Praktica VLC
• Praktica LTL 3
• Praktica PLC 2/PLC 3
• Praktica L2
• Praktica LB 2
• Praktica VLC 2
• Praktica EE 2
• Praktica DTL 2
• Praktica Super TL
• Praktica TL 3
• Praktica super TL 3
• Praktica MTL 3
• Revueflex TL I
• Revueflex TL 25
• Praktica VLC 3
• Praktica EE 3
• Praktica DTL 3
• Praktica super TL 1000
• Praktica super TL 2
• Praktica super TL 500
• Praktica MTL 5
• Revue ML
• Praktica MTL 5 B
• Praktica MTL 50

Contax S / Pentacon

See Zeiss Ikon Contax S.

Praktina

Earlier than Pentacon, see KW.

Pentacon Super

• Pentacon Super SLR

Praktica B

• Praktica B
• Praktica BX 20
• Praktica BX 10 DX
• Praktica BX 21 DX
• Praktica BX 20s
• Praktica BX 20D
• Praktica BX 20s-ED U-V
• Praktica BXEDH
• Praktica B 200
• Praktica BCX
• Praktica BC 1
• Jenaflex AM 1
• Praktica BC 3
• Praktica B 100
• Praktica BC auto
• Praktica BCA
• Jenaflex AC 1
• Praktica BCS
• Praktica BCC
• Praktica BMS
• Revue BC 2
• Praktica BM

35mm SLR, leaf shutter

Pentina

• Pentina I
• Pentina II
• Pentina II M
• Pentina M
• Pentina FM
• Pentina E

120 SLR

Praktisix / Pentacon Six

• Praktisix - 1 (1957), launched by KW
• Praktisix II (1964)
• Praktisix II A (1966)
• Pentacon Six (1966)
• Pentacon Six TL (1968)
• Hanimex Praktica 66 (version for Hanner Ex- and Import of Australia)
• Pentacon Six TLs (1984 - rare version especially made for making pictures for ID cards, image size 4×4,5cm, version for Tschechoslovakia)

Mandermann's Pentacon GmbH

• Praktica Zoom 801 AF

Links

• Company history at dresdner-kameras.de
• Pentacon page at Collection G. Even's site
• Pentacon Gallery at www.mflenses.com

In French :

• Cameras and user manuals at www.collection-appareils.fr