Petri FTE

Petri FTE with Petri C.C auto EE 2.8/35 image by Jörg Krüger (Image rights)

The FTE was made by Petri, it is an SLR for 35mm film with shutter priority automatic exposure and manual mode, bayonet lens mount with breech lock. It was introduced in 1973 as follower of the Petri FT EE (1969-1973) and forerunner of the FA-1 (1975-1977), which are basically the same cameras. The dedicated lenses which are required for the automatic exposure are bearing the designation "EE". Lenses without "EE", e.g. from the Petri FT or FT II which were offered parallel, can be used, but only with stop-down metering.

Operating the film advance lever switches on the exposure meter, after the exposure it will be off again. In the viewfinder is a f-stop scale with red under/over-exposure areas at its ends, a needle indicates the f-stop for the correct exposure. If the aperture ring on the lens is set to EE, the indicated f-stop will be used automatically. The FTE can read out the lens speed, it is displayed in the viewfinder by shifting the red underexposure area along the f-stop scale. If a certain f-stop is chosen on the aperture ring (instead of EE), this will be used, independent from the position of the needle.

You can use every lens you can mount to the camera with stop-down-metering: EE-lenses, not-EE-lenses and lenses with M42-thread, which can be mounted with an adapter Petri provided. The only requirement is, that the aperture can be closed manually. Petri bayonet lenses have an A/M-switch, which has to be set to M. Then you can select shutter speed and f-stop until the needle in the viewfinder matches the red dot beside the "2.8". The A/M switch also allows you a depth-of-field preview.

Like some other Petri camera models the FTE can be found with a very characteristic flaw: on longer shutter speeds the shutter acts like in "B"-mode: it remains open as long the shutter button is pressed down. If the shutter button is released, the set shutter speed runs down and then the shutter closes. This will not happen, if the self-timer is used. The FTE is provided with a camshaft in the bottom, a design which is used instead of the layout of tooth wheels and levers which can be usually found in SLR cameras.

Specifications

• Shutter speeds: 1/2 to 1/500 s and B
• Focal plane shutter, traveling horizontally
• ISO range: 25 to 800
• Hot shoe and PC-socket
• X-sync 1/45 s, between 1/30 and 1/60 on the dial
• TTL-metering with 2 CdS-cells, one on each side of the eyepiece
• Size: 142 x 93 x 88 mm
• Weight: 690 g (body)
• Required battery: 1.3 V mercury 675

The following EE-lenses are available (taken from an instruction manual):

3.5/28, 2.8/35, 1.7/55, 3.8/135, 4/200 and 4.5/85-210