Praktica experts wanted

Fichte · 2009-01-19T16:18:55+00:00

Hallo, ich fotografiere seit Jahren mit 2 Praktica VLC2. Ich habe dieser Tage mit einer uralt Praktica Nova (mit Tuchverschluss) hantiert. Dabei ist mir auf...

Fichte

Hello, I’ve been taking photos with two Praktica VLC2s for years. I’ve been fiddling about with an ancient Praktica Nova (with a cloth shutter) recently. I’ve noticed that the camera seems to feel more stable in my hand when I press the shutter release. If that’s really the case, does it have a noticeable effect on the image? Does anyone have any experience with this? Best regards, Jens

Urnes

Hello, I’ve been taking photos with two Praktica VLC2s for years. I’ve been fiddling around with an ancient Praktica Nova (with a cloth shutter) recently. I’ve noticed that the camera seems to feel more stable in my hand when I press the shutter. If that’s really the case, does it have a noticeable effect on the image? Does anyone have any experience with this? Best regards, Jens

Hello Jens, that’s less to do with the shutter and more to do with the mirror slap. Of course, the metal shutter is louder. The vibrations caused by the mirror slap become noticeable from around 1/4 of a second and then stop sometime beyond a second. You’ll have to try it out to see whether the images show slight motion blur or not. It might, but it might not. Neither model has a mirror lock-up, though. Regards, Sven.

Fichte

Hi Sven, Perhaps it’s neither the shutter nor the mirror that makes the camera seem a bit shaky. With older cameras, you stop down the lens before actually taking the shot. With the ‘L’ Prakticas, everything happens in one go without you being able to intervene in any way. That might well be the cause. So, thanks. Best regards, Jens

Fichte

Hello, For anyone who’s still interested: My suspicion has been confirmed. The Nova cameras, which are about 50 years old, produce sharper results for me than the L-Prakticas. It might simply be down to the weight of the older cameras. Unlike the L models, the older cameras are made entirely of metal and are consequently quite heavy. Or perhaps it’s the shutter release. The L-Prakticas don’t really have a shutter release button to speak of, apart from the basic version without an exposure meter. Regards, Jens