The definitive equipment listing for Prakticas on the internet
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| Shown in the 1978 photokina, the Praktica B200 was a major departure for Pentacon as the M42 screw mount was replaced by a three-claw bayonet mount; but to retain a degree of compatibility M42 lenses can be fitted via an adapter. At the time it was indeed at the cutting edge of camera technology. Of compact size built around an electronically-timed steel shutter, whose blades double as eyepiece blinds at the moment of exposure, it offers aperture-priority automatic exposure when fitted with its own lenses. Although the use of a bayonet mount obviates the need for electric diaphragm indexing and simulation, this system, first used in the LLC, was retained. The maximum X-sync speed of 1/90s is the only mechanically-timed speed, and when the 4.5V PX28 battery is exhausted the shutter automatically defaults to this speed. Even though the viewfinder assembly is fixed, the same metering arrangement as in the VLC was chosen for the B200, with a complex beam-splitter built inside the reflex mirror assembly sending a constant percentage of light to an GaAsP (gallium arsenic phosphide) photodiode housed on the wall of the mirrorbox. The calculated and selected shutter speeds are displayed against a scale in the viewfinder by a row of red LEDs, whose brightness are governed by the actual luminance of the subject to ensure maximum legibility. A Juda's window arrangement also allows the selected aperture setting to be seen in the viewfinder. To the disappointment of many, the PL system for rapid loading, and shutter rundown indicator were deleted from the B200, but it is also the first Pentacon camera produced in large quantities since the Praktina to feature motor-drive capability as standard, with winders supplied by Japanese subcontractors. After the introduction of the B100, it can be said that the B-series has divided into two parallel lines: the B200 was followed by several models with automatic and manual exposure, and the B100 started a line of automatic-only models. The B100 has its electronics somewhat reminiscent of the EE models in the L-series, with CdS sensor and needle pointer instead. In addition there are some rogue models, as well as those sold under the Jenaflex label after Pentacon was bought out by Carl Zeiss Jena in 1985. |
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