The definitive equipment listing for Prakticas on the internet
	Main  |  Camera Bodies  |  Lenses  |  Accessories  |  Photo index  |  Contact Cameras -> Praktica IV/V: Praktica IV Praktica IV B Praktica IV M Praktica IV MB Praktica IV F Praktica IV FB Praktica V F Praktica V FB It was a small but logical step for KW to add a permanently attached pentaprism to its late FX models, thus the Praktica IV was born in 1959; with its exceptionally tall and slender prism housing it has a rather stilted appearance. In addition to its pentaprism, there are also some additional features. While retaining the winding knob, it has an advance lever added to the base plate similar to that in some Kodak Retina models, the rewind clutch button stays in for more convenient rewind, and a crank mechanism is introduced in the rewind knob. A little foot under the mirror housing added the final polish to this very fine machine. The Praktica IV was accompanied by the metered version known as the IVB, in 1962 versions with a split-image rangefinder in the middle of the focussing screen are introduced as IVM and IVBM, and eventially the addition of a fresnel condenser brought about the IVF and IVFB. While the Praktica IV spawned six versions, its successor has only two. The VF and VFB shared the same chassis and the equipment of the IVF and IVFB, but are equipped with the standard logrithmic shutter speed progression except for the omission of 1/15s. It also introduced instant return mirror, and the warning signal in the viewfinder indicating that the film has not been wound. Introduced in 1964 and made for only one year, the Praktica VF and VFB are relatively scarce, but desirable models. Back | Index