KW Praktina FX -my latest 35mm SLR

[IanG]

An interesting feature of this camera is that it has both TTL viewing (like any SLR) plus a separate viewfinder.

This separate viewfinder idea was used by Alpha as well, and at least one other company (name escapes me) on their early SLRs.

I had the opportunity to look at a KW Praktica FX with a Primoplan lens yesterday and the difference in quality was noticeable - I'm not saying it was badly made, just lighter an less precise, I decided against buying it in favour of this camera because of the Biotar.

Ian

 

[compur]

That's Alpa, not Alpha.

 

[IanG]

That's Alpa, not Alpha.

My mistake, I should know better I worked with a consultant in the mid 1970's who was an adviser to Alpa and Elincrom in Switzerland, both companies were then based in the same former British pre-WWII TB clinic. Tim himself was a grandson of the Lumiere family so had very deep photographic roots.

It's nagging me that I can't think of the third company to use the extra direct finder on an SLR, but there were so many very short lived camera manufacturers. I have a book on Miniature cameras, I think by H.S. Newcombe who wrote for a UK photo magazine but was also a retailer and it's amazing how many companies made full systems and just disappeared as rapidly as they'd appeared. Futura for instance.

Ian

 

[compur]

The Kinoflex had a waist level finder and a direct eye level finder:
02A8 Rectaflex kinoflex

And, the Russian "Sport" had a similar set-up with a sort of chimney reflex finder plus a direct viewfinder.

Sport (camera) - Wikipedia