The Pentacon Electra

No focusing assistance included. Take your best guess.
Post Reply
User avatar
melek
Prolific Poster
Prolific Poster
Posts: 1120
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:04 pm
Contact:

The Pentacon Electra

Post by melek »

Image

Most of us know Pentacon for its series of 35mm SLRs and medium format cameras.

Here's a camera that we don't see much here in the States.

This was a boxy little thing that I picked up several years ago.

I have a much longer writeup on my site.

This is one of the more unusual cameras that I own. It uses non-standard aperture settings, and is part - maybe mostly - point and shoot and part whatever.

I'm using the Agfa Rapid cassettes, which you have to preload with either ISO 50 or 100 speed film. Two AA batteries fit into the base of the camera.

It's funky enough that it's fun to use, but in the meantime its sharp plastic edges cut into your flesh.

There is a Pentacon Electra 2, and I wonder how it differs from this model.

Its Domiplan lens is pretty wild when shot wide open but fine once you stop down. That seems to be true of most lenses.

Image
I think this was in the middle of the aperture range.

Image
This was stopped down and of course at infinity.

Image
Might have been shot wide open or one stop from wide open.

Image
Wide open and probably at a distance of four to five feet. Lots of vignetting and a swirly background. I rather like this shot a lot.
Last edited by melek on Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:41 am, edited 1 time in total.


-Mike Elek
davela
Amateur
Amateur
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:54 pm
Contact:

Re: The Pentacon Electra

Post by davela »

Nice optics for such an inexpensive camera - stylish body too


Bennybee
Enthusiast
Enthusiast
Posts: 492
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:34 am
Contact:

Re: The Pentacon Electra

Post by Bennybee »

davela wrote:Nice optics for such an inexpensive camera - stylish body too
Yes very cool indeed, looks like an old transistor radio with a lens. Not unlike today's camera's that are also a telephone. Or is it the other way around... :?:


Captain Slack
Enthusiast
Enthusiast
Posts: 254
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:07 am
Contact:

Re: The Pentacon Electra

Post by Captain Slack »

Love the one of the dog! Has a Holga-like quality to it, but not as plastic-y.


Jim Evans
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:29 pm
Contact:

Re: The Pentacon Electra

Post by Jim Evans »

I really like the wide open characteristics of the lens. Very cool. You know how many apps there are for phone cameras that try to emulate this?


Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests