KW Praktica BC11985

History

VEB Pentacon introduced the Praktica B mount in 1979, marking the Praktica line's transition from the M42 screwmount that had defined the brand since the 1950s. The B mount was a full electronic bayonet with contacts for aperture value transmission from lens to body, enabling open-aperture metering and automatic aperture control in the same manner as Pentax K or Canon FD. This was a significant upgrade: M42 cameras required stop-down metering, which dimmed the viewfinder during exposure measurement and slowed the shooting process.

The BC1 arrived in 1985 as part of the second generation of B-mount bodies. It sat above the more basic B100 in Pentacon's lineup and below the BX20 (1986), which added additional refinements including an improved metering system. The BC1, B100, and BX20 together represent the mature Praktica B system — a coherent lineup with a range of capable lenses from Carl Zeiss Jena and Meyer-Optik.

Production continued through German reunification in 1990 under the successor organisation Pentacon GmbH. By the mid-1990s, competition from Japanese manufacturers had made the Praktica range commercially unviable in Western markets, and production of B-mount cameras wound down. The BC1's successor, the BX20, was among the last significant Praktica models before the Dresden camera industry effectively ended.

Why It Matters

The BC1 is significant as part of the Praktica B system's contribution to the history of East German camera manufacturing. The B mount and its electronic coupling represented a genuine technical achievement from VEB Pentacon, allowing a state-owned enterprise under significant resource constraints to produce a competitive SLR system with features comparable to Western Japanese cameras of the mid-1980s.

For contemporary film photographers, the BC1's primary value is as an affordable entry point into the Praktica B lens catalogue. Carl Zeiss Jena's Pancolar 50/1.8 MC, Flektogon 35/2.4 MC, and Sonnar 135/2.8 MC are all excellent lenses with strong rendering character, and they can be used on the BC1 at full automatic aperture. These lenses are significantly cheaper than equivalent Contax Zeiss or Leica R glass while offering comparable optical quality in many applications.

Lenses & Accessories

Praktica B-mount electronic bayonet. Key lenses:

• Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 MC - standard lens, sharp and contrasty
• Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 MC - wide-angle, well-regarded for close focus
• Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/2.8 MC - portrait telephoto
• Carl Zeiss Jena Vario-Pancolar 35-70mm f/4 MC - standard zoom
• Meyer-Optik Oreston 50mm f/1.8 - alternative standard

Third-party B-mount lenses from Sigma and Tamron were produced in small quantities. M42 lenses can be adapted to B-mount but lose automatic aperture coupling, reverting to stop-down metering.

TTL flash: Metz 45 series with Praktica SCA adaptor, Cullmann flashguns, and Pentacon-branded units with the appropriate hotshoe protocol.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

The BC1 was sold in East Germany and exported to Western Europe and the UK through cut-price channels. It was used primarily by amateur photographers and students seeking an affordable system camera. Its reputation is as a workhorse budget SLR rather than as a tool associated with specific photographers or notable projects.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Praktica BC1 - technical specifications and B-mount system history