C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Pentacon Six TL (1968) is a 6x6 medium-format SLR built by VEB Pentacon in Dresden, East Germany. The "TL" designation distinguishes it from earlier Pentacon Six variants by the addition of a TTL (through-the-lens) CdS metering prism finder. The body is fully mechanical with a cloth focal-plane shutter; the TTL meter is in the optional prism finder rather than the body, and the camera operates completely without batteries when fitted with the standard waist-level finder. The P6 (Pentacon Six) lens mount accepts a wide range of Carl Zeiss-Jena optics - Biometar 80/2.8, Flektogon 50/4, Sonnar 180/2.8 - that were manufactured in East Germany to high optical standards. At approximately 1.7 kg with body only, the Pentacon Six TL is lighter than a Mamiya RB67 but heavier than a Hasselblad 500C/M.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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About this camera
East Germany's hand-holdable 6x6 SLR with TTL metering - the "Russian Hasselblad alternative" with Carl Zeiss-Jena glass.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 (12 frames at 6x6 cm) |
| Mount | Pentacon Six (P6) |
| Years | 1968 - ~1990 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s + B, cloth focal-plane |
| Flash sync | 1/30s (PC socket) |
| Meter | TTL CdS via interchangeable prism finder ("TL") |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | ~1,700 g body only |
| Battery | 1x PX625 mercury (in TL prism; body needs none) |
| Viewfinder | Interchangeable: waist-level finder or TTL prism |
| Frames per roll | 12 (6x6) |
The Pentacon Six line originates in 1956 as the Praktisix, produced by Ihagee Dresden. Ihagee merged with VEB Pentacon; the camera was renamed Pentacon Six in 1964. The TL variant (1968) introduced the interchangeable TTL CdS prism, allowing metered photography without an external meter - a significant practical improvement over the original model. The Pentacon Six line continued through East German political changes until VEB Pentacon closed around 1990.
The P6 mount outlasted the East German camera industry: Arsenal in Kyiv adopted it for the Kiev 6C (c. 1971) and Kiev 60 (1984), and the Exakta 66 (also East German, from Ihagee) used a closely related but incompatible mount. P6-mount lens production in East Germany continued as long as there was demand from the Kiev ecosystem.
The Pentacon Six TL's significance is primarily economic: it provides access to a mature 6x6 medium-format SLR system with high-quality Carl Zeiss-Jena optics at a fraction of Hasselblad pricing. A Hasselblad 500C/M with a Planar 80/2.8 lens commands $1,200-2,500 on the used market; an equivalent Pentacon Six TL with a Biometar 80/2.8 trades for $200-500. The CZJ Biometar 80/2.8 is widely considered optically comparable to the Zeiss Planar, especially stopped down.
The "Russian Hasselblad alternative" nickname is a slight misnomer - the Pentacon Six is East German, not Soviet, though Soviet-built Kiev 60 bodies also use the same P6 mount. The nickname captures the economic reality: for photographers who want 6x6 medium format with Zeiss glass and cannot afford Hasselblad prices, the P6 ecosystem has been the practical alternative since the 1990s.
The cloth shutter introduces a practical limitation: 1/30s flash sync is slow by 35mm standards (vs. Hasselblad 500C/M's between-the-lens Compur shutters that sync at all speeds). For studio flash work with leaf-shutter lenses, the Pentacon Six is at a disadvantage. For available-light photography it is not a constraint.
Mount: Pentacon Six (P6). Note: Exakta 66 uses a similar but incompatible mount; do not interchange without adapters.
Carl Zeiss-Jena P6 glass:
Soviet / Ukrainian P6 glass:
Finders (interchangeable):
Accessories: Extension tubes for close-up work; P6-to-Hasselblad V adapters exist; P6-to-4x5 lensboard adapters.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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