 | João Gomes Mota | contact | Praktica | ||
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Praktica BX20 (1987-1990) | |||||||
 | This was my first reflex camera. I bought it in Belgium, on the Spring of 1993. I bought it with a 35-70mm zoom lens (shown on the left). In the beginning of 1994, I bought a 70-210mm zoom lens and a BD24 flash. Later that year I bought a 50mm f:1.8 lens. I was quite satisfied with the original lens but on the end of 1994 I had to replace it with a 28-70mm zoom lens after a fall inside a mine in Norway. On the contrary, the 70-210mm zoom lens was somewhat below my expectations. As I couldn't find a better long zoom, I kept on using it. | ||||||||
 | The body is very robust and the grip offers a firm hold. The body weight seems comfortable, although modern bodies are noticeably lighter. The button distribution fits my hands and, being left-handed, I use the aperture, focal length and focus rings with dexterity.
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The window to view the aperture and the cock status is most ingenious. The three-segment focus prism is the most suited for lenses up to 100mm, beyond that, the microsprism or the circular ground glass are more effective. | |||||||||
 | The most relevant issues I had were related to the flash shoe, since the flash units got stuck and sometimes the contacts did not match. As I result of my distraction, I sometimes experienced another problem: I changed the film and I forgot to adjust the ISO rating. This might explain why models with the DX code are more popular. On the BX20 body, there is a square frame to hold the top of the film box to remember the film sensitivity (ISO rating).
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 | The box picture features three odd facts: it mentions a camera manufacturer that no longer exists, located on a country that no longer exists as a state ("Made in German Democratic Republic") and is priced on a currency that no longer exists: 7350 BEF (Belgium francs), equivalent to 182 Euros. How fast the world changes, even in Old Europe! | ||||||||
 | Battery is of type Varta 28PX and lasts long (more than 200 films). Notwithstanding, I advise everyone going on holiday to take an extra battery because it is seldom found out of photo specialists. Anedoctal evidence showed me the Praktica (and the battery) copes better with cold than Pentax P30T, one of its prime competitors (and also a fine camera): During a snow holiday, the Praktica BX20 lightmeter never failed, while my friends' Pentax P30T needed the body warmth inside a coat to work properly. With this gear - how primitive it looks today! - I took most of my best photos; they are not great photos, only better than the others.
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| ©2002-05 João Gomes Mota |
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