I think I grabbed a bargain today...

[Fuju]

I was out at the antique centre today and picked up a basic Praktica MTL 5B in mint condition and it's original case, manual, neck strap, and mint condition Pentacon 50mm 1.8, Pentacon 29mm 2.8, Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm 3.5 and a 2x Tele converter for £50. I thought it was a fair price considering the condition is really good.

Would you say £50 is a good price ?

Most interesting is that it came loaded with a used film which I'm going to develop later!

 

[john.margetts]

Not a bad price. Would have been 10 to 15 pounds ten years ago but old camera prices are becoming daft at the moment.

The MTL5B is a good workhorse camera - can feel a bit grating at times but I have never had any problems with mine.

 

[Fuju]

I had noticed the prices even over the last couple of years have shot up, at least for used M42 lenses.

I developed the film, it wasn't too interesting, just a 70s looking guy doing some old skool selfies, really bad low light ones.

 

[ancient_mariner]

As long as you emjoy it then it's worth it.

I remember these first time round, not something I'd have chosen at the time, but they do have a certain 'vintage charm' if you like that kind of thing.

 

[RustySnapper]

I had one until it was ruined when we had floods back in 2007. It was a solid company workhorse back in the day and I was given it when the company folded. I often heard it said that if these cameras ever broke they would make a good hammer if fitted with a shaft.

 

[The Duke of Bork]

My first "proper" camera was a Praktica L2, more or less the same thing but with no inbuilt meter, though it did have an auto diaphragm which raised it above the Zenit alternatives. Kids today don't know they're born, etc. The Pentacon 50mm f1.8 was a good lens.