Praktica Super TL 1000 (1980–1986)

Name: Praktica super TL 1000
Brand: Praktica

The Praktica Super TL 1000 is a fully mechanical, 35mm focal-plane shutter SLR from Pentacon's Dresden works. It was introduced in February 1980 and built until December 1986, with 400,000 units produced. It sits halfway between the third-generation MTL 3 and the fourth-generation MTL 5 in the TL lineage - the fourth and final generation of the L series that began with the Praktica L in 1969. The design is more modern than the preceding PL Nova series. The main novelty was the metallic vertical focal-plane shutter, a departure from the horizontal cloth shutters of earlier Prakticas. Expert repairman Thomas Tomosy found this shutter "very reliable and does not normally require attention."

It's a straightforward, no-frills camera. You get M42 screw mount, TTL stop-down metering via a CdS cell with a needle readout in the viewfinder, film speeds from 12 to 1600 ASA, and shutter speeds from 1 to 1/1000 plus B. There's no self-timer and no PC flash contact, just a hot shoe. The meter button doubles as a depth-of-field preview. The shutter release sits at an oblique angle on the front of the body, a position Roger Hicks said "is supposed to reduce camera shake." The top cover is plastic with copper and chrome coatings. It looks metallic, but it's not as sturdy as it appears. Until 1984 the body wore a reticulated synthetic leatherette and a chromed shutter speed dial. From 1984 on, it had a smooth leatherette and a black dial.

The usual lens was the multi-coated Pentacon auto 1.8/50, a double-Gauss design of six elements in four groups that focuses as close as 1.1 feet. Photo.stackexchange is not a whitelisted publication, but the fact sheet notes the basic price with lens was £49.00 in 1980 - the same as an Olympus Trip, which suggests its budget positioning. One owner who bought his in 1980 from Dixon's reported the light sensor eventually stopped working, but he still got decent pictures by setting everything manually.

Rebadging was common in the UK market. Michael Sorms notes the Super TL 1000 was sold under names like Praktica TL 3, Nova II, PM 3, or even MTL 3 and MTL 5, with the name often on a sticker. These shouldn't be confused with the genuine MTL models. A Kamerastore listing shows one in "Not Passed" condition at $81.00.

Picture size: 24 × 36 mm
Lens mount: M42 screw
Shutter: mechanical vertical metal focal plane, 1 – 1/1000 + B
Meter: CdS TTL stop-down, needle readout, powered by 1.5V 625A/V625
Viewfinder: split-image rangefinder with microprism collar