The Pentacon Six System
by TRA

Publicity for Accessories for the Praktisix and the Pentacon Six
Produced by the Manufacturers


The Pentacon Six (and, before it, the Praktisix) had a wide selection of accessories designed to
extend the range of the camera and make it easy to use for many different types of photography.  Many of these accessories had originally been designed for the Praktina 35mm camera, an instrument appreciated world-wide by scientists in all disciplines, by explorers and by others.  Some of these accessories (such as the focussing slide or the double cable release) could be used unchanged, but many other accessories (such as the bellows and the extension tubes) needed to be up-scaled or even re-designed for use in Medium Format.

Naturally, the larger brochures on the Praktisix and the Pentacon Six often illustrated most or all of the accessories, but Pentacon also produced brochures on the accessories.  Naturally, these brochures contained information on the accessories for all of the SLR cameras produced by Pentacon (principally, the Praktica range), but information on the accessories for the Pentacon Six is also to be found in the appropriate places.


1968








[68_Zub_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
, printed on good-quality paper

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.

I here show the front and back covers of this brochure, and two inside pages.


[68_Zub_p9s.jpg]

Page 9 shows five focussing screens for the Pentacon Six, as alternatives to the standard screen.  (We note that the Fresnel screen is not yet featured.)

Four screens are also presented
for Pentacon’s camera of the year and hope for the future, the 35mm Pentacon Super.

At the bottom of the page we see the magnifier head for the Pentacon Six, which offers correction from -4 to +2 dioptres, to match the eyesight of the user.  This is illustrated and described on this website here and here.

Click on the image here to see page 9 full size.


[68_Zub_p11s.jpg]

I am reproducing page 11, as it shows the seldom-seen special pressure plate for the Pentacon Six.  This enabled the camera to be used with individual photographic glass plates, which were still common at the time.  These had three advantages for precision scientific photography:
  • they guaranteed that the image plane was absolutely flat (not a problem with film if it had been loaded correctly, but perhaps demanded by scientists who wanted 100% certainty);
  • they enabled a single photograph to be taken and developed immediately, without waiting to finish a film;
  • this in turn enabled precise exposure modifications, if required for the subject being photographed.
Click on the image here to see page 11 full size.
 
At the foot of this page we see, from left to right, cases for a Praktica camera, for the Pentacon Super, and for the Pentacon Six.


[68_Zub_bs.jpg]

The back cover of this brochure shows a Pentacon Six along with two views of a Praktica 35mm camera, along with auto tubes for this.

Click on the image here to see the back cover full size.

1970








[70_Zub_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
, printed on good-quality paper

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.

Almost a reprint of the 1968 brochure, above, with only one minor image change (of a cable release) and one change of title (for the copying stand)


[70_Zub_p3s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 3 of this brochure.  The first title, “Zwischenringe”, means “intermediate rings”, although in the UK this was often listed even in official importer literature as “Z-rings”.  “Manual extension tubes” would be a more meaningful translation.
 

The second title, “Stößelzwischenringe”, literally means “intermediate rings with pins”, although a better translation would be the phrase mostly used on this website, namely “Automatic extension tubes”.  East German translators, no doubt with the help of the dictionaries available to them, sometimes called these “Intermediate rings with plungers”.

 

We note Pentacon Six / Praktisix items in both sections.  The person who photographed the manual tubes (second item down from the top) failed to unscrew the rear section from the longest of the three tubes.
 

Under that set of  tubes we note the automatic 10mm tube for the Pentacon Six / Praktisix.
 
At the bottom of the page is the set of automatic extension tubes for the Pentacon Six / Praktisix.  For more information on these tubes, see here and here.

 

Someone has written prices in a German hand, but it is not certain whether this is in East Germany or West Germany.  I suspect the latter, on the basis of the (low) prices.

Click on the image here to see page 3 full size.

1973








[73_Zub_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
, printed on good-quality paper

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.

This brochure emphasises close-up work with Praktica 35mm cameras, but does also list and illustrate the accessories for the Pentacon Six


[73_Zub_6-7des.jpg]

Click on the image here to see these pages full size.

Here I reproduce page 6 and part of page 7 of this brochure.  The emphaisis on these two pages is on Praktica 35mm cameras, but one accessory for the Pentacon Six is shown.
 

For many years Pentacon marketed a reproduction stand, illustrated bottom left on page 6 here.  Instead of fastening the camera to the height-adjustable bracket on the copier column via the tripod socket in the base of the camera, it was possible to screw what Pentacon called a “copying arm” (German, “Reproarm”) to the bracket.  This copying arm had a large, horizontal hole through which the camera lens could see on the baseboard the item that was to be copied.  This hole had a 49mm × 0.75 screw thread, so that any 50mm standard lens for Praktica 35mm cameras could be screwed to the support.  This arm has three advantages:
  • The camera is held more steadily than via the tripod socket and so it will not sag;
  • It is easier for the user to ensure that the camera is exactly parallel to the item being copied;
  • The camera is moved further away from the upright column of the copying stand, which is necessary when copying larger originals.

So where is the Pentacon Six connection?

Below the picture of the copying arm, a large ring can be seen (reproduced on a larger scale than the other items).  It screws onto the 49mm thread on the copying arm and provides a 58mm × 0.75 thread onto which the Pentacon Six’s 80mm Biometar lens can be screwed, thus making the reproduction stand and copying arm ideal for using the Pentacon Six to make copies.  You can see it in operation here (just below the half-way point on the page, on the left).

1974








[74_Acc_as.jpg]

English-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
, printed on good-quality paper

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.

This brochure is an English translation of the above brochure, which had been printed in the previous year in German.



[74_Acc_p8-9s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 8 and part of page 9 of this brochure, which present viewfinders and “Field Lenses”, as they are called here, also known as “Focussing Screens”, for the Pentacon Six and the Pentacon Super.  By 1974 it had become clear that the Pentacon Super had not been a commercial success, and production had been ceased, but Pentacon was still strying to shift the accessories that it had manufactured for this camera.

In the English text on the left we see some of the limitations in the English of the East German translators, with whom we sympathise, given that they were not permitted to travel to English-speaking countries to study English.

Click on the image here to see page 8 and the first column of page 9 full size.

1975








[75_Zub_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
, printed on good-quality paper

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.


[75_Zub_p5s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 5 of this brochure.
 
The first two sections, top-left and top-centre, have the images and the text transposed, as the first section shows the automatic extension tubes but the description is of the manual tubes, while the second section shows the manual tubes but the description is of the automatic tubes.  This does perhaps reveal that the people in Pentacon’s publicity department who prepared this brochure were not personally familiar with the Pentacon Six – or at least, not familiar with the extension tubes.
 
In East Germany itself, Pentacon’s cameras were horrendously expensive, their costs equalling several months’ salary.  I was therefore not surprised to meet in East Germany in 1981 an East German who looked at my Pentacon Six and said that he had clubbed together with two other men and they had bought a Pentacon Six between the three of them, and shared it.
 
Click on the image here to see page 5 of the brochure full size.

 
The last two items on this page will not fit on the Pentacon Six, as they have the new square mount required for the viewfinders of the Praktica “L” series cameras.  You can see the shape of the Pentacon Six viewfinder mount here.
1976








[76_Zub_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
, printed on good-quality paper

The title alone shows the emphasis in 1976: it was the promotion of Praktica (i.e., 35mm cameras) – even though the Pentacon logo continues to feature prominently.  The front photograph clarifies this emphasis further: it is the promotion of the Praktica VLC 2, at the time the top camera in Pentacon’s 35mm camera range.
 
However, the brochure does still include the accessories for the Pentacon Six TL, which are illustrated and described.
 

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.


[76_Zub_4-5s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 4 and the first column of page 5 of this brochure.  We can see that the error in page 5 of the 1975 brochure (above) has been corrected: the picture of the manual tubes is now shown above the text on the manual tubes.  In the next column (not reproduced here) the images of the automatic tubes are reproduced above the text on the automatic tubes.
 

Beneath these tubes is the Pentacon Six / Praktisix reversing tube, along with a reversing ring for the 35mm cameras.
 

The last item at the bottom of the previous page is the focussing slide, designed to be used between a tripod and the camera (whether 35mm or 6×6) or the corresponding camera bellows, to facilitate precise adjustment of the distance of the camera from the object being photographed.  This is extremely useful in macro photography.
 

Click on the image here to see page 4 and the section of page 5 full size.

[76_Acc_as.jpg]

English-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
, printed on good-quality paper
 

This is the English-language translation of the above brochure.
 

The Praktica VLC pictured here had the meter incorporated within the body, so that the prism could, as here, be removed and replaced with a different viewfinder.  And lens aperture values were transferred electrically to the camera metering circuit.  The use of bellows here required an electrical cable to transfer these values to the camera.  When no bellows were being used, such a cable was not necessary – and the extension tubes for the VLC transferred the electrical signal internally, without needing an external cable.
 

What a pity that all these innovative features were not introduced to the Pentacon Six TL!

 

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.


[76_Acc_8s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 8 of this brochure.  Comparing this with page 8 of the 1974 edition of the equivalent brochure (reproduced above), we see that with the addition of the VLC camera to the 35mm range, space has been made to provide pictures of the three VLC viewfinders, and that the “waist-level finder” for the now-discontinued Pentacon Super 35mm camera continues to be featured.
 

Click in the image here to see page 8 full size.

1978








[78_Erz_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Twelve pages
Black-and-white photographs throughout, with limited use of blue lines on some pages

“Erzeugnis-Information Fototechnik” means “Photo Technology Product Information”.  This title really sounds like “Industrial speak” rather than customer-orientated.  In addition to this (not to mention the essentially monochrome printing), references to “Zeiss” and other disputed brand names abound, from which I deduce that this brochure was principally intended for use within East Germany.

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.


[78_Erz_p10s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 10 of this brochure, which principally looks at viewfinders and focussing screens for the Pentacon Six TL and the 35mm Praktica VLC 3.  The titles above the two columns of focussing screens are obviously in the wrong place, as the square screens are for the Pentacon Six TL, while the rectangular screens are for the VLC 3.

Click on the image here to see page 10 of the brochure full size.


[78_Zub_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Eight pages
, printed on good-quality paper
 
In contrast to the above 1978 brochure, this full-colour publication would appeared to be targeted at an international audience.  We again note that the headline title “PENTACON” has been replaced by “PRAKTICA”, the only East German SLR camera range that was now being promoted outside the East German state.
 

We also note that the Pentacon logo is much smaller and less prominent than in the 1976 brochures, above.
 

However, accessories for the Pentacon Six / Praktisix do continue to be illustrated and described.
 

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.



[78_Zub_6s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 6 of this brochure, on which the four viewfinders for the Pentacon Six TL are featured, along with the viewfinders for the Praktica VLC 35mm camera.  We note that the waist-level finder for the Pentacon Super is no longer featured.  Note that facing page 7 is reproduced below from the English version of this brochure.

Is it a sign of financial constraints in East Germany that there has been a 33% reduction in the number of pages in this brochure, compared with those issued in previous years, including in 1976?

Click on the image here to see page 6 full size.


[78_Acc_as.jpg]

English-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Eight pages
, printed on good-quality paper
 

This is the English-language translation of the above brochure.

We note the Pentacon tripod, the focussing slide and the double cable release, items which are not camera-specific and can therefore be used with the Pentacon Six / Praktisix.

Whereas the 1976 brochures featured the Praktica VLC 2, this 1978 version features the newer (and final) version of the VLC, the VLC 3.


[78_Acc_7s.jpg]

Here I reproduce page 7 of this brochure, which faces page 6, the German version of which is reproduced above.  It illustrates and describes the focussing screens for the Pentacon Six, the tripod and the special pressure plate, which is described in more detail above, in the commentary on page 11 of the 1968 brochure.

Click on the image here to see page 7 full size.

1979








[79_It_as.jpg]

Italian-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Eight pages  Full colour on front cover and three inside pages

This is the Italian translation of the above 1978 German brochure.  Illustrations thoughout are identical with those in the German brochure (and in the English translation), and it would appear that the text translates the German without introducing any new or different information
.

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.


[79_It_p3s.jpg]

Page three of this brochure shows and describes accessories for the Pentacon Six TL and the Praktica VLC 3 that are useful or essential for macro photography, a specialist area for this manufacturer since the 1950s, when the company had its original name, KW.  Other accessories for these two cameras are shown and described on pages 6 and 7 of this brochure, which are reproduced above (page 6 in German and page 7 in English).

Pentacon did of course produce publicity in many languages, and this section of the website makes no effort to reproduce literature from all of the languages concerned.

Click on the image here to see page 3 full size.
1981








[81_Erzeug_as.jpg]

German-language brochure from Pentacon
Approximate dimensions: 200mm × 190mm
Sixteen pages
Black-and-white photographs throughout, with limited use of blue lines on some pages


This 1981 brochure is very much in the style of the 1978 brochure shown above.  A new cover photograph has been produced, adding the new “B” series Praktica cameras with lens bayonet mounts.  However, the Praktica cameras with M42 screw mount that were current at the time are included, as is the Pentacon Six TL plus its metering prism and magnifier head, as well as some lenses for it.  We note that the 35mm VLC with interchangeable viewfinders has disappeared from the range.

Click on the image here to see the front cover of the brochure full size.


[81_Erz_p12s.jpg]

We note the increase in pages in comparison with the 1978 brochure above.  This edition does of course promote the whole of the current range of 35mm cameras, but especially devotes space to the new Praktica cameras with bayonet lens mount, as well as covering rangefinder cameras for the first time since the “Jedem Seine Kamera” (“A Camera for Everyone”) brochures of the 1950s and 60s.  It also introduces a miniature camera that is Pentacon’s answer to the 110 cameras released by Western manufacturers over the previous two or three years, and more space is devoted than previously to Pentacon 35mm slide projectors.  In amongst all these innovations, the Pentacon Six camera and accessories continue to feature, as illustrated here on page 12.

One gets the impression of a company that is seeking to satisfy rising domestic consumer demand in a country where importing photographic equipment from non-communist countries was not permitted.

Click on the image here to see page 12 full size.


















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© TRA August 2018  Revised: September 2018