Nigel, you're the antidote to stress and mither! A beer and Zenography is all the inspiration I need to lift my spirits and enthusiasm to take my cameras out and shoot!

They say "Man who has most toys (lenses) wins." Glad you have so much fun with vintage lenses. I have 50 of them and the collection is growing. My friends share expensive dinner photos on social media. I eat healthy food at home and buy vintage lenses. 📸

Good Evening Nigel, Thank you for the excellent review. The Prakticar 50mm f2.4 lens is not a Tessar clone. It was designed by Meyer Optik, Gorlitz. The Tessar is a 4 element, 3 group design, with the rear group being a cemented doublet. The Prakticar f2.4 has 4 seperate air spaced components, each of a very high refractive index glass, and is based on the Ernostar design. It is a genuine f2.4 lens, not a f2.8. It was conceived many years before the Praktica 'B' series cameras appeared, but was only used when it became apparent that the 50mm f2.8 Tessar was costing almost as much as the 50mm f1.8 Pentacon to produce in 'B' series fitting. It's great advantage, apart from its superb image quality, and low price, is its small size. Even with an adaptor to use on a digital camera, it is barely bigger than the average 50mm lens alone. The earlier, all metal versions such as the review sample, are said to be better than the later plastic body examples, I have not found this, but the all engraved lettering on the metal versions is certainly more durable than the printed lettering on the plastic examples.

We loved Zorkis cameo appearance at 32 mins!.

I havent visited your videos in a while. I really like the q&a at the end. I dont know how everyone else thinks, but I would be happy with a video every 2 weeks, particularly if u think it would allow you to do your best work.🌞

A video every week is a lot of work so I think one video every two weeks is very reasonable. Your content is great so I'm happy with whatever pace you need to keep the content what it is. Thanks!

Great video, as usual :) Somewhere in an old photograpy book, I read that those 2.4/50 MC Prakticar lens was mostly bundled with cheaper Praktica B cameras (1/1000s max. shutter speed, aperture priority only), the 1.8/50 was bundled with higher-end models (1/2000s shutter speed, manual shutter speed selection, etc.), so they are basically kit lenses 😃

What a coincidence! I've acquired a Praktica BCA two weeks ago, and ordered the 50/2.4 just this weekend. Will be thrilled to see how it handles on the camera body. I already have the 50/1.8 which is said to be the evolution of the much-lauded Oreston, but somehow gets overlooked. I've only put one roll of film through the camera so far, but results were very nice, even at larger apertures. Sharp and contrasty.

Practica was my 1st SLR camera I purchased back in 1974 nice lens. Great value

Another lens that I had overlooked, this one is going into my collection too, Nigel. I have just clicked the buy button on Ebal and got what appears to be a very nice copy, complete with K&F Concepts Fuji adapter for £27. I will also look for a film body to put it on when I shoot film, as I like my lenses to lead a double life, as upright, steady citizens on film, and as shady, shadowy characters on digital. We are spoilt for choice, I've said it before, so many great lenses, and modern technology to put them to use. Whatever direction you decide for the channel is fine by me, I don't know how you keep coming up with so many great topics, week on week. You are hitting the problem that many successful YT channels hit, they become popular and take up more and more time that a working person has to devote to filming etc. that it almost becomes a full time job. That is the point that many youtubers struggle to get past, working to put food on the table and trying to develop the channel. I'm sure that you know all of this and we all appreciate the effort you put into keeping us entertained every week. Best regards George

Love your couch!

thank you for your excellent review of vintage lens

Yes Nigel cracking video again.. Just a amazed you reviewed the praktica f2. 4 lens...got one about 2 weeks ago and a praktica BC1 but not together... I have a tendency to look up lenses on Flikr to see how they perform...and this is a sharp lens maybe even better than the sister 1.8 50mm from the same stable...had to wait for battery to come for the bc1 so not actually exposed any film with f2.4 yet... So it was nice to see your images...so I got the PP f2. 4 for around £10.50 on e-bay and super condition too...many thanks Nigel....

Happy mother's day Dad. 😂Stay well. Good video as always. There are always a lot of sleeper lenses on old pracktica but 15? Wow . paid I think 40 for mine . but worth it

Allways the best! Grettings from sweden

I have a Pancolar 50mm 1.8 On my Praktica LLC. Still works and great stuff. thank you for the vid.

Thanks as always!

(according to zeissikonveb) this lens is an Ernostar (by Bertele pat. 1922 ) and was produced on behalf of Pentacon by IOR in Romania (even the "made in germany" marked lenses)from the late 70ies till 1990 .

Woah! For a few minutes I was like 'should I go buy this' then I realized this very lens came with my Praktica camera (30 bucks for camera and lens!)....I never bothered trying it since I have the CZJ 50 1.4 but thanks so much for mentioning it, I will try it out sometime!

After watching this video I looked for one on eBay and picked one up for a tenner! The seller was actually promoting this video on his write up. Looking forward to try it on my a7rii.

I have a set of Prakticars, including the 50mm 2.4 "pancake" lens. The PB contacts are not entirely useless on DSLR's. With the right adapter, focus confirmation is available (the center focus point lights up). I'm still playing around with the set, and with other brands like Pentax, Minolta, Canon FD and Helios garnering most of the attention, the Prakticars seem to be largely forgotten and ignored and may become the"secret sauce" to helping my work stand out from the rest :)

My favorite very cheap lens is still the Industar 50. This Pentacon is for sale near me for near the price you stated. I may have to pick it up.

As others have said not a tessar. I have one and like it. Version 1 made in Germany. I agree the bokeh has an unusual smooth taste with its unusual optical design. Two other strange lower end lenses from other makers are the Fujinon 55mm f/2.2, busy soap bubble bokeh. Riconar 55mm f/2.2, oddly acts as a soft glowy portrait lens a close distances.

Perfect timing! I watched your review of the Kiron 28-85 2.8-3.5 yesterday with it's Olympus mount. I found the lens on ebay but the mounts were two different Canon mounts. I learned that those aperatures don't close when you rotate the aperature using an adaptor for digital. Was your Olympus an exception or was something done to it? And thanks.

Interesting review. Always coveted a Practica camera when I was young but couldn't afford one then. Tip: If you are searching for a camera / lens combo, try also "Praktica" rather than "Prakticar" - that's what is printed on the cameras and I always saw it spelled like that in the UK.

I’ve seen the 50 2.4 referred to as an Ernostar 4 elements in 4 groups. I used to have one with my Praktica B200

Thanks for another interesting video! Two comments: 1. As I understand it the Industar 61 L/D is radioactive (but not the other 61 versions). (I have one L/D and one unlettered.) 2. I actually got a M42 to Fuji X-mount adapter that is about 0,8 mm too short. (I am now making it into a Zenit M39 mount adapter using a M39 to M42 thread adapter. The Zenit mount is 0,26 mm shorter than the correct M42 mount, so I couldn't use a correct one. The M39 thread will now protrude about 1/2 mm from the faulty adapter to achieve the right length. The fault became a win!)

Very interesting presentation as always. I have been buying and selling on eBay for twenty years, not a lot, but consistently. Prices are just plain lower in the UK than the US for a lot of old gear. I have bought a few items over the years, but shipping has become a big problem. The only real bargains I’ve gotten online in recent years where listings where the seller poorly described an item, made a error listing, or made the mistake of having an auction end on a major holiday. Otherwise bargains are few and far between no matter how patient you are. Just my 2 cents, as we say over here.

Thank you!

Thanks for another interesting video. Looking through ebay last week hoping for a Prakticar 2.4 or a CZJ Flektogon I came across a 'Federal 28mm f/2.8' with a M42 screw mount. I thought this was perhaps a Russian FED lens under a similar name and purchased it for 17 pounds. It arrived today The lens is is not Russian but Japanese. It is solidly made with a large front element and a screw on lens cap. there is no fungus and the aperture and focus are smooth in operation. I have taken a few shots today using my Sony A7. the lens is very soft wide open at f/2.8 but OK stopped down and very sharp at f/8 and f/11. Do you know anything about this particular lens? I had not heard of 'Federal'.

Got the 2.4 but not used it yet maybe convert to M42 with adaptor.... thanks for nice images nigel...

Not all M-42 adapters are equal. I have one no name that somehow cramps the focus and the f stop range on my takumar 50mm 1.4, and also as I've just discovered, my Tair 135. My Fotasy adapter doesn't do that. Something to do with the different way they're recessed. The Fotasy has a removable inner "washer". The no name does not.

What a great. lens for the money!

Does anyone know whether the pentacon or pentacon praktika lenses came first? Also, is there a difference between the praktika and non praktika Pentacon equivalent focal lengths? (Pentacon “auto MC” 50mm 1.8 vs Praktika Pentacon 50mm 1.8)

interesting, i own both the prakticar 50 1.8 and 50 2.4, and because the 1.8 is so lovely, i havnt even tryed the other yet, even i got it more than 1 year ago,,, i got a mission now, thanks

I’m glad so many seems to like this lens. I have one and I think it’s really bad. Maybe I have a bad copy. My favourite cheap lens right now is the Yashica ML 50mm f/2. I paid like €9 for it and I was surprised how it outperforms most vintage lenses.

Seen an article about a guy who hand makes a simple 28mm sort of pinhole lens with a simple meniscus lens f64 it was featured on a modern Leica body using high asa 50,000 In fact noise adds something and the writer speaks of smearing like effect on frame edges... Would you like to make similar .. I wonder..? Cheers Nigel..

Very nice video again, Nigel! I wasn't aware of that 2.4, it looks very interesting. Pricewise I guess we benefit from american propaganda telling that anything made in comunist countrys is junk. When it comes to cameras and optics, it's the other way around; almost all the good stuff comes from Germany, Japan or the Soviet Union, whilst american gear is rubbish. Otherwise I've experienced problems with some of my adapters. The best is if one can try before buying.

due to the tiny size, this is called a pancake lens, its funny and suitable my experience is, that the practicar mounted version is way better thant the m42 versions of the pentacon, i dont know why, but im sure that its true

Is true that Pentacon and carl Zeiss from West Germany are the same?

You think all the radioactive lenses are a concern? I don't sleep with them. Should we wash our hands after handling them?

The Oreston is the original. Both the same lens, just rebranded. One if my all time favorites. Correction. The Oreston is a 50mm 1.8 lens. My bad.

26:37 gonna answer it? :-)

New sofa…