Second Film Praktica BMS. This Time With Optomax Auto Wide 35mm Lens
- Kamera Ostalgie
- Oct 12
- 3 min read
Or film photography on a very tight budget. Yes it can be done!
I have the results back from the second film put through the Praktica BMS camera from 1989. The pictures were taken earlier this summer when I was also trying out the pre-war Balda at Wycoller near Colne Lancashire.
However just to make things a bit different I used an old wide angle M42 lens and a B bayonet to screw adaptor. The lens in question is an Optomax Auto Wide, I have used it occasionally before but in this case I used it for all the Wycoller shots. The lens is 35mm 2.8 and comes from Japan, I'm guessing it was made sometime in the 1970's. It actually cost me very little, well lets be precise, it cost me £12.43 in February this year! That included the postage. The German wide angle lenses are now silly money due to them being used on digital cameras, something I hate, as the cameras they were fitted to get ruined or junked. However they don't seem too interested in unknown Japanese lenses of the 1960's and 1970's. I am though, they are cheap, usually fungus free, the focus and aperture adjustments still work, unlike many of the M42 Zeiss lenses and the results, whilst not spectacular, are pretty good.
Praktica and Sigma marketed an adaptor with which you can use some M42 lenses on Praktica B series bayonet cameras. However I have found that some of the early German M42 lenses are not able to fully focus with these adaptors, luckily I had no problem with the Optomax Auto Wide. This little fellow cost me just £7.80, well worth the money, as now I can use my screw thread Praktica lenses on the B series cameras as well, which is great!
Okay, lets get back to some of the pictures taken with the Optomax Auto Wide
Some of the images were a stop over exposed, the BMS meter struggled a little in the odd lighting conditions, so I just went back to sunny 16 and guessed! They were better!
The picture above is just a little dark, I was stood under trees but the back of the Hall was in strong sunlight.
Well I will leave you with that picture. I managed to get 37 useable negatives out of the old Praktica with my very expensive Optomax Auto Wide 2.8 lens of 35mm. The film used was Agfaphoto APX 100 my go to film at the moment. The developing was carried out by Hippo in Burnley Lancashire, as was the scanning of the negatives. I like to keep everything local if I can, Hippo being about 5 miles away from me, also they are nice and friendly and do a good job. Analogue Film Developing UK - Photo Hippo Lab.
It just shows that you can do great analogue photography on a very tight budget and still have fun and get nice results. A working Praktica will cost you between £5 and £20, they are great to use and even with cheap lenses like my Optomax will produce lovely results. Go on give one a go!
Take care,
Phil
