Praktica, the successor of Zeiss Ikon, is mainly a camera brand name from Dresden, (eastern) Germany, long time the world's largest camera production location. Carl Zeiss The Carl Zeiss AG is a German manufacturer of optical systems, industrial measurements and medical devices, located in Oberkochen with important subsidiaries in Aalen and Jena. ... Brühls Terrace Brühlsche Terrasse and the Frauenkirche   Dresden? IPA: is the capital city of the German federal state of Saxony, is situated in a valley on the river Elbe. ...

Praktica is already for some longer time the united successor of several international brands like Zeiss Ikon, Contax (this brand belongs to Zeiss today), Exakta, Pentacon and many more. The firm collapsed after the reunification of Germany in 1990 but now it is back onto market with several brands producing car industry products, 3D-LCD-screens and also still cameras and lenses under own and also for more known international brands. Contax is a camera brand noted for its unique, and sometimes odd, technical innovation and a wide range of Carl Zeiss lenses. ... The Exakta is a pioneer brand camera produced by the Ihagee Kamerawerk in Dresden, Germany, founded as the Industrie und Handels-Gesellschaft mbH in 1912. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

One of the first inventions, which is still known today, of that firm was the roll film SLR camera in 1936. In the east block countries the firm´s products are more known than in the western world. They produce both, budget lenses (most times small, not very light strong and with slow autofocus but good in optical quality) and highest price products and also optical equipment for space programs of the US, Western Europe and the Russian Federation. In lay terms, an invention is a novel device, material, or technique. ... The single-lens reflex camera, more commonly known by the abbreviation SLR, uses a mirror placed between the lens and the film to project the image seen through the lens to a matte focusing screen. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Older Company history

A Praktica manual SLR from the early 1970s

1969 PRAKTICA LLC is the first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera with electrical diaphragm simulation between interchangeable lenses and camera body (world novelity) by the VEB Pentacon (Dresden) A Praktica SLR from the early 1970s - fully manual with solar-powered light meter (no batteries required) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A Praktica SLR from the early 1970s - fully manual with solar-powered light meter (no batteries required) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

1965 PRAKTICA mat by VEB Pentacon Dresden is the first miniature-mirror-reflex-camera with TTL exposure measurement in Europe.

1959 Merger of the 'Dresdner Kamerabetriebe' (Camera Manufacturing of Dresden) to 'VEB Kamera- und Kinowerke Dresden' (VEB Pentacon Dresden since 1964)

1956 PRAKTICA FX2 by VEB Kamera-Werke Dresden-Niedersedlitz is the first miniature-mirror-reflex-camera with camera body inside releasing of diaphragm (world novelity)

1950 EXAKTA Varex by Ihagee Kamerawerk AG is the first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex-camera with interchangeable view-finder elements (world novelity)

1949 PRAKTICA monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera with lens mounting M42x1

1949 Contax S: first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera with build in pentagonal prism viewfinder (world novelity) introduced by MECHANIK Zeiss Ikon VEB, at that time a 'state-owned' company.

1945 Heavy desctruction of the 'Dresdner Kamerabetriebe' (Camera Manufacturing of Dresden) through the bomb attacks on February, 13th/14th 1945

1936 Kine-Exakta: first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera (world novelity) introduced by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co.

1935 Contaflex: first binocular miniature mirror reflex camera with integrated exposure meter (world novelity) introduced by Zeiss-Ikon AG

1933 EXAKTA 4 x 6,5 introduced by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co.

1926 Merging of four camera manufacturers from Dresden (e.g.. Ernemann AG und ICA AG) to Zeiss-Ikon AG becomes the biggest camera manufacturer in Europe with 3400 employees

1924 Objektive Ernostar 1:1,8 (world novelity) by Ernemann AG

1924 ER-NOX with objektiv Ernostar 1:2,0 (world novelity) by Ernemann AG

1923 Inauguration of the 48m high tower building of the Ernemann AG (see photography on the Pentacon GmbH page)

1919 Foundation of the camera shop of Benno Thorsch and Paul Guthe

1912 Foundation of the Industrie- und Handelsgesellschaft m.b.H., named Ihagee Kamerawerk GmbH since 1914

1906 The Hüttig-AG is becoming the biggest camera manufacturer in Europe with more than 800 employees

1903 The Ernemann-Kino (Kino=Cinema) uses 17,5mm One-hole-filmstripes for getting and displaying movies. The word Kino (cinema) has been born

1903 Bosco mirror camera for rolled films 9x9 by the Wünsche AG

1897/98 Foundationof the Aktiengesellschaft für Camera-Fabrikation Heinrich Ernemann in Dresden; Foundation of the Aktiengesellschaft für photographische Industrie Emil Wünsche in Dresden

1896 Zeus-mirror reflex camera with plate magazin as first monocolar mirror-reflex-camera from Dresden by the company Richard Hüttig & Sohn

1887 Foundation of the camera manufacturing Richard Hüttig in Dresden

See also: Zeiss Ikon Carl Zeiss The Carl Zeiss AG is a German manufacturer of optical systems, industrial measurements and medical devices, located in Oberkochen with important subsidiaries in Aalen and Jena. ...

External link

• Praktica camera company site
• Praktica-B Kameras a Praktica-B collector`s website , information about Praktica-B cameras and fitting lenses (in German)