Film cameras
PENTACON 35mm User manual
User manual for PENTACON 35mm. 27 pages in English. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.
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Document details
- Brand
- Pentacon
- Model / document
- PENTACON 35mm
- Document type
- User manual
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 27
- File size
- 3.1 MB
- Category
- Film cameras
- Document date
- Not specified in catalog
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Page 4 · Read text
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I ntr'.rd uc&iorr
The Pentacon is a one-lens reflex caurera yieltling pictures 24X26 mm (ls/sXLllra,,) in size,
which, owing to its prismatic telescope-fincler can be used for photographing from eye-level.
When viewed through the pentagonal roof-shaped prism, the finder image appears upright,
eorrect-sided and, with the standard lens in the camera, in the natural size of the picture. The
compact build of the prismatic telescope-fintler fat,ilitates selecting and focusing the image.
Besides, the Pentacon possesses all the advantages of a modern precision miniature camera,
such as focal-plane shutter, calibrated in speecls from I secontl to t/roo,, second, coupled shutter
winder and film advancement, lock against double exposures, interchangeability of the lens,
synerhronized flash'light contact, and built-in self-release with delayecl action.
Successful photographic results with the Pentacon depend by all means on careful operating
and thoughtful handling. It is therefore advisable first to rrsing the camera without ,practise
a film in it precisely as described in the fnstructions. After full knowledge of the camera has
been gained in this manner, it can be loaded with film for practical work.
The Pentacon takes the ordinary daylight film-cartridge for 36 exposures, all other standard
miniature film-fillings and 35 mm perforated film in cut lengths up to 1.60 meter (S'4,,\.View original page 4Page 6 · Read text
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Explanation of Signs
$ r
I Mitled knob for self-timing releise 13 Interchangeable lens, mounted with
distance-meter and diaphragm rings and
2 Lever for self-timing release
hragm and depth'of'field
lJ sh'tter-release k'ob
14 Screw-in thread for the eamera lens
4 Latch for camera back
rs camera support
5 Picture-counting disc 16 Tripod_bushing
6 Shutter-winding and filmtransport knob L7 Release-knob for rewinding the film
? I(nob for setting the shutter speeds lB Film'transporting drum '1
19 Knob for setting the speed gro*ps B Disc showing sh'tter speeds
g Flash_light contact 20 Eye-lens (ocular) of the prismatie teles-
cope-finder
10 Film-marking disc n Focal plane
ll Film rewind-knob 22 Camera back
12 Eyelets for holdiug the eamying-strap 2g Film-pressure plateView original page 6Page 7 · Read text
www.orphancameras.comru.r
, i i
The shutter is wound by a full turn of the knob (6)
(ilI. f) as far as it will go in the direction of the
arrow. This manipulation simultaneously moves the
frlm and the picture counter on to the next pic-
ture, and swings the mirror into position for the
observation of the image in the finder.
The speeds are set in the speed-setting disc (S) by
means of the speed-setting knob (7) and the knob
(re) (Ill. 2).
On the speed disc (B) are black numbers indicating
the short speeds of t/tooo sec. to Llro sec. and red
numbers indieating the long speeds of tlro sec. to
l sec. and "Ba exposures running for any desired
Iength of time (Ill. l).
Iil. 2View original page 7Page 8 · Read text
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I'-irst set thc shutter to tLe short (black) or long(red)speed group by movinp; the knob(19)larerally.
and. accordinslv. the black or red pointer must appear in the window of the speed disc (B). -
.i\ow adiust the exposure time to the pointer of the corresponding color (black or red) by
pressing down, and at the same time rotating, the knoh (?). The knob can be turned in both
directions as long as the shutter is wound up, but only in the direction of the arrow when
the shutter is run down (see Ill. I).
The shutter is released by actuating the release knob (3). In order to avoid blurring the
picture by unsteadinessthe knob must be pres-
sed in smoothly and not jerkily. This is achie-
'iilri':'ffi
ved best by putting the forelimb of the finger fii.iiffi*tl,il 3
on the front edge of the release lcnob (3) and
pressing the knob down like a lever (Ill.3).
Vlren using the "8" setting of the shutter, the
knob has to remain ;rressed down as long as
the exposure is to last. For long time expo-
sures, the special wire release described later
has to be used.
Ill. 3View original page 8Page 9 · Read text
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TII. 4
For long time exposures, there is a special wire
release rvhich can be screwed into the release
knob (3) (Ill. 1). If the shutter is set at "8"
ancl released lry pressing the knob (u), the
shutter will rernain open until the plate (b) is
pressed clown. For short time exposures and in-
stant shots, the plate (b) has to be pressed
against the neck (") and locked by turning it to
the right. In this manner the catching device
becomes ineffective.
The built-in delayed-action mechanism releases the shutter automatically; The mechanism is
set by pressing the lever (2) to the left as far as it will go (Ill. 5). The shutter can be set
and wound up in the usual manner either before or after thb delayed-action medranism has
been set. The delayed action is released by pushing the milled knob (1) to the right. Do not
actuate the shutter-release knob (3). As soon as the delayed action is released, the lever (2)
moves slowly upwards. After the elapse of about 11 seconds the shuttero whidr had been
wound up, is automatically released.
Shoulil it hedesirablefor certain reasonstolet thedelayed action mn for less thanll seconds,View original page 9Page 10 · Read text
Ilt. 5 www.orphancameras.com
the lever (2) must first be pressed to the left
until it stops. Then let it run down to an ap-
pointed oblique position (45 degrees means about
:l seconds delay) ancl stop the delayed-action
mechanism by turning the knob (t) to the left
again. The delayed-action mechanism is released
in this position for taking the picture. In such a
case the shutter has to be wound up before-
hand.
Wlren set at "8", rhe exposure time in connec-
tion with the delayed action is 2 to 3 seconds.
In order not to overstrain the spring of the
delayed action, the mechanism must not be in
a wound-up position for too long a time.
The contact synchronizecl to the f o"ot-ptur."
shutter permits instant exposures to be made
with electrically ignited flashes, electronic
flashes, or flash powder.
For connecting the flash attachment, there is a
Ilr. 6View original page 10Page 11 · Read text
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one'pole contact nipple (9) in the top of the camera? nexr to the rewind-knob (If) (m. 6).
A wireo with a plug to fit the nipple (9) is available for connecting the camera to the flash
attachment.
Take care that ordinary flashes to be used with the camera do not have more than 24 volts
and noi more than 2 amperes. There are no restrictions with regard to electronic flashes which
develop no considerable ignition currents.
'V'e
would recommend the flashgun designed especially for the Pentacon, adaptable to all
kinds of flash lamps and which can conveniently be employed in various combinations with
the Pentacon.
Below are the shutter speeds to be used in connection with the most common types of flash lamps.
t -
l o s r a m : 5 2
PF lt0, pF 45 I! '' ' . .... ,/ro sec. I l_!tlto:' _
USA flashes:FP 6, Fp 26, Sylvania 2 A | I
AII orher flashes . . t/ro se". I
without delay I t/zo Electronic flashes s"". with delay up to I0 millisec. /
Shutter speeds cannot be given for electrically ignited flash powder. The most .suitable,speed
has to be ascertained individually for each exposure.View original page 11Page 12 · Read text
www.orphancameras.comIII. ?
The lens is screwed into the camera body by means
o f a n o r m a l t h r e a d ( 1 4 ) ( I l l . 7 ) , a n d m a y e a s i l y b e
exchanged for any other Pentacon lens. It is screw-
ed out lry turning the lens mount to the left (anti-
clockwise). Should the camera be loatied with a film,
the opening must he shielded from glaring light.
Never touch the unprotected surf ace mirror with
your fingers. Lenses and supplementary rings are inserted by screwing them to the right
{clockwise) into the threaded opening. The index points for diaphragm and distance must be
visible from above when the mount is screwed tightly.
The Pentacon lenses have the so-called "T" (transparent) coating, a violet-blue filmy layer,
on each one of the glars surfaces. This coating reduces the loss of light extremely, besides
enhancing the brilliance of the lenses.
This layer does not preclude the lenses from being cleaned in the same careful manner as any
other lenses without a coating.View original page 12Page 13 · Read text
www.orphancameras.coml l t . B
The lens of the Pentacon is equipped with a
pre-setting device bearing the following scales:
On the frou t rirrg, the diaphragm scale. The www.orphancameras.com
second ring (u) is rnilled and somewhat high-
€r, and bears an inclex point (b) (see ill. B).
on the micldle ring is the distance scale i'
meters or feet, and finally, there is the ring
with the diaphrag-m scale, showing the depth-
of-field fgr every distance-setting.
According to this scale, for instance, the Biotar
lens f 12, with i-r8 mm focal length, at a distance
setting of 13'4" (.4 meters) and an aperture of/11, gives a sharpness reaching from g'A" to
33'1" (2.5 to 10 meters).
Sharptressand outline of the picture are viewed through the prismatic telescope-finder.
The camera must be held with the ocular lens (20) close to the eye. The image is visible only
as long as the shutter is wound up. (Refer to section I, l,) The image is focused on the gronnd-
glass screen by turning the rear milled ring on the Iens mount, Vhen making exposures under
utrfavorable light conditions or exposures requiring a very small aperture, the image shouldView original page 13Page 14 · Read text
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be viewcd carefully with regard to outline and sharpness beforehando using the largest aperture
(smallest diaphragm number).
After having focused the image, stop down to the desired aperture. The diaphragm ring on
f, the lens with the ,,pre-set'' mount can be readjusted without removing the camera from the
I,,-'-i a t . eye. For this purpose there is a thicker milled ring (a) behind the diaphragm ring on the lens
t 6 L mount, marked with an index dor (b).
the desired aperture, first set the diaphragm ring accordingly, then draw the riug (a) j To pre.set
backwaid, catching hold of the pre-set diaphragm ring with the other hand, and set the red t dot (b) against the drosen diaphragm number. The milled ring, when springing badr into
position, will get coupled with the diaphragm ring. For focusing, this diaphragm ring can now
be rotated to the full aperture and? to make
the exposuree back again to the pre-set dia-
phragm s top? without removing the (:amera
frorr the eye.t The outline of the picture is derermined by the
* I ight f rame in the finder. The field of view in
the finder, showing the size o f 20 X 30 mm, is
.* somewhat smaller than the actual picture. It is
therefore certain that the whole of the finder
image will appear in the picture, thus rendering
it possible to utilize the whole of the screen
Ilr. 9View original page 14Page 15 · Read text
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image up to its outermost edges to full advantage. Persons wearing spectacles should perform
focusing with rheir distance-glasseson. But a correctiv lens, corresponding to the spectacleso
can also be fixed to the eye-piece if so desired (refer to section II, 4).
In order to avoid the penetration of sidelights into the finder, a lighthood (Ill.9) can be sup-
plied which renders it easier for the eye to become adapted to the brilliance of the finder, thus
giving greater accuracy and rapidity in focusing. Persons who are obliged to wear spectacles
when focusing may have a suitable corrective glass made in a special mount to fit the eye-
piece, so that the eye can approacch the finder
more closely. The aukward chan ging of spec-
tacles between focu sing and setting the shutter
is hereby eliminated.
These parts can conveniently be fixed to the hol-
ding device in the ocular-lens mount.
There is a little collapsible support (15) in the
front of the Pentacon camera.
n t . l 0View original page 15Page 16 · Read text
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Iil. IT
I. Hold the camera, f acing the bad<, push the
bolt (4) on the right-hand side upwards, and pull
open the camera back (22) by slight pressure on
the edse (Ill. f0).
2. To load the camera by daylight, it is advisable
to use a film-cartridge whieh, after the shuttertw
has been wound up by turning the knob (6), is
inserted into the left-hand spool chamber, with
the beginning of the film pointing in the direc-
tion of the picture level. Introduce the project-
ing tongue of the film into the slit of the taking-,t
up spool. Bend in a few millimeters of the film-
tongue - coating outwards and roll as muchI of the film onto the spool as to allow the sprocket
to catch both perforations (Ill. If).
3. Vith the film in the right position on the film
Ill. l2View original page 16Page 17 · Read text
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track and the sprocket (Ill. l2), the camera back
can be closed down and locked.
4. Set the counting disc (5) two strokes hefore 0
(ilI. 13), and make two blank exposures l,y
actuating the shutter release (3) and the trans-
porting knob (6). The rewinding knob (I1) must
turn in the opposite direction of the arrow if the
film is being properly transported.
With the counter at stroke No 1, the camera is
ready for the first exposure.
5. The film-marking disc (f0) records the species
ancl sensibility of the film in the camera in DII\
or ASA values. as f olows:
Black-and-white lilm
; Daylight color-film
Artificial light color-film ?
lll. r 4View original page 17Page 18 · Read text
www.orphancameras.comIlr. l5
6. vhen working with loose cine film which is
loaded into an empty cartridge in the dark-room.
the end of the film should be inserted into the
spool so that it can easily slip out.
It saves rewinding the film if it i,s rolled into a
second cartridge. The heginning of the film has
to be f ixed into the slit of the empty spool
coating outward and this spool, like the
spool in the feeding cartridg", is placed into the
reeeiving cartridge. The cartridge must now be
so placed into the right-hand sirool eharnber, that
the film will nrn smoothly over the sprocket into
the opening of the cartridge, which means that
t h i s o p e n i n g m u s t p o i n t r r p w a r d s ( I l l . l 5 ) .
Vhen using the standard film cartriclge for
36 exposuies, a certain res,istanee, due to the
Ill. i 6View original page 18Page 19 · Read text
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film being fixed to the core of the spool, will be noticed after the 36th picture. If exdranged
in daylight, the film must first be spooled badr into the cartridge. This is done by pressing
the kuob (l?) in the bottom of the canera body and at the same time rotating the rewind
knob (ll) in the direction of the arrow (Ill. 16), until the beginning of the filn ie Ioosened and
slips off the taking-up spool. At thig point, the rewind-knob, after overcoming a slight
resistance, will suddenly rotate quite easily.
The camera bad< can nolv be opened and the film-cartridge removed.
It is not necessary to rewind the film on to the feeding spool
if it is taken out in the dark-room or if the receiving spool is
protected by a cartridge (refer to section III, 7).
Do not change the film in bright sunlight but rather, if possible,
in the shade. After having been taken out of the camera, the
film-cartridge must be kept in a light-proof receptacle.
\ I 4 { i $ + {i + r ;L ;-1;1; , \ " i.f i c.fssr.i l'ri,{ Lfl-{: ij'u* "
i { ' F f , F * r i i - i i ' r -
The manner in which to hold the camera depends on the kind of
lens being used. The Pentacon is designed both for horizontal as
well as for upright pictures. \[e recommend the following:
Ill. r 7View original page 19Page 20 · Read text
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I. Take hold of the camera firmly with both hands. The shutter
is wound up and set with the thumb and the forefinger of the
right hand, while focusing and diaphragm-setting are performed
rvith the middle,fingers of the left and right hands. When the
image is in sharp focus, the shutter is released with the fore-
finger of the right hand (Ill. l?).
2- The camera is held f irmly in the lef t ha'd,
while the manipulations are Performed with the
right hand. Thumb and forefirrger wind the shur-
ter, the middle f inger sets the diaphragm and
distance and the forefinger releases the shutter
(ilI. IB).
3. The right hand holds the camera, thumb, fore-
finger, and middle finger of the right hand actuate
the shutter and film-transport mechanism, while
the thumb and forefinger of the left hand set the
focusing and the diaphragm. The camera is suppor-
ted by the ball of the left hand (Ill. f9).
nl. 19View original page 20Page 21 · Read text
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Vhen held in this position, the camera will take upright pie-
I ures (Ill. 20).
4. The camera can al,so be held with the back resting against
your forehead. In this case the shutter is released with the left
hand, and focusing is pe,rformed with the right hand (Ill.21).
5. For working with a tripod, the camera has to be screwed to
the tripod by means of the tripod-hushing (f6).
Never use tripods with a longer head than 4r5 mm.
6. The camera should be protected hy an ever-
ready case? into which the tripod bushing (16) of
the Pentacon can be screwed. For carrying the
camera without a case? a strap can be linked into
the eyelets (12).
Ill. : IView original page 21Page 22 · Read text
www.orphancameras.comIn.22 For pictures to be taken at a closer distance than the f ocusing of the lens permits, supple- mentary rings have to be used according to requirement. These rings are motrnted fs[r,rrssn the lens and the camera body (see section II, 1). In this casee sharpness, picture outline, and depth-of-field are viewed in the prismatic tele- scope-finder in the same manner as long-distanee objects. Close-ups nearer than 50 cm need two rings 208/05 (9 mm) with pre-set diaphragm lenses. Depending on the ratio of the pictureo one or two rings have to be screwed betwen the lens and the camera. The ranges of focusing in connection with the rrse of supplementary rings are shown in the Cbarts I and II. Intermediate tuhes for larger-scale pictures, 1 : I and 2 : 1, are being prepared.View original page 22
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