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Posted by Agnes on April 29, 2000 at 12:10:05:
Hello, I'm a total novice when it comes to photography, all I
know is how to take holiday snaps with a fully automatic camera.
But I'm interested in doing something more and I've got a
Praktica BC 1. I'm hoping someone can give me some info on this
camera.
I'll just give you some of the details on the camera and of the
stuff that came with it.
On the lens it says: MC Pentagon Prakticar 1:18 f=50mm
There is also one that says: Sigma zoom-BII 1:4~5.6 f=60~200mm
Then there is a philips flash it says 28 bcs
Further more there are several filters.
I really would appreciate any info on this.
Also recommendations for books to help a total novice like me
started are very much appreciated.
Thank a lot - Agnes
Posted by alex on June 30, 2000 at 07:16:59:
Agnes, I have a Praktica BC1 and all the manuals supplied. I can scan them and email if you still require, regards alex
Posted by Doug Clifford on May 02, 2000 at 05:36:50:
Hello Agnes,
I have been unable to find any substantive information on the web about the Praktica BC 1. It appears this is an older, probably manual focus 35mm camera.
The Pentagon Prakticar 50mm f/1.8 lens is what is called a "normal lens" in photographic terms, in that it sees an area roughly equivalent to what the human eye sees clearly. 50mm lenses are great all around lenses, indoors and out for taking pictures of people and subjects which are fairly close to the camera. The f/1.8 maximum aperture will allow you to shoot pictures in relatively dim light without the use of flash (and assuming you have ISO 400 film in the camera.)
The Sigma Zoom-BII f/1:4-5.6 60-200mm lens is for outdoor use and will allow you to bring far away objects closer - it's a telephoto lens and when zoomed to the 200mm setting, will magnify far away subjects by 4x over what the 50mm lens sees. Because it's a long lens, you must use a faster shutter speed when hand-holding the camera to avoid movement and shake in your photos - I would recommend using a minimum speed of 1/250 of a second when using this lens - this will require the use of ISO 400 film except on the brightest of days. Of course, with a tripod, you can use any shutter speed you want and any film speed you want.
The flash unit sounds like it would be adequate for flash pictures where the subject is 15 feet or closer to the camera. Filters are generally used for tone correction when shooting black and white film, however three filters, the UV filter, the 1A skylight (or haze) and the polarizing filter are used with both color and black and white film.
In order to get the most from this camera, you need to find an owner's instruction manual. John Craig (http://www.craigcamera.com ) carries more than 9,000 instruction manuals but he doesn't have one for the Praktica BC 1. Praktica cameras generally are more popular in Europe so you may find a European or UK dealer who has an instruction manual available for your camera. There's also no information about your camera on the manufacturer's web site, however you might consider writing them (they have both English and German text on their web site ) and perhaps they can provide you with an instruction manual.
The first book you need to get is an instruction manual for your camera. The best books I have ever seen for the beginning photographer are Kodak's Joy of Photography series - you might find one of the four books in a used book store. I also recommend looking for a class in basic photography in your local community, checking what books are available for check-out from your local library, and looking for a camera club in your community.
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