Advantages: Very tough, very reliable, good quality (and cheap) lenses
Disadvantages: Fiddly rewind knob, heavy

...(Temporary intro part 2: thank you, Ciao! This op is now in the right place, so I'll remove this intro completely in a day or two.) Now this really is a blast from the past. One of the last true Eastern Bloc cameras (with the exception of the cheap-and-nasty Zeniths), the Praktica MTL-50 (which can be found fairly easily in second-hand shops) is a dinosaur by modern SLR standards - it's heavy, it's clunky, and almost everything is mechanical. Which is why I like it so much. I've had mine since 1989, and it's still in perfect working order, mainly because there isn't a great deal to go wrong. The main thing you'll notice when picking up an MTL-50 is the weight - it is far heavier than almost any modern camera on the market today. For some that might be a drawback, but for me it's a bonus, because that weight is a sign... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Easy to use, looks nice, good pictures.
Disadvantages: None

...0oo - Praktica DV42 Digital Camera - oo0 Righto. Welcome to my review!. First - a confession. I have been naughty and have already told a little lie - the lie being in the title. The camera is not "My" Practical Praktica, it is actually my sisters, and i have borrowed it for 2 weeks! The camera is a nice one, silver - as is most digital cameras, and cuboidular - again, like most digital cameras. Nothing special or groundbreaking, but its not ugly, so thats fine for me, i just wanted something that does the job. Takes pictures. Anyway, after looking through Google.com, it turned up this site: http://www.tiscalipc.co.uk/products.asp?recnumber=1339 This sells the camera at £96.23 (down from £113.07). I would definitley say that £96.23 would be money well spent on such a good camera, for reasons listed below. Before i go... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Reasonably light, Full of functions and Easy to use. Great camera
Disadvantages: Gobbles up batteries. Poor video compression

...The DCZ 5.5 digital camera from Praktica is without a doubt a great little snapper and at a price easy on the wallet too. A number of months ago, I decided it was time to invest in a camera, mostly for myself, but also to enhance my listings on eBay. After some research I quickly ruled out the latest Canon and Sony efforts due to the cost associated with the brand names. Although this unit is somewhat cheaper than its popular counterparts it is still a worthy adversary despite its £70 price band. My only criticisms' against this bundle of joy is the pitiful video recording feature. You'll need a vast memory card in order to record a half hour of holiday happiness, where a 10 second clip swallows up 4.4 MB of space. If you're like me and don't want to record video, or have a great camera phone then this wont affect you too much... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Very solid construction, excellent quality Zeiss lenses, excellent value
Disadvantages: It is fiddly to load the film, no TTL flash metering or DX film sensing

...I have used Prakticas for about 16 years now, and they are wonderful cameras. Seek one out in your local camera shop. A drawback with the more "modern" Praktica cameras is their obscure bayonet lenses. These are fantastic quality lenses and are exceptionally good value for money, but are hard to find. The B series cameras are similarly great, but are scarce. A short history of Praktica: Before the break up of Germany into East and West - the Carl Zeiss factory made some of the best cameras in the world. They are still doing so under the Contax name - check out how expensive Contax cameras are! In the East, the cameras were called Praktica, and they are just as good but a fraction of the price. This camera has no add ons - just centre-weighted metering and it is completely manual. It is also fairly heavy and chunky - but feels... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Easy to use with lot's of 'pro' options - great battery life - value for money.
Disadvantages: Mono sound only on video - no hand grip - on board memory small.

...Beautiful classic Praktica photos - by that i mean realistic, not enhanced colours that i had found in my previous (still own 3.2 mega pixel) Sony Cybershot. Don't get me wrong i was more than happy with Sony's digital representation of the world around us and was often complimented on shots taken - but after using the Praktica and comparing photo's in iPhoto on an Apple G5, the Sony's had a colour saturation that is generally available as a 'touch-up' on photo software. Choice of exposure and focal points give you an edge and these are represented as 'templates' for the inexperienced - lot's of other little options - including 'Pictbridge' make this camera a step up from the wannabe's. A lot of camera for the money. My only gripe is the front hand grip - there isn't one!!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Lightweight, Good Image Quality, Compact, Cheap.
Disadvantages: The Case.

...~~~~ Overview ~~~~ I’ve had these Praktica binoculars for a couple of years, I mainly use them on walks; trying to spot wildlife and seeing how a photo may look close up (saves getting my camera out). The binoculars are very standard for their price range. They include an adjustment wheel for manual focusing (mounted in the centre of the binoculars), a second adjustment wheel to fine tune the focusing, depending on the strength of your eyes (part of the left eye piece), two small metal brackets to attach a neck strap and a pair of flip-up eye cups. The majority of the binoculars are made from a durable rubber material, with sections, including the hand grips and focusing wheel, made from a hardwearing plastic. The binoculars come with a plastic covered case and a small anti-static cleaning cloth. ~~~~ Pros... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful