The Praktica name was once emblazoned on a long line of SLR cameras, from the early days of the Cold War right up until the mid-1990s.
Part of the enormous VEB Pentacon conglomerate in Dresden, the Praktica family of SLRs included a long-running range of M42 SLRs which lasted nearly as long as East Germany itself.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pentacon was dissolved, most camera production was ended and the Praktica badge was used on a number of film and digital cameras made in Asia. (Some are even still available today.)
But in 2024, more than two decades since the last Praktica SLR rolled off the Dresden production lines, you can buy a Praktica film camera – though it’s a far cry from the chunky, metal-heavy SLRs the brand name is famous for.
Praktica now sells the Luxmedia 35mm film camera, complete with flash and a roll of ISO 400 film. It is, of course, a cheap plastic disposable camera similar to a raft of models produced in China for a revived consumer film market.
Praktica’s own listing for the camera says: “This Luxmedia 35mm Disposable Film Camera with Flash is a single use camera ideal for parties, weddings, barbecues and any other event, indoors or out. Its simple, point and shoot design makes it quick and easy to record your memories.
“The built in, 27 exposure, ISO400 film gives you the picture quality you expect from Praktica in a compact, convenient package. The powerful flash lets you keep snapping away when the party continues into the night. And, of course you’ll get all the excitement of reliving the celebrations when your photos are developed.”
The cameras are loaded with a 27-exposure roll of ISO 400 colour film – the exact type isn’t known, but the film is C-41 process and not motion picture stock.
The cameras are available in the UK from a number of homeware and electronics stores (you can buy three boxed cameras from some retailers for less than £50).
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
too bad it’s not reusable