The Pentacon Six System
by TRA

Twenty-Second Year

of information and advice!


Two cameras that deserve Gold!
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This website has over the years become the main on-line English-language source of accurate information on the Pentacon Six, and it is quoted from and referred to in other on-line articles about this camera system.
Further updates are constantly being worked on, so please do call in regularly.
Quickly find improvements and new pages by going to the “upgrades” page, here.

TRA “Mr Pentacon Six”, July 2024


The Pentacon Six system offers an extremely wide range of lenses, viewfinders and accessories.
This is the place to find out about this remarkable system.
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If this is your first visit to this website, Welcome!  You will find links to all parts of this website from this page (sometimes passing via more detailed menus on other pages).
If you have been here before, and just want to find what is new since your last visit, please see the Upgrades boxes above and lower down this page.
Problem with e-mails from France.  Problèmes avec courrier électronique de la France

Depuis quelques mois je trouve que tous les e-mails que j'envoie en France de cette page sont rejetés.  Je suggère aux correspondents qu'ils me donnent plusieurs options por répondre (par example, WhatsApp).

À partir d’avril 2023, je copierai ma réponse aux questions reçues à partir de cette date, si elle est rejetée par le serveur du correspondant, à une nouvelle page ici (voir aussi plus bas sur cette page).


What is a Single Lens Reflex camera
and how does it work?

What is “Medium Format?”

Square Composition
 – or even Panoramic Photography
with the Pentacon Six








Pentacon Six or Digital?


 
The Cameras The Lenses The Accessories
Macro photography Using Flash Frequently-asked questions
Links to related websites
To contact me,
please use the e-mail address below:
 About the Author


Because of the vast amount of junk mail that I receive,
I have had to remove the live link.
Please re-type this address.  Thank you!

Bounced e-mails

Several times each week I write personal replies to enquirers.  Most of these replies are delivered without any problems.  I know this, because the recipients usually write back to me.  But sometimes my replies are automatically rejected by the original sender’s mailbox.  I will now put a copy of these bounced replies here, eliminating the original writer’s e-mail address and some personal information.  These may not be “Frequently-Asked Questions”, but they do deserve a reply and the matter may also be of interest to other visitors to this website.
12th April 2023


Using Pentacon Six Lenses with Fujifilm GFX Cameras
Pentacon Six lenses from Carl Zeiss Jena, Schneider-Kreuznach and some other manufacturers deliver images with superb quality.  It is possible to use these lenses on a range of other cameras, both analogue and digital, via suitable adapters.  With the superb adapters from Hartblei, it is even possible to use them on the Medium Format digital cameras from Fujifilm, the 50R, 50S, 100, 50S II and 100S, and even to add a shift or tilt possibility to lenses that do not have this.

For details of some of the possibilites, see the following links:
Introduction to Hartblei Adapters for Pentacon Six Lenses

Tests of Pentacon Six and M42 lenses on GFX cameras

Using Pentacon Six and Mamiya RZ67 lenses on GFX cameras via the Pentacon Six Bellows and Tubes, with Hartblei accessories
Stitching Images to Obtain a Wider View

More on stitching images, especially when using lenses with the Pentacon Six mount



Here (and in the title above) is the link to the title page and index for the Literature section.
Here you will find information about books on the Pentacon Six and Praktisix, publicity by the manufacturers and the distributors on the cameras, lenses and accessories, plus advertisements and reviews.

Here (and in the title above) is the link to the title page and index for the History section.
Find out about the predecessors of the Pentacon Six, the history of the name, serial numbers, and much more!
 
Operating Instructions
The Faulty Part with the Pentacon Six

Website upgrades

This website is continually being upgraded, sometimes in response to questions sent to me by visitors.

Features include:

  • information on further lenses (located in the lens data section for the manufacturer in question)
  • reviews of further lenses that I have tested (located in the lens tests section for the focal length in question)
  • more information on accessories
  • additional facts and illustrations on lens data summary pages
  • many new illustrations
  • answers to questions that I have been frequently asked
  • updated links to other websites
  • Video tutorials.  To find these quickly, click here.
  • A search on YouTube for “Pentacon Six Expert” or “PentaconSixExpert” should also take you to this website’s videos.
  • On problems responding to comments and questions on YouTube, please see  here.
For links to the latest upgrades, see here.

Explanations

Over the past 10-15 years, most newcomers to photography have probably started with a digital camera or even a mobile phone.  While these items are extremely useful, they tend to do most or all of the ‘thinking’ for the photographer (on exposure, shutter speed, aperture and focus).  People who find themselves restricted by the limitations of these devices are turning in increasing numbers to film cameras, and especially to Medium Format Film Cameras like the Pentacon Six.  This website seeks to make the transition to this camera easier, by explanations not only of how to operate the camera, but also of general photographic principles.  It is hoped that this will enable photographers to develop their skills and thus enhance the quality of the pictures that they take.

Some explanations come on new pages, indicated at the appropriate time on the Upgrades page.  Others take the form of improvements to existing pages, which may have been expanded since you last visited them.  To find the latest news and upgrades quickly, click here.

Many general explanations can be accessed via the Instructions page, here.

Enjoy your visit, and do come back to visit me here regularly!

TRA
August 2016


Display Problems with Chrome internet browser

Recently some pages have stopped displaying correctly in the Chrome internet browser.  When this happens, I have found no display problems when using Internet Explorer 10, Edge, Mozilla Firefox or Sea Monkey browsers.  If text and pictures fail to display correctly, it will be obvious – sentences split up, text and pictures don't line up, etc.  If you experience this problem, I would encourage you to try using a different browser.  It should solve all the problems.
TRA, August 2016


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© TRA January 2002
Latest revision: July 2024