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Praktica BCA: manual and user guide

The bayonet-mount Praktica SLR that sets the shutter speed by itself. Its original manual, then the essentials for using it.

View the manual on butkus.orgOriginal scanned manual · 56 pages · in Dutch, English and French, a 2nd version in German, English and French

Manual scanned and put online free of charge by Mike Butkus, whose library runs on donations. The link opens his model page, where you can download the PDF.

Getting started

Battery It needs a 6 V battery, or 4 LR 44 button cells in a holder. Turn the cover screw (29) to the left, place the + pole against the spring contact and close. A new battery lasts about 2 years. Take it out if the camera is stored for a long time.
Loading Switch (15) on “60”, pull the rewind knob (2) all the way out to open the back and put in the cartridge. Slide at least 1 cm of the film leader into the slot of the take-up spool (27) and close the back until it clicks. Wind on and release until the counter (5) reads 1: the knob (2) turns if the film is advancing properly.
Sensitivity Press the button (11) and turn the dial (1) until the film’s ISO/ASA value lines up with the mark (12). The end flap of the film box slides into the memo holder (35) on the back.
Your first photo Switch on “auto”, choose the aperture with the ring (10): it shows at the bottom of the viewfinder. Press gently until you feel resistance: a green LED shows a shutter speed between 1/1000 and 1/60 s, a yellow one between 1/30 and 1 s. Press all the way. If the LED is yellow, steady the camera or use a tripod.
Rewinding At the end of the roll (red mark at 20 or 36), press the rewind release button (33) until it stays down. Unfold the crank and turn it in the direction of the arrow until the resistance gives way. Pull the knob (2) all the way out to open the back, out of direct sunlight.

What it can do

It picks the shutter speed by itself, steplessly from 1/1000 s to 1 s, according to the light, the aperture you chose and the film. Metering is through the lens, centre-weighted and at full aperture.
Exposure compensation of up to 2 stops over or under, in half stops: lift the dial (1) and set the mark (12) to the value. Set it back to zero afterwards.
Compensate up (+1, +2) for a dark subject on a light background, down (−1, −2) for a light subject on a dark background.
A self-timer of about 8 s: with the shutter cocked, push the lever (6) down as far as it goes, then press the button (7).
A shutter release lock (18): turn it to the right to avoid firing the shutter and draining the battery by accident. Don’t lock it with the shutter button pressed.

Which lenses?

The mount is the Praktica bayonet (44.4 mm flange distance, 48.5 mm inner diameter), for Prakticar lenses.
To change lenses, press the button (8) and turn the lens to the left as far as it goes. Line up the red marks (20/8), then turn to the right until it clicks.
With the Praktica adapter, Praktica M 42 × 1 screw-mount lenses fit too. The automatic exposure works, but metering is done at the shooting aperture and its range is reduced.
For infrared, transfer the distance you found to the lens’s infrared mark.

The flash

The flash slides into the hot shoe (13), with no cable. Any electronic flash will do. Flash sync is at 1/60 s.
With a dedicated flash, on “auto”: at half-press, a green LED in the viewfinder tells you the camera and flash are ready. If a red LED lights up at the same time next to the △, don’t use the flash: switch to “60”.
With any other flash, set the switch to “60”: fixed speed of 1/60 s. Take the guide number and the film speed into account.

Good to know

The switch (15) has four positions: auto, B, 60 (fixed 1/60 s) and check. A red LED next to the ▽ signals Bulb or underexposure, next to the △ overexposure.
Battery test, with the shutter cocked: the battery is fine if the red △ LED or the green 1000/60 LED lights up and no other takes over after 2 to 3 s. Then set it back to “auto”.
On “auto”, a long exposure can start during loading or with no lens fitted, and the lever stays locked until it ends. Don’t force it: switching from “auto” to “B” cuts it short.
On a tripod on “auto” or with the self-timer, with your eye away from the viewfinder, put the cover on the eyepiece so the metering isn’t thrown off.
If the lever won’t go all the way at the end of the roll, don’t force it: rewind.

BCA specifications

Format: 135 film, 24 × 36 mm frames
Mount: Praktica bayonet, M 42 × 1 screw-mount lenses via adapter
Shutter: electronically controlled, stepless from 1/1000 s to 1 s in auto, bulb, fixed 1/60 s
Metering: through the lens, centre-weighted and at full aperture, CdS cell, from 1 to 19 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 12 to 3200 (12 to 36 DIN), ±2 stops compensation in half stops
Focusing: manual, diagonal triple wedge, microprism ring and ground-glass ring
Viewfinder: about 95% of the image, shutter speed by LED, aperture displayed, flash-ready lamp, battery check
Flash: hot shoe with centre contact and dedicated-flash contact, sync at 1/60 s
Power: 6 V battery (PX 28), or 4 LR 44 cells in a holder
Dimensions and weight: 138 × 87 × 49 mm body, 520 g without battery