The Pentacon Electra is rarely mentioned by most photographers, at least those in the U.S.
It's a simple camera that was made in the 1960s. Lots of plastic and very simple construction. To service the camera, you only need a Phillips-head screwdriver. Two screws secure the front of the camera to the back.
The lens is a coated f/2.8 45mm Domiplan. From everything that I've read, it's a triplet. I thought this was a Meyer-Optik lens, but this one isn't marked with the name of the lens maker.
The Electra uses special cassettes, but I found that the Agfa Rapid cassettes work fine. These are the same cassettes that are used for the Agfa Karat and some other cameras, including the 24x24 Penti. The Electra is a full-frame camera.
How this works today is that you need two cassettes -- one preloaded with film and an empty. Like the Agfa Karat, the Electra pushes film into the empty cassette. And again like the Agfa Karat, the frame counter goes only to 12 plus two blanks. I think there's a limit to how much film you can push from left to right.
The Electra uses a battery-powered cadmium sulfide light meter. The two AA batteries also control the leaf hutter, which has a decent range for such a simple camera. I think the shutter tops out at 1/200 but on the low end it's about five or six seconds.
There is no rangefinder, nor are there parallax marks in the very simple viewfinder. The lens barrel is smooth plastic, which makes setting the distance a bit tricky. And there are a few oddball symbols on it, which you can see in the photo.
The aperture doesn't use number but a series of symbols. There is a conversion guide on the battery cover, and available apertures are 2.8 -- 4.8 -- 8 -- 13.5.
The camera isn't that comfortable to hold. Its hard plastic edges cut into your fingers, and the front-mounted shutter release requires a moderate push.
Pentacon made two Electra models. This is the first one.
The film is limited to two types: ASA 50 and 100. Despite its shortcomings, it was fun to use this camera. I shot two rolls of Agfapan APX 100, and came up with a couple of photos that I liked. Next time, I'll bring along a handheld rangefinder. I'm still only average at guessing distances.
The film was processed in Rodinal, 1:50 dilution, for 17 minutes. Not sure of the temperture, as my darkroom thermometer seems to have gone belly up.
This is my favorite of the bunch. Shot wide open. Wow, look at the vignetting and the circular background.
The attendant's booth at a small parking lot. Shot at f/8, I think. Look how the background has been tamed. Same with the vignetting.
I don't remember the aperture, but I would guess f/4.8, judging from the out-of-focus areas.
When you enter this small lot, you're supposed to read all of these little notices. Ridiculous. Anyway, I think this was at f/13.5.
Probably shot at f/13.5. Slightly oversharpened the image. Sorry.
