Standard 8 Film Making

The Pentacon Pentaflex 8

pentaflex image

left side image rear image front view

with hand grip side view of cartridges

view of gate open cartridge view

Specifications:

Lenses: Bayonet mounted interchangeable lenses made by Zeiss.

  • Flektogon f2/5.5mm.
  • Flektogon f2/12.5mm
  • Jena B f2/25mm
  • Jena S f2.8/40mm
  • Pentovar f2.8/8-32mm

Apperture: F2 - 16.
Exposure: Built in lightmeter with Manual apperture setting. ASA 12-200
Frame Rate: 8,12,16,24,32,48,64
Motor: Clockwork - 1 wind will allow approx 35 secs at 16fps
Filter Size: Dependent on lens.
Film Capacity: 25ft loaded into slot in cartridges.
Manual:

(Thanks to Jim Exley for the English instruction manual)

Filming Experiences:

with matte box

Communist era east-european cameras tend have a reputation for being quirky, unrealiable and of variable quality. However the Pentacon Pentaflex 8 knocks that idea into a cocked hat! An extremely sophisticated camera built by the Pentacon company of Dresden East Germany from the late 1950's until the mid 1970's. Such a successful camera in fact that it morphed into a Double Super 8 camera towards the end of it's production run. If ever there was a rival for the Bolex H8's crown this is it, held back only by the limited 25ft film capacity.

It has everything else you could want in a movie camera though:

  • Mirror reflex viewing
  • Bayonet mounted lenses made by Carl Zeiss
  • Cartridge loading
  • Built in lightmeter
  • Lots of accessories including matte boxes and electric motors
  • Back winding

For all that it's a very easy camera to use, if a little on the heavy side. The view finder is the largest of all the cameras I have used although like all mirror shutter systems it dims down as you close the aperture. The film is loaded into metal cartridges which slot into the back of the camera. At the end of the first run the camera stops automatically it's then a simple matter of opening the back of the camera and turning the cartridge around - a trick that can used for lap dissolves!

All in all a great camera with great lenses. However these cameras never seemed to have made it far outside of Germany so it can be difficult to track one down but well worth the effort if you do!

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