The Praktica PL Nova I B is a SLR camera. It was produced by VEB Pentacon in the GDR from 1967 to 1975. The 35mm camera was also available on the US market under the name “Hanimex Praktica Nova I B“. In the Netherlands they were called “Pentor IB”.
The lens of the Praktica PL Nova I B is interchangeable. It features a M42-Gewinde. The M42 thread is standardized and manufacturer-independent, so a large number of lenses have been manufactured for this lens mount. The M42 thread was developed by Carl Zeiss in Jena, Germany. The major producers of M42 lenses were Pentax, Zeiss, Pentacon and KMZ. The Praktica PL Nova I B has no autofocus. It is manually focused.
The 35 mm camera has a built-in meter for measuring the correct exposure. She also has a selenium exposure meter. It does not require batteries to measure exposure, but can lose precision over the years or stop service altogether.
The desired exposure time as well as the number of f-stops can be set by the user. The camera has a bulb mode. In this mode, the film is exposed as long as the shutter release button is pressed. The PC flash socket allows the use of an external flash with the camera.