<s>
was	O
established	O
1919	O
in	O
Dresden	O
by	O
Paul	O
Guthe	O
and	O
Benno	O
Thorsch	O
,	O
starting	O
out	O
manufacturing	O
the	O
Patent	O
Etui	O
plate	B-Algorithm
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ten	O
years	O
later	O
came	O
the	O
roll	O
film	O
TLR	B-Algorithm
Pilot	O
Reflex	O
and	O
in	O
1936	O
,	O
the	O
6×6	O
SLR	B-Algorithm
Pilot	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Noble	O
came	O
to	O
Germany	O
and	O
moved	O
the	O
factory	O
to	O
Niedersedlitz	O
on	O
the	O
outskirts	O
of	O
Dresden	O
,	O
while	O
Benno	O
Thorsch	O
in	O
Detroit	B-Application
ran	O
the	O
acquired	O
photo	O
finishing	O
business	O
that	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
largest	O
in	O
the	O
USA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
Kamera-Werkstätten	O
AG	O
,	O
Niedersedlitz	O
prospered	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
1939	O
launched	O
the	O
35mm	B-Algorithm
SLR	I-Algorithm
Praktiflex	B-Algorithm
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
proved	O
successful	O
,	O
and	O
through	O
continuous	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
Praktica	O
name	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
35mm	B-Algorithm
SLR	I-Algorithm
brands	O
for	O
several	O
decades	O
,	O
beginning	O
in	O
the	O
1950s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Praktiflex	B-Algorithm
35mm	B-Algorithm
SLR	I-Algorithm
film	O
camera	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
1939	O
by	O
the	O
Kamera-Werkstätten	O
AG	O
,	O
Dresden-Niedersedlitz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
being	O
quite	O
crude	O
,	O
the	O
design	O
constitutes	O
the	O
pattern	O
along	O
which	O
virtually	O
every	O
subsequent	O
35mm	B-Algorithm
SLR	I-Algorithm
camera	O
is	O
built	O
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
place	O
of	O
origin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
highly	O
regarded	O
35mm	B-Algorithm
SLR	I-Algorithm
Kine	B-Algorithm
Exakta	I-Algorithm
,	O
by	O
Ihagee	O
in	O
Dresden	O
,	O
that	O
preceded	O
it	O
by	O
some	O
three	O
years	O
,	O
is	O
extremely	O
complicated	O
by	O
comparison	O
,	O
and	O
although	O
it	O
provides	O
the	O
same	O
functions	O
,	O
is	O
quite	O
differently	O
built	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Praktiflex	B-Algorithm
has	O
a	O
40mm	O
screw	O
lens	B-Algorithm
mount	I-Algorithm
,	O
while	O
the	O
later	O
Praktica	O
models	O
,	O
after	O
World	O
War	O
II	O
when	O
the	O
factory	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
VEB	O
Pentacon	O
,	O
uses	O
the	O
42mm	B-Algorithm
screw	I-Algorithm
mount	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Praktiflex	B-Algorithm
has	O
one	O
feature	O
inherited	O
from	O
the	O
large	O
format	O
plate	B-Algorithm
SLR	B-Algorithm
cameras	I-Algorithm
that	O
otherwise	O
was	O
unsolved	O
in	O
the	O
35mm	B-Algorithm
SLR	B-Algorithm
cameras	I-Algorithm
until	O
1954	O
;	O
the	O
instant	B-Algorithm
return	I-Algorithm
mirror	I-Algorithm
is	O
lifted	O
by	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
finger	O
depressing	O
the	O
shutter	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
returns	O
when	O
the	O
finger	O
pressure	O
is	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
button	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
rather	O
long	O
travel	O
,	O
is	O
placed	O
at	O
the	O
right-hand	O
camera	O
top	O
plate	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
slanted	O
script	O
is	O
embossed	O
in	O
the	O
name	O
plate	B-Algorithm
in	O
front	O
of	O
the	O
collapsible	O
waist-level	B-Algorithm
finder	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
finishes	O
and	O
improvements	O
were	O
implemented	O
in	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
the	O
production	O
period	O
of	O
the	O
Praktiflex	B-Algorithm
,	O
which	O
was	O
from	O
1939	O
to	O
1949	O
,	O
but	O
probably	O
disrupted	O
at	O
times	O
between	O
1941	O
and	O
1946	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
on	O
the	O
front	O
plate	B-Algorithm
was	O
at	O
first	O
in	O
a	O
Gothic	O
style	O
,	O
while	O
all	O
later	O
cameras	O
have	O
the	O
characteristic	O
slanted	O
script	O
name	O
plate	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1947	O
an	O
improved	O
Praktiflex	B-Algorithm
version	O
was	O
launched	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
internal	O
mechanism	O
and	O
a	O
shutter	O
release	O
at	O
the	O
front	O
that	O
releases	O
a	O
spring-loaded	O
mirror	O
,	O
which	O
does	O
not	O
return	O
until	O
the	O
camera	O
is	O
wound-on	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
frame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Praktiflex	B-Algorithm
II	O
by	O
collectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lens	B-Algorithm
mount	I-Algorithm
is	O
at	O
first	O
the	O
40mm	O
screw	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
cameras	O
have	O
the	O
new	O
42mm	O
lens	B-Algorithm
mount	I-Algorithm
,	O
first	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
Contax	O
S	O
and	O
the	O
Praktica	O
of	O
1949	O
,	O
since	O
production	O
lasted	O
until	O
1951	O
.	O
</s>
