Praktica

Praktica is a brand of camera manufactured by Pentacon in Dresden in eastern Germany, formerly within the GDR prior to reunification. Pentacon is the modern-day successor to Dresden camera firms such as Zeiss Ikon, and for many years Dresden was the world's largest producer of cameras. Currently Praktica is the only brand sold by the company; previous ones included Zeiss Ikon, Contax (now owned by the Carl Zeiss company), Exakta, Pentacon and many more.

The firm collapsed after German reunification but was resurrected in partnership with Schneider, and produces many products under various brands such as car industry products, 3D LCD screens, and still cameras and lenses under their own Praktica brand and also for more known international brands.

One of the first inventions of the firm, which is still known today, was the roll film SLR camera in 1936. In the east block countries the firm's products are more known than in the western world. They produce both budget lenses (mostly small, not very durable and having manual focus, but good in optical quality) and higher priced products. They also produce optical equipment for the space programs of the US, Western Europe and the Russian Federation.