Agfa Optima 1a
You can find an in-depth review of this camera, here:
Agfa Optima 1a – Automatic Exposure from the 1960’s
Lens: Color Agnar 45mm f/2.8
Film speed settings: 10-200 ISO, set manually
Film Format: 35mm
Shutter: 1/30 to 1/160 sec
Aperture: f/2.8 to f/22
Focusing: Scale Focus Manual
Light Meter: Selenium
Battery: None Required
Flash: Hot Shoe
Year: 1962 - Onwards
Country: West Germany
Included Accessories: Carry case
The good:
• For a 60-year-old camera, it is in remarkably good condition, and us undoubtedly been kept in it’s case for most of it’s life.
• Shutter fires well, and appears to be roughly accurate in terms of speed.
• Focus ring is smooth and accurate.
• Film transport arm is smooth and solid.
• Viewfinder is clear.
• Lens has some marks, but they do not appear to affect the image quality.
The less good:
• Aside from the very minor wear and tear on the camera, the only cosmetic issue is a missing plastic cover from the shutter release arm. This piece is purely cosmetic.
• The camera does not require a battery for its automatic mode, instead using a selenium powered light meter. Selenium powered light meters tend to wear with age, and this camera is no exception. The effect is that you need to program the films ISO at a higher value than is accurate, if you wish to use the auto mode. If you are using 50 ISO film, a setting of 100 is about right. 100 ISO film becomes 200 ISO. You can also set it to manual mode, where the shutter is locked to 1/30
You can find a copy of this camera’s manual here: Agfa Optima Manual
You can find an in-depth review of this camera, here:
Agfa Optima 1a – Automatic Exposure from the 1960’s
Lens: Color Agnar 45mm f/2.8
Film speed settings: 10-200 ISO, set manually
Film Format: 35mm
Shutter: 1/30 to 1/160 sec
Aperture: f/2.8 to f/22
Focusing: Scale Focus Manual
Light Meter: Selenium
Battery: None Required
Flash: Hot Shoe
Year: 1962 - Onwards
Country: West Germany
Included Accessories: Carry case
The good:
• For a 60-year-old camera, it is in remarkably good condition, and us undoubtedly been kept in it’s case for most of it’s life.
• Shutter fires well, and appears to be roughly accurate in terms of speed.
• Focus ring is smooth and accurate.
• Film transport arm is smooth and solid.
• Viewfinder is clear.
• Lens has some marks, but they do not appear to affect the image quality.
The less good:
• Aside from the very minor wear and tear on the camera, the only cosmetic issue is a missing plastic cover from the shutter release arm. This piece is purely cosmetic.
• The camera does not require a battery for its automatic mode, instead using a selenium powered light meter. Selenium powered light meters tend to wear with age, and this camera is no exception. The effect is that you need to program the films ISO at a higher value than is accurate, if you wish to use the auto mode. If you are using 50 ISO film, a setting of 100 is about right. 100 ISO film becomes 200 ISO. You can also set it to manual mode, where the shutter is locked to 1/30
You can find a copy of this camera’s manual here: Agfa Optima Manual
You can find an in-depth review of this camera, here:
Agfa Optima 1a – Automatic Exposure from the 1960’s
Lens: Color Agnar 45mm f/2.8
Film speed settings: 10-200 ISO, set manually
Film Format: 35mm
Shutter: 1/30 to 1/160 sec
Aperture: f/2.8 to f/22
Focusing: Scale Focus Manual
Light Meter: Selenium
Battery: None Required
Flash: Hot Shoe
Year: 1962 - Onwards
Country: West Germany
Included Accessories: Carry case
The good:
• For a 60-year-old camera, it is in remarkably good condition, and us undoubtedly been kept in it’s case for most of it’s life.
• Shutter fires well, and appears to be roughly accurate in terms of speed.
• Focus ring is smooth and accurate.
• Film transport arm is smooth and solid.
• Viewfinder is clear.
• Lens has some marks, but they do not appear to affect the image quality.
The less good:
• Aside from the very minor wear and tear on the camera, the only cosmetic issue is a missing plastic cover from the shutter release arm. This piece is purely cosmetic.
• The camera does not require a battery for its automatic mode, instead using a selenium powered light meter. Selenium powered light meters tend to wear with age, and this camera is no exception. The effect is that you need to program the films ISO at a higher value than is accurate, if you wish to use the auto mode. If you are using 50 ISO film, a setting of 100 is about right. 100 ISO film becomes 200 ISO. You can also set it to manual mode, where the shutter is locked to 1/30
You can find a copy of this camera’s manual here: Agfa Optima Manual