Agfa AG603000 Photo Analoge 35mm Foto Kamera black

Product Information

Karat film used a simpler cassette without a central spool that was easier and cheaper to manufacture, and since cameras that used it did not require the ability to rewind the film, Karat compatible cameras could be made cheaper as well. The downside however is that it wasn’t compatible with established cameras like the Leica and Contax, and due to the way the film advanced, no more than 12 exposures could be loaded at one time, down from 36 in Kodak’s film. Agfaphoto APX 400 is rated ISO 400 but with the potential to be pushed to 1600 without a significant drop in quality.

Sadly for AGFA, shortly after the time when Karat film and cameras hit the market, war broke out in Europe and people’s attention turned away from new developments in film. Kodak had just enough of a leg up in popularity that by the time Word War II ended, most everyone had forgotten about Karat film. Although AGFA would resume production of both their Karat camera and film, they would concede defeat in 1949 by releasing a variant of their Karat camera called the Karat 36 that used Kodak’s type 135 cassette. AGFA would continue to produce both versions of the Karat camera for a short while before abandoning Karat film altogether. If not obvious from the names, these lenses were made during a time when popular color film photography was a novel and relatively new invention. The lenses have been coated and formulated to make the most of the then-new films. The resultant images, even today, simply burst with super-saturated color. Shots taken yesterday have a signature depth and rendition to replicate classic photos from the 1950s. Even standard Kodak Ultramax looks almost like slide film.You could go for an ISO 400 colour negative film, but then you’d be paying more and getting away from the advantage ColorPlus has and Agfa had, which was their low price. In the film world, there’s a general grouping of large format, medium format, 35mm, and subminiature film. In every category besides 35mm, there’s a variety of shapes and sizes of film. Large format can come in any size from huge 24×20 images all the way down to 5×7 sheets. Medium format came in at least 30 different roll film sizes from 127 to 122 to 130 to Kodak’s own 620 and 616 formats. Even in the small subminiature formats, there’s 110, Minox, 16mm, and even some specialized 21mm formats that have existed.

I enjoyed shooting the Isoflash more than I thought I would. When you don’t have to think about shutter speeds, f/stops, or even focus, you can just point the camera at something and shoot it, just like the term point and shoot suggests. Despite it’s plastic build and simple design, the Isoflash is a fun and easy to use camera. Although both Instamatic 126 and AGFA Rapid film are no longer made, since both use film that is the same width as current 35mm film, they can be easily reloaded and used. AGFA Rapid cameras are very easy to reload as they simply require bulk 35mm film to be pushed into an empty cassette in the dark and loaded as normal. If you own a Rapid camera and have some bulk 35mm film, two empty Rapid, or even Karat cassettes, this is something you can do yourself. And even considering these unmitigated disasters of ergonomics and design (I’m being dramatic), the ways in which the Agfa Ambi Silette succeeds far outweigh the ways in which it fails. Unless you have a film shop near you with a reasonably-priced supply, I don’t think the cost is worth it. Not for me anyway, when I can spend the money trying out different and higher-quality film instead.One of the most common faults on the Karat is that the focusing mechanism seizes. The grease used turns to glue. Forcing the focus lever spreads two legs that stabilize the lens and mechanism. On early Karats, the link to the rangefinder on one of these legs is screwed from underneath, making it necessary to partially remove the bellows, but on the 36, the screw is from the top making it easy to disconnect the rangefinder. It is then possible to undo the mechanism retaining ring inside the camera and drop the mechanism and lens out, leaving the bronze focusing mechanism exposed and possible to free up. One recently required heat from a hair drier to loosen the two pieces, but most just require oiling to free up, then cleaning, then re-greasing. I saw the Keppler article about the Rapid system, and soon acquired a Minolta 24 Rapid, which was a 24X24mm version of the Autopak 700. I noticed that there was a “tooth” on the Rapid cassette, which coupled with a spring-drive post in the 24 Rapid, which I took to be how film ASA speeds were detected. Using an exposure meter and cutting up pieces of Bamboo skewers, I discovered that I could step aside the ASA 64-125 limits to at least ASA 400.

Fast forward a decade and a half, and film photography was more popular than ever before. Features like automatic exposure, motorized film advance, and fully flash synchronized shutters simplified film photography to where little to no knowledge of exposure was required to get a good image. Companies like Kodak and AGFA were looking for the next big thing in film, and in 1963 Kodak would strike first with a new format of film called type 126 Instamatic film. Kodak’s new Instamatic film was heavily promoted to help simplify and speed up the film loading process.

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Post-war Karats are equipped with Karat-Xenar Schneider lenses (5-element in 4 groups), that did not use the normal Schneider lens serial number sequence, using instead a low five digit number (14000-) as the factories were restarted.

These plastic cameras have straightforward controls. It’s worth keeping a few things in mind when using them. So, whether you are using a Reusable or Disposable here are some tips to get the best images out of them: How To Get The Best From Your Reusable Film Camera.The Silette LK of 1958 is a cheaper variant of the SL, with a Color Apotar 2.8/45mm lens and a Pronto LK 15-250 shutter. Launched the same year, the Silette Automatic (named Silette SLE at the beginning) is better, with the meter reading visible inside and a bright-line viewfinder. The Agfa Ambi Silette was first produced in 1957 and discontinued in 1961, a remarkably short four-year lifecycle made even more remarkable when we realize just how good it is to shoot. Shooting the Ambi Today