An Isolette, you say?

Over the years, I’ve used and handled a lot of Agfa Isolette folding cameras.  It’s been at least 20 years since I used my first one, and while these scale-focus cameras may not be to everyone’s taste, the 6x6 negatives on 120 film, made with a camera that can fit in a jacket pocket are something to be appreciated.  However, the problem with many of the Agfa/Ansco folding cameras is that the focus helical used a grease that in time, has solidified into something that is more like concrete.  In some, I have seen the focus ring turn, but with no connection with the helical.  On top of that, the paper bellows may have pinholes. So, yes  these cameras can have problems.

But not this one.

My friend Louise in New Hampshire sent me this lovely Agfa Isolette that looks as new as can possibly be.  It’s been CLA’d and checked over, and I have never seen an Isolette as nice as this.  I’m thankful that people think highly enough of me to send me such gifts.  Knowing that the camera was ready to use, I loaded a roll of expired Fuji Acros 100 film, and over the course of a few days, shot the 12 exposures.  

This is a fun camera to use.  It has B, 1/25, 1/50 and 1/200  sec shutter speeds with an Agnar 85mm f/4.5 lens. The smallest aperture is f/32! There is a PC flash sync port on the Vario Shutter, and the scale focus goes from about 1 meter to infinity.  You need to cock the shutter for each use, so it can make multiple exposures on a frame, if you so desire.  

In use, it’s pretty simple - frame your subject, cock the shutter, and press the shutter button, but only after you have figured out your exposure and distance.  I’m pretty good at estimating distances, as well as using sunny-16, so  I don’t need a rangefinder or a meter.  However, I dug out a shoe-mount rangefinder from my boxes of stuff, and it would be useful for anything under infinity.  So, I’ll try that out for the next roll.

This Isolette 1 was made from 1951-1958, so it’s a camera that is at least as old as I am.  I think that it’s probably in better shape than I am, too.  Maybe I can get a CLA for myself!

There is plenty of information about the Isolette series of cameras, so I suggest that you do some research before you go and buy one, because not all Isolette models have the same specifications.  Camera-wiki has a good bit of information.

The following images were shot on expired Fuji Acros 100, developed in Flic Film's Black White and Green developer for 12 min.  Scanned on my Epson V700.

Thank you, Louise!

Barns at Bailey Mountain Preserve, Mars Hill, NC

The I-240 bridge over the French Broad River

Rail trestle over the French Broad River - note the guy walking on it!

Nothing like being able to have a beer at 3 pm with friends at Hi-Wire Brewing in the River Arts District of Asheville

One Roll With An Agfa Click!

I recently obtained an Agfa Click-I, a simple Bakelite-bodied camera that uses 120 film to take 12 square images per roll. While similar to a modern Holga in many respects, it is undeniably not a Holga. Manufactured in Germany from 1958-1970, the Agfa Click was designed to be a simple snapshot camera that anyone could use.  I owned of these nearly 20 years ago, but lent it out to someone, and never saw it again.  Therefore, this is the first roll of film that I've shot with a Click.  It's an altogether different camera from the Agfa Clack, which takes 8 6x9 cm images per roll of 120, much like the early Kodak Brownie cameras, although with better results and more control. I discussed that camera in a post in 2020. 

The Click is somewhat simpler than the Clack, in that it does not have a bulb mode, nor does it accept a cable release. It's definitely a "snapshot" style of camera. It's a fixed-focus camera - one shutter speed - probably 1/30 sec, and two apertures - about f/11 and f/16. There are contacts on the top deck of the camera to attach an Agfa bulb flash. The viewfinder is a simple Galilean type.  Aside from the two selectable apertures (sunny and cloudy), there is a yellow filter option at the maximum aperture. A red window on the back for showing the frame number, and a silver-gray plastic wind knob on the top.  The camera does feature a 1/4" thread tripod socket on the bottom.  The interesting bit to me is the attachment of the back to the body- a sliding metal clip on each side that looks just like the one found on a Holga!  The back cover has a slight curve to it so that the images are less distorted.  That sums up the features of this camera.  

Using the Click is like any simple snapshot camera - point and shoot.  Nothing to adjust other than the apertures, and winding the film on to the next frame.  There is no double-exposure prevention. The Click is an attractive camera, and ergonomically, it's perfect.  

I loaded the Click with a roll of the 100 ISO FPP X-Ray 120 film.  With a 1/30 sec shutter speed, ISO 100 is going to work best in sunny conditions, although Ilford Pan-F might be a better option for full sun.  For example, if it's a subject in full sun, 1/30 at f/16 is still about 2 stops overexposed for 100 ISO film, whereas for Pan-F (ISO 50) it's about perfect.  However, with simple cameras, you really never know quite how things are going to turn out.   In my roll of X-Ray film, a shot in full sun was definitely overexposed, whereas in a dappled sunlight situation, the images looked pretty good, as shown below.

A straight road in the Adirondacks! Overexposed, but still not bad. 

These two photos look perfectly exposed. Oswagatchie River in Harrisburg, NY

Of course, you could use an orange or red or ND filter taped over the front of the lens to reduce the amount of light for situations that call for it.  

Setting sun in Canton, NY, Grasse River. 

Is the Agfa Click as good as a Holga?  Well, with the Holga, you get a faster shutter speed, selectable zones of focus, and the ability to use B for long exposures.  I'd say that the Click may have a better meniscus lens than the Holga, but there does seem to be a "sweet spot" that is in focus about 15 feet away.  

In short, the Agfa Click is a well-built "toy camera" that under the right conditions, can produce reasonably good images.  I would not pay a lot for one, but if you see one for sale for less than $20, it's worth a try.  Make sure you use a low-ISO film for best results in strong daylight.

Classic TLR - Mamiyaflex Automatic B

I have used a number of Twin Lens Reflex cameras over the past 25 years, and that includes Rollei, Yashica, Ciroflex, Argoflex, Kodak, Minolta, Ricoh, Meopta Flexaret, and Mamiya C-series.  Until now, I’ve never held a Mamiyaflex - a series of TLRs that do not have interchangeable lenses like those found on the Mamiya C TLRs. Thanks to my friend Kim, I was recently gifted a Mamiyaflex Automatic (Automat) B.  Looking much like a Rolleicord, the Mamiyaflex Automatic B was produced in Japan between 1954 and 1956.  It takes 120 film, of course, with 12 6x6 negatives on a roll.  

It’s been hard to find much on the Automat B, but the specs are as follows:

• Taking lens is a Setagaya Koki Sekor, 75mm f/3.5
• Viewing lens is a Sekor 75mm f/3.5
• Shutter speeds B, 1- 1/500 sec in a Seikosha Rapid Shutter
• Apertures f/3.5 - f/22
• PC flash connector
• accessory shoe on side
• double exposure prevention
• shutter release lock
• knob-wind film advance
• screw-in cable release socket
• focus knob with depth of field scale and ASA indicator

The other features - pop-up lens hood, magnifier, sports finder option, bottom locking door cover with tripod socket are pretty standard.  But one other thing that is quite useful is a small window on the back that has a yellow dot showing when film is loaded in the camera.  That definitely saves one from accidentally opening the back while the film has been loaded. The “automatic” part of the name refers to the shutter being cocked as you advance the film, rather than pushing an arm on the shutter to manually set the shutter as you would on say, a Ciroflex.

In my opinion, this is a well-made camera that does not show up often.  I have seen many Yashicamats of all sorts, Ricohflexes, and the occasional Minolta Automat, but this Mamiyaflex is a first for me.  I can’t compare it to the Mamiya C series, as those cameras are definitely on the “pro level” and after having owned a C330 Pro F for almost a decade, comparing that camera against a much simpler TLR would not be a fair comparison. I can more easily compare it to using a Rolleicord III or IV. I think it weighs more than a Rolleicord, but operationally, it’s not too different.

My only complaint with this Mamiyaflex is the dim viewfinder, especially when compared to my YashicaMat 124.  I haven’t taken it apart yet to see if the reflex mirror is the culprit, or if it is the non-Fresnel frosted glass screen.  However, after shooting a roll of film with it, I am quite happy with the results.  In use, I find the controls easy to adjust, though not as easily as a Yashicamat 124 or a Rolleiflex Automat, with those thumbwheels that provide aperture and shutter speed control and a window right at the top of the front to see what they are.  In that sense, the Mamiyaflex is more similar to a contemporary Rolleicord.  However, the shutter speed and aperture markings are easy to read on the front of the Mamiyaflex.

I loaded a roll of expired Fuji Acros 100 into the Mamiyaflex, and shot the roll on 1/31/25 while at the NC Botanical Gardens near Asheville.  Developed the film in FPP D-96 for 10.5 minutes, and scanned the negatives on my Epson V700 scanner.  I’m pretty happy with the results from this camera.  

TLRs are pretty straightforward to use, and I think that they remain one of the best ways to enter into medium-format photography.  Mamiyaflex Automats go for around $150 on eBay, with most sellers from Japan.  That’s a pretty inexpensive entry into using 120 film.  Similar TLRs such as a Rolleicord IV, sell for nearly twice as much.  A previous post on TLRs is here.

Whatever TLR you decide on, shoot with it as much as possible. Embracing the square format and the perspective from a waist-level viewfinder is something quite different from 35mm.

 

Bilora's Stahl-Box

Bilora was a German manufacturer of low-end 127, 126, 35mm and 120 cameras.  Some of their cameras had Bakelite bodies, such as the Bilora Boy, a 6x6 camera with an interesting design.  However, most of their cameras were metal-bodied, such as this example of the Stahl-Box, a 1953 model with flash sync sockets at the top. The Stahl-Box cameras have a 6x9 cm neg for 8 exposures per roll of 120 film.  The f/11 meniscus lens with about a 1/30 sec shutter + time exposue and fixed focus isn't anything special.  The reflex viewfinders work, but are hard to see through in bright sunlight.  While the cameras are low-end compared to most of the other German manufacturers, they are sturdily built with simple mechanisms, aimed for the snapshot market.

This camera came to me last year, and I finally got around to testing it out. What better film to try it with than an expired roll of Kodak Vericolor III!  

I shot the roll on an outing back in August, and while not the most exciting subject matter, I feel the results are actually quite good for a box camera of this type.  

There are an amazing number of 120 box cameras that are still available in decent working order. Most of them are not made by Kodak, but by Agfa, Ansco, and Bilora. Kodak made some 120 box cameras until 620 became the favored Kodak film for their line of medium format box cameras.  A 6x9 negative is certainly capable of producing a decent-sized contact print, and back in the day, that's often how the drugstore-processed films were returned to the customer - as b&w contact prints.  Today, of course, we can scan these and easily make prints of any size.  

The following shots from the Stahl-Box were processed by The Darkroom Lab, and I am quite pleased with the results.  Once again, Kodak's Vericolor III shows itself to be an extraordinary film.

The Adox Golf 63S - a 6x6 folder

The Adox Golf 63S

To use a folding medium format camera seems anachronistic today, but there was a time when folding cameras were pretty much standard, unless you wanted a box camera.  However, by the end of the 1950s, folding cameras were coming to an end, as 35mm became more popular, and medium format was becoming the domain of professionals.  Zeiss-Ikon and other European manufacturers would soon succumb to the onslaught of Japanese-made cameras, which were just becoming popular in the world of 35mm. Today, a folding medium-format camera in good condition generally does not command the prices that are being asked for Hasselblads and so forth, for a variety of reasons.

Voigtlander Bessa 6x4.5

Ansco Speedex, a bottom-tier 6x6 folder

This Welta has 6x6 and 6x4.5 masks

Folding 120 cameras generally do not have fast lenses, lack lens interchangeability, and viewfinders do not give a precise framing of the subject.  Most of the old folders do not have meters or rangefinder focusing.  Square-format folders also tend to be less common than  6x9 and 6x4.5 folders. However, it’s certainly possible to get excellent images from these folders, so long as they work properly, don’t have light leaks in the bellows, and you use good techniques.  

Why folding medium format?

The absolute genius of folding cameras is that they generally have a self-erecting lens standard, and the collapsible bellows allows the camera to be lighter and far more compact than a rigid-bodied camera.  You typically push a button and the camera unfolds, sort of like a Transformer, although the transformation is only into a camera.  I should add that in most instances, folding cameras are relatively simple and do not have interchangeable lenses. Only a few models have built-in rangefinders, and most have scale focusing.  Early Kodak folders  usually featured only  6x9 cm negatives, with the exception of the Vest Pocket Kodaks which used 127 film.  Having a folding medium-format (typically 120 and 620 roll film) camera allows one to put a camera capable of using a large negative into a coat pocket.  The folding bellows retracts into the camera body, which also protects the lens and bellows from dirt and pointy objects.  The most obvious reason to use one of these cameras is due to the larger negative, as well as the separation of the subject from the background that you get at larger apertures. 

The Ricoh Six can do 6x6 and 6x4.5

The reality today is that most of these folding cameras are now 70 years old or more, and their bellows are often in sad condition if they have been left to the environment.  Shutters and focusing helicals may be in need of cleaning, lubrication and adjustment (CLA).  If the cameras take 620 film, then that involves respooling 120 film onto 620 spools. 

This Kodak Duo Six-20 folder does 6x4.5 on 620 film

With that in mind, I was really surprised to find an Adox Golf 6x6 folder in mint condition, with everything working properly, and no haze or fungus.  A big plus is that the camera uses 120 film.  

A roll of Tmax 100 for the next outing

Adox made the series of Golf medium format folding cameras from about 1955-1959, and all are 6x6 folders, and the variations mostly center around the lens used, shutter speeds, and self-timer present or absence. All share:

• double-exposure prevention
• front dial with apertures and shutter speeds
• red window on rear for aligning frame numbers
• simple reverse Galiliean viewfinder
• scale focus

The 63S model, as shown here, features B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/200 sec shutter speeds, a f/6.3 maximum aperture for the 75mm Adoxar lens, with f/22 minimum aperture, self-timer, and PC flash contact.  The Pronto shutter is known to be reliable and operates without lubrication being necessary.   A push of a button on the top left of the camera opens the front panel and the bellows locks into place as you pull the bed down.  Everything is manual, and there are no electronics, light meter, or hot-flash shoe.  The fully intact bellows, easily adjusted focus ring, and clear lens meant that this camera was ready for a test.   I loaded a roll of Fomapan 100 and over the course of a couple of weeks, I shot the roll, and reloaded it with a roll of Lomo Color 100.  

Using this camera is easy for me, as I've used all sorts of film cameras for 50 years.  The focus scale is in meters, and goes from 1meter to infinity.  I saw a YouTube video where the user said the red numbers were for feet.  Wrong.  The red numbers indicate the depth of field for each aperture!  This is especially important in a scale focus camera.  It's a very minimalist design, and once you advance the film and cock the shutter, you are ready to make an exposure.  If you get one of the tiny shoe-mounted light meters, you only need to guesstimate the distance to the subject. 

The Adox Golf may seem very similar to the Agfa/Ansco 6x6 Isolette/Speedex folding cameras, and in general, it is.  However, it does not have the litany of problems associated with the frozen helical grease and sticky bellows of the Isolettes.  

The beauty of these folders, whether 6x4.5, 6x6, or 6x9, is that they take up little space when collapsed.   There are a lot of models other than the Adox Golf to choose from, and having such a compact 6x6 camera (it takes up even less space than a Holga) means that it can pretty much go anywhere with you. If you are looking for something even better – a Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikonta with rangefinder focus is very desirable, but the cheaper Zeiss-Ikon Nettar 515/516 with scale focus is quite nice.  The Franka-Werke Solida 6x6 folders are also quite nice, if you can find one.  The German Balda company had a bewildering array of cameras named Baldax, Baldexette, and so forth, that are 6x6 folders.  Japan's Mamiya-6 folding cameras from the 1940s to late 1950s are definitely among the best 6x6 folders produced. 

Back to the Golf...

While this is an easy camera to operate, you can find the manual at Butkus.org.  All these different folding cameras can be a bit confusing to someone unaccustomed with using a red-window camera with the lens/shutter controls around  the lens.  Learning to guestimate distance is a good skill to have, too.  Once you have found a 6x6 folding camera that works well, hang on to it!  The simplicity and compactness of these cameras make them ideal for trips.  

Results from Roll 1. I shot this in Asheville and Raleigh, NC.  Overall, happy with the results.

The Fujica GL-690 Professional

It was about this time last year that I decided that I really wanted a Fujica 6x9 rangefinder, aka the “Texas Leica.”  A previous guest post here in 2016 had nothing to with it, but I do wish that I had purchased one about that time, as prices for medium format cameras of any kind have risen quite a bit.  It was during this search last year that I became aware of many different Fujica 6x9 models, and unfortunately, most of the sellers on eBay for these models are from Japan.  I looked and looked, and what I thought was a reasonable price were “mint” with fungus...  The more recent models such as the GW690 have fixed lenses, more ABS in the body, and were selling in the $600 range or higher.  A decade ago, I could have picked one up for $250.  Anyhow, I was hesitant to spend that much on a camera that had to be shipped from Japan.  

A while later, I checked my favorite camera store - KEH, and there was a Fujica GL690 body for sale for $360.  The beauty of the early G-690 series is that they are the original “Texas Leica” and can accept lenses of different focal lengths (although that lens selection is limited, but it's perfect for this camera).  They are also all-metal.  The Fujica GL690  was first released in 1974, and has a front and top deck shutter release - which I find very handy.  Of course, it uses 120 roll film, and gets 8 6x9cm shots per roll.  It could also shoot 220, but that film stock is no longer with us. One thing I found by accident, is that the screw-on eyepice diopters and plain glass covers that work with Nikons, such as the Nikkormats and F3, also fit the Fujica GL690 eyepiece.  Further reading online conforms this.

Okay, I had the body from KEH, but no lens was available, either at KEH or eBay.  Derek Keaton, a fellow photographer in Virginia, contacted me after I had posted about my search on Instagram. He had a 100mm Fujinon that might not be working, but it was free.  I figured that had to be the best deal ever, so he mailed it to me.  Yes, it was not working, but there is a camera repair shop not even 10 miles from my house.  So, I took the camera and lens over to Crystal Camera Repair and about a month later, I had my outfit back in perfect working order for $200.  

Now that I have been using my Fujica GL690 for about 8 months, I am more comfortable with its operation, and am aware of the quirks - like forgetting to release the shutter lock when removing the lens, and wondering why the camera was not working.  We are all done with the honeymoon period, and this summer, my plan is to use it more often.  I was in Murrels Inlet in SC back in early May, and shot 3 rolls of film with it, equalling 24 exposures. So, from the standpoint of a 35mm user, it’s similar to using my Leica M2, but everything is bigger, and with fewer shots/roll (but with easier film-loading!).  

I’ve mostly been using the camera on a tripod, because of what I shoot. However, if I load some Kentmere 400 into the camera, I can go with fully handheld.  It’s a big camera for sure, and that 100mm Fujinon lens is a real nice Tessar-design lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.5. I’ve got a Tamrac bag that the camera fits perfectly, with room for a light meter, film, and any filters I might need.  

Since it’s a rangefinder, one has to be aware of that, and the focus spot is pretty easy to see.  You are not going to have the same focus experience as say, a Pentax 6X7, which is an SLR.  It’s definitely like using a very large Leica M2. Since there is no built-in light meter, I use a handheld meter.  I might use my Pentax Spotmeter in the future, if I think it would be more helpful. However, the camera bag only has so much room.  

The aperture and shutter speeds are adjusted at the front end of the lens, and once I got used to it, it is quite easy to do.  Much like using a Hasselblad - all the controls are on the lens, which makes sense, since the shutter is IN the lens.  It’s not a focal plane shutter, and as a result, this is perhaps the quietest medium format camera that I have used.  I can barely hear the shutter open and close.  Maybe the Agfa Clack which has the same 6x9 format is quieter, but it’s just a box camera.  

The larger negatives are really nice.  If I wanted to, I could make contact prints with them - and I may do so in the future.  For now, just scanning them in on my Epson V700 is enough.  I have made a few prints from the negs with my Canon Pro 200 printer, and they just thrilled me with the detail that this camera can produce.  My only prior experience with a 6x9 rangefinder was the Kodak Medallist II, and the Fujica is a whole world apart in user interface and ease of use.

So, this new camera gives me the opportunity to make images on a larger chunk of film with the ease of use of a rangefinder camera, with the same aspect ratio as 35mm.  It’s a keeper, and I look forward to using it a lot more this year.

Here are a few samples of what I have shot thus far:

  

Rocky Fork State Park, TN, RPX25

Rocky Fork State Park, TN, RPX25

Brookgreen Gardens, SC, Ilford HP5

Attalaya, SC, Kentmere 400

Carl Milles sculpture, Brookgreen Gardens, SC
Kentmere 400

Brookgreen Gardens, SC, Kentmere 400

French Broad River, NC, Rollei RPX 25