Agfa Standard

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Agfa Standard, 6.5×9 cm plate model, with 10.5 cm f/4.5 Agfa Anastigmat; about 1926. Most examples do not have the folding Newton-type finder; this may have been added. image by John Nuttall (Image rights)

Agfa Standard showing front rise image by Miikka Skaffari (Image rights)

Roll-film Standard, showing hinged spool-holders image by Adam Greig (Image rights)

Agfa Standard cameras are a range of folding cameras, some models for plates and pack film, and others for roll film. They were made by Agfa from about 1926, when the company had recently become part of IG Farben and taken over the Rietzschel factory, until the early 1930s.

There are plate cameras in 6.5×9 cm and 9×12 cm sizes, and roll film models for 6×9 cm on 120 film and 6.5×11 cm on 116 film. Both plate and roll film cameras were available in a normal finish, with black leather and bellows, or a Luxus finish with light brown leather. All are easily identified by the name 'Standard' below the lens and shutter.

The cameras have a variety of lenses, including the Double-anastigmat Helostar, and the Trilinear (one of Rietzschel's lenses). The Agfa Anastigmat was available as an f/6.3 or an f/4.5. The lens is mounted in a unit-focusing helical mechanism (i.e. the whole lens moves, not just the front element). This mechanism is frequently stiff because of dried grease.

The shutter is usually the Automat everset shutter illustrated here, with a curious range of speeds: 1/2, 1/5 1/25, 1/50 and 1/100 second, plus 'B' and 'T'. This has the Gauthier logo on it. The cameras were also available with a Compur shutter, giving 1 - 1/250 second plus 'B' and 'T', with a self-timer.

The cameras all have a brilliant finder, which rotates for portrait and landscape orientation, and a wire frame finder. Plate models can be used with a ground glass focusing screen.

Some examples of plate models have front rise, as shown in the second camera illustrated, and a version was available with a slim coupled rangefinder.

The roll-film cameras have spool-holders that hinge out of the camera body for more convenient loading.

Links

• Cameras and documents at Sylvain Halgand's Collection d'Appareils:
  • Type 255 (1926) for 6.5x11 cm on 116 film, with 13 cm f/6.3 Trilinear anastigmat
  • Omnium-Photo catalogue listing (1927) for cameras including the Type 255 (above), the Type 254 (similar but for 6x9 cm on 120 film) and the 264 with compact rangefinder. The 255 and 254 are both listed with Agfa anastigmats with aperture f/7.7, f/6.3 and f/4.5
  • Photo-Plait catalogue listing (1928) for Type 204 plate/film-pack Standard, listed with f/6.3 or f/4.5 Agfa anastigmat, and offering a Compur shutter with speeds to 1/200 second, at considerable extra cost.
  • Type 208 (1928) for 9x12 plates and film packs, with a 13 cm f/4.5 Agfa anastigmat (the notes state that an f/6.8 was also available), and with front rise.
• Roll-film Agfa Standard cameras at Malcom Grant Purvis' Fellsphoto site: a 6×9 Luxus model, with (curiously) an f/6.3 Trilinear in the Automat shutter, and 6×9 and 6.5×11 cameras with Agfa Anastigmat lenses in the Automat shutter.
• Agfa Standard plate and roll-film models, at UK collectors' site Roland and Caroline.
• 9×12 cm plate model Standard with an f/4.5 Agfa Double-anastigmat and Automat shutter, at Le Vieil Album.
• 6.5×9 cm plate Standard at Rob Dunne's Vintage Camera Collection.
• User's manual for roll-film Standard cameras, at Mike Butkus' Orphan Cameras.
• List of serial numbers of Agfa Standard cameras