Agifold

Front view of early base model (click for larger image) image by AWCam (Image rights)

Rear view of base model, shows red & green windows, waist-level viewfinder and shutter-release retracted. image by AWCam (Image rights)

The Agifold is a 120 film folding camera made in Croydon in the UK by Agilux. Production started c.1948.

There were several models - some with rangefinder, some with an extinction light meter, and some with neither. Most had knob wind, but the latest, top models had lever wind. There were several style and equipment revisions across the time of production. Early versions had a shutter with speeds 1/25-1/100 + 1/125, B & T; some had 1/150 in place of 1/125. Later revisions had 8- or 9-speed shutters (e.g. 1s-1/350). There were several lenses, 75 & 90mm, f4 & f4.5. Lenses and shutters were made by AGI themselves.

Agifolds had an eye-level viewfinder plus either a uncoupled rangefinder or a waist level finder fitted together on the top plate. The shutter release was on the top plate, and automatically retracted as the camera was closed. The back features both a red window and a green one, with a slider to select which is open.

The shutter was flash synchronised (on early models) via two pins on the side of the lens panel.

Early models had no release button to open the front, instead the viewfinder block was pushed sideways.

image by Mike Overs (Image rights)

With non-coupled rangefinder & extinction meter image by Mike Overs (Image rights)

Later model, with non-coupled rangefinder image by John Nuttall (Image rights)

image by Paulo Moreira (Image rights)

Links

• Agifold manual at Butkus.org
• 1950 non-rangefinder Advertisement and 1954 ad at Marriott cameras
• Late rangefinder model on Flickr
• Agilux Agifold at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr (in French)