Optima

The Optima is a family of 35mm cameras made by Agfa in the 1960s and beyond. The original Optima from 1959 was the first camera manufactured with automatic programmed exposure, using a selenium-meter-driven mechanical system. (The Paxette electromatic may have also appeared in 1959, but it was a simpler camera with just automatic aperture.)

The first (un-numbered) Optima appears to have a shutter release on the "wrong" side; in fact this lever is held down to operate the light meter. (The actual shutter release is on the top deck, in a conventional location.) But later models used a front-mounted shutter release operated by user's the right hand.

all images by Just Plain Curt (Image rights)

Optima

Optima I

Optima III

Optima Ia (1962)

The camera has an optical bright frame finder with parallax marks, a distance setting ring with symbols around the front lens element, and an aperture setting ring with separate aperture setting scales for B-mode or flash synchronized speed 1/30 seconds. The automatic exposure mode (A-mode, without flash) has to be switched on with the same ring. Film speed setting is possible only up to 200 ASA. The camera's bottom & back part can be removed very easily for loading the film. Film advance has to be done with a tiny advance lever. Other than the Optima I's lever it's mounted on the camera top. The exposure counter is readable from the side. Its advantage over the Optima I of 1961 is its hot shoe and maybe a different shutter. A similar model was the Agfa Agfamatic Ia.

all images by Just Plain Curt (Image rights)

The Selecta, a half-automatic variant

Agfamatic Ia (like Optima Ia)

Optima IIS (S stands for coupled rangefinder)

The Optima name was continued with the Optima Sensor range.

Links

• The original Optima camera series at ukcamera.com [1]
• Optima I, optima Ia, Optima II, Optima III on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand