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)

List of the first series of Agfa Optima cameras

Model Name	Year	Lens	Shutter (max speed)	Note
Optima	1959	Color-Apotar S 3.9/39	Compur (1/250)	seperate button for exposure meter
Optima I	1960	Color-Agnar 2.8/45	Prontor-Lux (1/250)
Optima Ia	1962	Color-Agnar 2.8/45	Optimat 103A (1/160)	plastic body
Optima II	1960	Color-Apotar 2.8/45	Prontormator (1/250)
Optima IIS	1961	Color-Apotar 2.8/45	Prontormator (1/250)	rangefinder
Optima III	1960	Color-Apotar 2.8/45	Compur (1/500)
Optima IIIS	1961	Color-Apotar S 2.8/45	Compur (1/500)	rangefinder
Optima 500S	1963	Color-Solinar 2.8/45	Compur (1/500)	rangefinder

For export the Optima III was called Optima 500. In Canada and probably in some other countries most models were sold as Agfamatic, e.g. "Optima Ia" changed into "Agfamatic Ia". Other cameras by Agfa are very close to the Optima design: the Agfa Selecta (with shutter priority automatic exposure) and some Agfa Silettes (manual exposure), like the Agfa Super Silette LK.

So, the name Optima indicates a programmed shutter and this way it was used on different cameras: The Optima Reflex was the sister of the Flexilette, but with automatic exposure. The Optima-Parat belongs to the Parat family of half-frame cameras.

Model Name	Year	Lens	Shutter (max speed)	Note
Optima Reflex	1960	Color-Apotar 2.8/45	Pontor (1/250)	35mm TLR
Optima-Parat	1963	Color-Solinar 2.8/30	Compur (1/500)	half-frame camera 18x24

The Optima name was continued with the 1970 Optima Sensor 200 and Optima Sensor 500 cameras, and then the Optima Sensor Electronic series from 1978.

Links

• The original Optima camera series at ukcamera.com
• Optima I, optima Ia, Optima II, Optima III on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand (in French)