Optima

The Optima is a family of 35mm cameras made by Agfa in the 1960s and beyond. The original Optima was in 1959 the first camera with programmed exposure, obtained by a selenium-meter driven mechanical system. Moving down its shutter release lever halfway triggers a mechanical system that obtains aperture value and speed from the electromechanical part of the meter. The system mirrors a green or a red signal into the viewfinder when the camera catches appropriate exposure settings from the meter or not. Today this system should be revived for environmental reasons since it needs no batteries.

Optima 1a (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 synchronized flash mode. The automatic exposure mode (A-mode, without flash) has to be switched on with the same ring. Film speed setting is possible only upto 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. The film counter is readable from the side. The camera has a hot shoe.