Isola

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The Agfa Isola is a line of viewfinder cameras made by Agfa in Germany. There are two versions; Isola I and Isola II. The Isola II doesn't have any roman numerals on the shutter/lens assembly, it's just written as ISOLA on the upper part of the shutter/lens assembly. The lens is collapsible; once extended, it is turned to lock back in storage position. The shutter release is interlocked with the lens extension and you can only engage the shutter when the lens is extended. Winding on the film is also required as the Isola feature a double exposure guard. When the indicator above the shutter button is red you cannot take an exposure and it means you have to wind on to the next frame. It's a handy feature but you can't disengage it so voluntary double exposures are not possible. The lens itself is an Agfa Agnar, a simple triplet design capable of taking fairly sharp photographs. It's somewhat prone to lens flare as it's not coated; a lens hood is certainly not a luxury with this camera. For aperture you can choose between f6.8 and f11. Focus is obtained by means of turning the front element with help of a distance scale (usually in meters, although scales in both feet and metres exist for export models), to use it effectively you either need a good eye or a decent additional rangefinder. Sometimes this method of focus is also nicknamed "The Guess-O-Matic". The Isola is a fairly decent camera, it's certainly more advanced than its predecessors like the Agfa Click II and Clack and it has a better lens assembly than those cameras.

Specifications

  • In production: Isola: 1955; Isola I: 1957 - 1959; Isola II: 1956-1959
  • Lens: (Isola II) Agnar 75/6.3
  • Shutter: Isola: Singlo; Isola II: Singlo II, B, 1/30, 1/100[1]
  • Film: 120, 12 6x6cm exposures

Notes

  1. Dates, lens & shutter details from McKeown, J, Price Guide to Antique & Classic Cameras, 7th ed, 1990.


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