Agfa Isoly IIa, questions
marc polman
Just bought a nice sample of this rangefinder camera. Looks like a
medium format 4x4. It has two shutterspeeds of 1/100th and 1/30th and B.
Apertures from f5,6 to f22 in full steps. Focussing can be done in three
steps; two little heads, a family and a mountain with a church :-)).
It also has a flash shoe. For winding the film, there is a big knob on
top of the camera, a film wind indication hole (don't know what else to
call it, turns from red to grey to indicate when the next exposure can
be made). On the back it has a red window to show the exposure number.
My questions; does anybody have the manual for this camera ? Or any
other kind of information, especially about focussing distances ? Can
normal 120 roll films be used in this camera ? What kind of cable
release can be used with it (there is a connection for it) ?
And...is it worth using or just a nice item for a collection ?
I hope somebody can help.
Greetings and thanks, Marc
meta...@cuci.nl
LenS
>
> Hi!
>
> Just bought a nice sample of this rangefinder camera. Looks like a
> medium format 4x4.
<snip more camera description>
> My questions; does anybody have the manual for this camera ? Or any
> other kind of information, especially about focussing distances ? Can
> normal 120 roll films be used in this camera ? What kind of cable
> release can be used with it (there is a connection for it) ?
I'm not familiar with this camera but I want to mention that if the
format appears to be 4 X 4, then size 120 film probably wouldn't be
right for this camera. 120 square format (2-1/4" X 2-1/4") is 6 cm X 6
cm. 4 X 4 might be size 127 film. If your cable release won't fit the
fixture, check at a camera store for other sizes (European?).
> And...is it worth using or just a nice item for a collection ?
I love to make pictures with the old cameras in my modest collection.
Possibly it's because I'm in my mid-60's and appreciate older things
<g>. If you can find film for this little guy, shoot some pictures and
then make a judgement about whether you want to do serious photography
with it or just admire it.
Heck, I've made some pictures that I treasure with a pinhole camera!
Good luck. Have fun!
-Len
Markku Aho
self-timer and a slightly different lens. It takes normal 120-size film, but
the picture frame is 4x4. So you get 16 shots per roll but the upper and
lower centimeter of the film gets wasted. Theoretically you could buy
120-size Ektachrome and shoot 4x4 superslides. On the other hand the shutter
speeds probably aren't too accurate, the lens is definitely not very sharp,
and the red exposure number window in the back of the camera might let some
unwanted rays of light reach your colour film (it serves its purpose well
with B&W material though).
But you never know if you don't try...
Markku Aho
Paul Fischer
How do I do to maximize the number of shots ? I know on 4x4 camera you could take up to 16 exposures. However when I unwind the Ilford film, I can only see dots then the shot number appearing. I guess the film is made for 6x6 cameras, and doesn't know I'm using a 4x4 one. I'm probably losing exposures, so is there a way to optimize the number of shots ?
Ken Hart
width and length of the film is sensitized.
But for cameras with the red film count window, the backing paper tells
you how far to wind the film. 120 size film has three rows of numbers on
the backing paper: for 16 exposures, 12, or 8.
If the red window is toward the one edge of the film, the numbers for 8
exposures are visible. If the window is toward the other edge, the
numbers for 16 exposures are visible. And if the window is in the
center, you will see the numbers for 12 exposures.
So where is the window? It should be toward one edge of the film for
4x4cm framing. If it is in the middle, you will only get advancing for
12 exposures (6x6cm).
--
Ken Hart
kwh...@centurylink.net