Agfa model?

[Stephanie Brim]

Er...I know this sounds stupid...but I can't find another Agfa that looks like mine. If anyone can shed some light it would be appreciated. These are the photos from the auction...I've attached them. This makes me sound stupid, I know, but it doesn't seem to match any Agfas that I know of.

I'm going to send it to Jurgen for a thorough check, methinks, and I also sent him an email asking what it could be. Ideas are appreciated and if you can find another photo of the camera please show it to me.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Yep, still clueless.

 

[rxmd]

That looks like a prewar Agfa Billy with the 105/f4.5 Apotar. There were lots of different Billy models, apparently they were easy to confuse. The Apotar is supposed to be a good lens.

There's an amazingly bad picture of something that looks like your camera here (on this page that incidentally makes you want to poke your eyes out with a burning stick after loading the thirty-something megabytes of inline images). Then there is this picture on this page that looks vaguely like your camera except for the different wind knob, but then this was a detail that really changed a lot. It should sell for about thirty EUR over here according to this price list.

Philipp

 

[Stephanie Brim]

The problem is that neither of those cameras is exactly mine. Heh. I have the Compur shutter 1-250 + T + B. Heh. Interesting, though, and I think it's a Billy. It just has a higher end shutter.

 

[VictorM.]

I have almost the same camera. The model name, "Billy Compur", is embossed in the leather near the hinge. Yours is a slightly later version, maybe late 1930's, with a body release. To accomplish this, Agfa flipped the camera over and transferred the eye level finder to the 'new' top side. The pre-war Agfas were better made than the post war cameras. Yours shouldn't need much work; the focus grease is likely dried solid and the shutter wil probably need a cleaning. Then reset the focus. That's it. The bellows is probably good.

 

[VictorM.]

I also have an Agfa Ventura 69 Deluxe with a Solinar lens. It's from the late 1940's and had the vinyl bellows of Agfa infamy. The focusing grease was solid and had to be replaced. Then I replaced the bellows with one from a Zeiss Nettar and reset the focus. The shutter and self timer didn't need anything! Here's a few test pictures from the first roll of Fuji Acros. A small part of my neighbourhood was taken over to film scenes for the remake of "Hairspray". It's supposed to look like 1960's Baltimore.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I'm trying to make the decision of whether or not to send it to Jurgen. It actually has nothing wrong with it that I can tell other than the fact that B and T do the same thing ATM and there is a little dust between the elements of the lens. The body is also a bit rusty, but the inside looks almost brand new.

 

[VictorM.]

If the focus ring turns and the shutter works don't send it to Jurgen. Or at least shoot a test roll before you do.

 

[rxmd]

If you don't need to send it away, don't send it away. If you've got the money to spare, send it away.

Dust in the lens doesn't matter. These lenses were made for contact printing anyway. Nobody needs a "T" setting unless you use glass plates and/or need to focus with the camera open, and even then you can use "B" and a cable release.

Philipp