Greyscale
Veteran
Another example of the ingenuity of Agfa, the Optima III S is a fully automatic camera with a coupled rangefinder (with automatic parallax correction) that is completely battery independent.
Aside from a stuck rangefinder and a missing front bezel on the lens, this example seems to be in working order. The rf patch is clear and bright, but on first try it moved to closest focus and will not move back. I will load a roll of 100 ASA film and scale focus to check for exposure accuracy before thinking about any repair on the rangefinder.
I have seen images online from this camera that are quite impressive, and am hoping for similar results.
DSC_0088 by Greyscale3, on Flickr
Aside from a stuck rangefinder and a missing front bezel on the lens, this example seems to be in working order. The rf patch is clear and bright, but on first try it moved to closest focus and will not move back. I will load a roll of 100 ASA film and scale focus to check for exposure accuracy before thinking about any repair on the rangefinder.
I have seen images online from this camera that are quite impressive, and am hoping for similar results.
DSC_0088 by Greyscale3, on Flickr
farlymac
PF McFarland
Likely it needs new lubricant. They were away from using the Bayer grease by the time these models came out, but what Agfa switched to does get sticky with age.
PF
PF