Hybrid Agfa Record with Anastigmat Special

[Ernst Dinkla]

Some time ago I put the 101mm 4.5 Kodak Anastigmat Special (L) on an Agfa Record 6x9 folder body. Unsatisfied with the Kodak Monitor 620 adaption to 120 film, the Record body with its slim size seemed perfect for this marriage. Originally the Record lens is 105mm but the front element focusing of the AS could overcome that with some adjustment. I think the camera is now more suited for landscape photography with this shift. Normally the optimal focus distance with front element focusing should be 40x the focal length of the lens, so at about 4 meter.

An Epson V700 wet mounted scan of one of the first frames.





Ernst Dinkla

 

[lynnb]

Congratulations, the results speak for themselves!

 

[JRminox]

Indeed, working great for landscapes

 

[Denverdad]

Ernst, what a neat idea! I happen to have two 620 monitors with A/S lenses and have always thought they must have so much potential, but to date their leaky bellows have kept me from getting them fully back into service. At the same time, I just love the sleek styling of the light and compact Agfa Records, so kudos to you on an interesting and apparently rather successful conversion!

I should add that my only qualm with the design of the Agfa Records (I had an Agfa Record III with Solinar lens at one point) was that the interface on the bottom of the camera made mounting to a tripod much less stable than I would have liked.

Jeff

 

[Ernst Dinkla]

I should add that my only qualm with the design of the Agfa Records (I had an Agfa Record III with Solinar lens at one point) was that the interface on the bottom of the camera made mounting to a tripod much less stable than I would have liked.

Jeff

Normally I use a chainpod; in my case a freight belt with a tripod screw. That does not create the instability of the Record II tripod mount as the vibration reduction is based on pull force. The Bessa I is worse by the way, at both ends of the body's underside a similar Record tripod mount is used. Makes it all more unstable and harder to solve with a chainpod.
http://www.pigment-print.com/Fotografica/Iskra/target0.html
Did not use it or a tripod for the above image though.

Will add an image of the Anastigmat Special on the Record II soon. First printing a 100x70 print of the image above.


Ernst Dinkla

 

[citizen99]

I'm a great fan of the slim, pocketable, Record 🙂. My 'parts' Record III is host to an f/3.8 Ross Xpres. In that case, the focal length is the same 105mm. Conversely, the 100mm Anastar from a scrap 620A went on to an Ensign Autorange 20 body calibrated for 105mm. I love the flexibility of these cameras 🙂.

 

[Ernst Dinkla]

I'm a great fan of the slim, pocketable, Record 🙂. My 'parts' Record III is host to an f/3.8 Ross Xpres. In that case, the focal length is the same 105mm. Conversely, the 100mm Anastar from a scrap 620A went on to an Ensign Autorange 20 body calibrated for 105mm. I love the flexibility of these cameras 🙂.

Citizen, it was you who got me that far, otherwise I might have taken a more risky route. Thank you.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129379&highlight=Citizen99+Dinkla&page=2

Edit, some images of the camera. I had to use another screw to fix the new position of the front cell. For the shutter trigger connection a copper pen of a mains power connector was bended and shortened and the small screw that normally fixates the electric wire now bonds it to the shutter release. May not last a lifetime but it is a smooth shutter trigger, way better than that horrible Monitor system.
Two issues with the camera; I can not close it without the shutter cocked. I know that is almost blasfemy in the folders world. Second thing is that the Agfa bellows is quite rigid and at the film side it shadows the long sides of the frame about 3 mm. So usable formats size becomes something like 50x84mm. Not bad for landscapes




Ernst Dinkla

 

[citizen99]

Oh, thank you, I'd forgotten 😱, my excuse is senility 😀. Nice job, the Kodak Supermatic shutter looks well on the Record.

 

[Steve M.]

Can you still close the camera fully w/ the new lens? You were fortunate that you were able to get good focus w/ the modification, as often the lens to film plane distances are different. Love the first shot. Perfect composition. Just the kind of shot that 6x9 lends itself to.

 

[Ernst Dinkla]

Can you still close the camera fully w/ the new lens? You were fortunate that you were able to get good focus w/ the modification, as often the lens to film plane distances are different. Love the first shot. Perfect composition. Just the kind of shot that 6x9 lends itself to.

Well I did some measuring first on both the Monitor and the Record II.

BTW, the second image is a detail in the center of the landscape.

No problem on the depth of lens (at infinity) + bellows to close it. I even might take that lens name plate off and put a yellow filter in the space behind it, the camera could still be folded then. The shutter cocker ? is in the way of the struts folding so that is the reason I have to cock the shutter before closing the lid. It was that or a more complex path to release the shutter.

Ernst Dinkla

 

[Thomas78]

A really nice camera, Ernst!

I also like the Record folder body for its elegant, compact and light design!

The Super Ikontas prevent my Record II with Apotar from being used more often. (And my preference for the Tessar (type) lenses.)

The shutter reminds me to my Medalist II.

What kind of lens is the Anastigmat Special?

Thomas

 

[Ernst Dinkla]

What kind of lens is the Anastigmat Special?

Thomas

Tessar type

Much is explained in detail here:
http://www.bnphoto.org/bnphoto/KA_KASIntr.htm
including a link to Chris Perez' resolution measurements on the same lens.

Ernst Dinkla

 

[Denverdad]

...Second thing is that the Agfa bellows is quite rigid and at the film side it shadows the long sides of the frame about 3 mm. So usable formats size becomes something like 50x84mm. Not bad for landscapes

Ernst Dinkla

That's interesting, as the bellows on my Record III - bought from Jurgen kreckel himself, no less - had the opposite problem. The bellows protruded slightly into the frame on the short sides. This bothered me (probably a lot more than it should have to be honest) to the point that I ended up performing surgery on the camera to relieve the problem. If I recall right, all I did was just shorten up the bellows by one fold (or maybe it was half a fold?) and that seemed to take care of it.

 

[Ernst Dinkla]

That's interesting, as the bellows on my Record III - bought from Jurgen kreckel himself, no less - had the opposite problem. The bellows protruded slightly into the frame on the short sides. This bothered me (probably a lot more than it should have to be honest) to the point that I ended up performing surgery on the camera to relieve the problem. If I recall right, all I did was just shorten up the bellows by one fold (or maybe it was half a fold?) and that seemed to take care of it.

My guess is that the border for the bellows fixation around the frame is quite small. One of the reasons the body can be so slim. Depending on which side of bellows, short or long, folds in and then the other out, it could make the difference. I put some wax on the bellows that it may get a bit more flexible in time and pull the bellows forward when the camera is opened but I doubt it will ever get the right size.

Ernst Dinkla