Which one, Iskra or Agfa Super Isolette?

[bawang]

I have been following the prices of these two folders (Iskra and Agfa Super Isolette/Ansco Super Speedex) on the bay. They are a little higher than what I expect to spend on a folder at the moment. I figured, before I commit to buying either, I'd better get the thoughts for the experts here.

What say you?

Thanks in advance.

 

[remegius]

They are both terrific cameras, but you will no doubt find that the Iskra is the more economical of the two. I bought my Iskra from an RFF member, and have not been disappointed. A couple of caveats with the Iskra:

1) They often have light leaks that develop and are easy to deal with.

2) The film transport system is sometimes broken which necessitates the
installation of a ruby window on the back.

The above has been dealt with in a number of threads. Do a search and you will find lots of good information.

Cheers...

Rem

 

[Ernst Dinkla]

Add to that: The Agfa or Ansco is made with better tools and has a nicer finish. The image quality will be almost equal. The Iskra finder is better in my opinion.


Ernst Dinkla

 

[FallisPhoto]

I have been following the prices of these two folders (Iskra and Agfa Super Isolette/Ansco Super Speedex) on the bay. They are a little higher than what I expect to spend on a folder at the moment. I figured, before I commit to buying either, I'd better get the thoughts for the experts here.

What say you?

Thanks in advance.

Okay, you are talking about two cameras with issues. With any kind of Isolette, you will almost certainly need to change the bellows, since the material they used for them is just about the same stuff they use to make shopping bags from now. You can pretty much count on holes in the bellows. Their other issue is that the grease they used to lubricate them way back then was not very good and it tended to polymerize, forming molecular chains of what amounts to plastic. After 40-50 or so years, this means that the focus adjustment is likely frozen, along with the rangefinder adjustment. You'll need to free those and relubricate them. Once these two issues have been taken care of, it is a first class camera.

The Iskra's problems are usually due to what happens when people who don't care a whole lot about what they are doing (prison labor) hang a good lens on a body with wild variations in build quality -- it occasionally just doesn't fit together quite right. Russian quality control being what it was, and due to the fact that they were working on a quota system, the ones that didn't fit together right often passed. Most times, as Remegius says, their problems are easy to deal with; sometimes they are not though. The odds are in your favor, but it's a crap shoot.

It pretty much works out to if you'd rather deal with two known problems (neither of which are especially difficult to solve) that your camera will almost certainly have, or a variety of unpredictable problems (usually small, but occasionally not) that your camera may or may not have.

 

[bawang]

Recently two Ansco Super Speedex were spoted on the bay, I think one went for $140ish and another $224. Iskra want for a lot less but both were also listed as having issues. Based on their description, both have the problems you mentioned. So it's safe to say that I would definitely need to spare some $ on CLA, which can really add up. Perhaps I should wait for one from members here that have gone through some rolls instead of risking getting a junk on the bay.

Anyone has one for cheap 🙂

 

[furcafe]

What's your definition of cheap? 😉 I have a redundant Super Isolette (works fine, no CLA necessary) that I could part with for the right price. Email (not private message) me if you're interested.

Anyone has one for cheap 🙂

 

[Gerry M]

What's your definition of cheap? 😉 I have a redundant Super Isolette (works fine, no CLA necessary) that I could part with for the right price. Email (not private message) me if you're interested.

Sent you an email

 

[Borghesia]

I have both of these camera's.
My Iskra has a severe lightleak problem that I can't solve (not even with the RFF solutions). The good pictures it took are very sharp and contrasty.
The Super Isolette has a very good Solinar lens which seems better than the Solinar of my Isolette II. The results are sharp and delicate at the same time.
The Super Isolette is better build, the bellow material is different from the other Isolettes, it is also bigger and heavier.
I agree with the others that the VF of the Iskra is better and brighter.
If you can find a good working Iskra, that will be a gem. Results are comparable with the better TLR's.
If you can get a good Super Isolette for a reasonable price (I bought mine for 125,- euro's) , than you have one the best 6x6 folder RF you can get.

 

[wpb]

Lets see some Iskra negatives, the light leak has to be coming from somewhere.

 

[Windscale]

IMHO there is simply no competition provided that both cameras are mechanically sound. The Super Isolette is just a league above. But you must replace the bellows!

 

[FallisPhoto]

IMHO there is simply no competition provided that both cameras are mechanically sound. The Super Isolette is just a league above. But you must replace the bellows!

The Super Isolette is going to be built way better, the lenses are about the same, and it will have two known issues (bellows and lubricant). The standard repairs for these two issues are posted all over the place and are not especially difficult to do.

The Iskra will usually be cheaper, but you will have much poorer build quality and the probablility of encountering a number of unknown issues. Most of the time, these will be small and easy to solve, but sometimes they are not. Buying an Iskra is quite a lot riskier than buying any kind of Isolette. I view Iskras (and most other FSU cameras) as DIY camera building kits. All the parts are there, but you will usually have to fit them together better and even do some modifications. If you have the right skills, if you're good at it (and if you're lucky in the selection of parts you got in your "kit") they can be very good -- just about as good as if you had bought a Super Isolette.