AGFA STANDARD - love it but can't use it! (Noob only to classics!)

I have been given my late grandad's Agfa standard, the 6x9 version. I own a Pentax 6x7 but this is a beyond my

knowledge...if anyone could help it would be very much appreciated.

 

Firstly, does anyone know where I can get a manual for it? Have tried the usuals (oldtimers etc) but no luck.

 

Anyway, some operation questions.

 

1. There is a block on the top of the camera which moves about 2cm side to side, revealing a viewfinder of sorts.

What is this? It surely cant be a viewfinder, as it is too small - but if not the only remaining option is a

metal hole on a hinge, which (if it is) has to be the most vague viewfinder I have ever seen!!!

 

2. The metal wire frame thing around the lens, does it have a purpose?

 

3. Focusing - is there a way of being more specific than guessing? Of course I have seen the guessing method on

cameras, but never with the option of changing the focus as specificially as this. Im not too good at it!

 

4. There is some kind of 90 degree er thing top left next to the lens, I can view through it but it is just a

block colour, no definition at all. What is this for?

 

Thanks you very much in advance for any help anyone can offer, I am very keen to use it.

 

Alex.

Well the one thing I can help you with the is wire frame. It is not a secret antenna for the Volksempfaenger, but

it is used together with the "metal hole on a hinge" as a sports finder.

 

That 90 degree thing is the actual finder, the silvering on the mirror may have gone. Needless to say with these

alternatives, one didn't try to move in too close to Grossvater und Grossmutter. These were universal,

practically, at the time (late 20s to 30s).

 

I don't know about the "metal block" --that could perhaps be an extinction meter or perhaps someone has added a

rangefinder? There were lots of lenses and shutters available on this camera.<div></div>

I'm not sure about # 1 there.

 

The metal hole on a hinge is meant to be used in conjunction with the metal wire frame thing around the lens, to form a quick action viewfinder. Obviously not precise for framing, but it will at least keep you pointed in the right direction.

 

The 90 degree thing on top left next to the lens should have a little mirror in it, to act as a little reflex viewfinder. It is not uncommon for the mirror to be missing or to have lost its silver. It probably also swivels for sideways viewing. The mirror is not too hard to replace, but of course you have to find a little piece of mirror to fit in. It need not be front-surface or anything fancy.

 

Guesswork focusing is not really as hard as it seems at first, especially if you're using a lens that is not very fast and has reasonable depth of field. If you can find a DOF chart for the lens you're using, you'll be able to choose settings that will get most subjects pretty well with some practice. A large proportion of what you shoot will be within range in daylight if you focus to infinity or a little closer. It helps also to practice estimating distances using some distances that you are already familiar with, such as rooms you regularly use, the width of a car, a sheet of plywood, the dimensions of a patio or a rug, and so forth. You may find there are some distances you can estimate more easily than you thought, and which you can use as units.

Thank you both very much, your answers were very helpful and informative.

 

I'm well on my way to using her now! I have just one question left - the 'reflex viewfinder', I can't understand how it works. I have taken it apart and it still has the mirror, but looking though it gives virtually no indication of the scene, the two plastic elements either side of the mirror make it so blurred you only get a block colour. What is this about? (What a noob question!)

 

Thanks again, it is very much appreciated.

 

Alex.

I'm guessing that you are holding the camera up to your eye level and trying to look through the viewfinder.... It's not meant to be used like that. These viewfinders create a focused image at a couple of feet, so when you hold the camera at your chest level and look down, you should see a perfectly focused image.

One thing I have found on the waist level finders of cameras like this one, is that the image is very dim. It might need cleaning.

Hi,

 

These finders do generally well after a cleaning... Hold it at the waist and look down. The mirror is canted at an angle

and the scene is reflected back through the same light gathering glass. It's a bit tricky to see at first and then after a while it's second nature. A bit like the "magic eye" it comes when you relax and stop trying to look through it as it's a mirrored reflected image.

Hi, Alex I've got four AGFA Standards, but none of them are the 120 format 6 X 9 reel type that yours appears to

be. Three are plate cameras, but one is a 116 reel job in larger 6.5 X 11 cm format that is probably very similar to

yours otherwise.. I'm tending to suspect that the "guess" focussing you're referring to may prove to be something

more of a problem than you might realise, being a newby to classic cameras. The trouble with a lot of old AGFAs

is that their focussing movements become stuck over the years, thanks to the gummy green grease that their parent

company Bayer supplied them with. On most AGFAs, this can be solved with solvents such as CRC Electronic

Cleaner or lighter fuel.

 

However, Standards used a side-arm operated helix focussing system that usually defies any attempts to free it.

Trust me - three of mine are still stuck as solid as the day I got them, despite all sorts of baths in this or that, heat

treatment or whatever. Does yours have this sort of focussing arm, sitting out at the 10 am position looking front-

on? If it does, it should move within a range from that 10 am down to about 8 am, and the lens standard should

move forward and back accordingly. If that lever won't budge, you're in just the same trouble as 99% of other

Standard owners, I'm afraid. Your late grandad's camera is going to be a shelf-queen, unless you're happy to use it

only at the infinity setting (ie 10 am) at which it's most likely to be stuck. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,

mate! (Pete In Perth)

 

PS - I've stuck a red arrow on a pic from the Net to hopefully help<div></div>

<p>I just got done freeing up a frozen focus on my Agfa Standard. It wasn't that difficult. Let me know if you want further details on how to get it apart. I took the entire lens assembly off the camera. I'll try adding pictures</p>

<p>Agfa Standard focusing mechanism sperated from the lens/shutter and front standard. Glued solid. Noticed I broke off the focus adjustment tab. I heated this assembly with a small butame torch and used large snapring pliers in two of the three holes to finally break the glue bond.</p><div></div>

<p>Front lens/shutter/focusing standard with everything removed.</p><div></div>

<p>Yet another view</p><div></div>

Hello do you have any more fotos on how you got the two parts separated the two parts on the last two fotos.

I just found out how to separate the shutter assembly with the rest of the parts. The shutter housing is skrewed together with the rest. One need a firm grip och the outher cylinder (or some type of protected wrech on the outher ring) while holding the rest of the assembly.

 

So I now have the shutter house separated from the rest!

 

But I can't find any way to open the shutter house itself. I need to clean and lubricate som of the parts of the shutter. I have cleaned the whole part with isopropylen when I tryed to remove the ficed focus ring, and after that the shutter does not work as it did before so my gues is that I migt have cleaned out som lubrication as well.

 

Does anybody have any instructions or photos on how to open dissassemble the shutter housing so I can see all the macanics inside.

I think I was just just lucky that I was able skrew loose the shutter assebmbly.

 

That is not the right method! Lucky I did not brak anything.

 

Looking at it closer now when I have it all apart there is a tiny threded ring that can be accsessed from the backside with a lins spanner tool or something.