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A very popular camera by Agfa from the late 70s and a little marvel of industrial design. The "Optima Sensor" name had been used by Agfa for a series of simple electronic consumer cameras since the late 60s denoting the presence of a big, red, feather-touch shutter button (sensor) that adorned the top of the camera and was considered very hi-tech at the time.
This last series of the Agfa Optimas were marketed during the late 70s and production continued well into the 80's being hugely successful in the european market. At least 5 different models exist, including a rangefinder (Agfa Optima 1535) and one equipped with an electronic flash, aptly named "Agfa Optima Flash". The best online source of information regarding these cameras can be found here:
www.edition-oldenburg.de/agfa_optima.html
The Optima 1035 pictured here sits second from the top of the line-up feature-wise. It is a zone-focus camera with a fully automatic exposure system based on the Agfa Paratronic electronic shutter. Despite its introduction at a time when plastic was already being used extensively in camera manufacture, the littke Agfa is mostly made of metal with a very durable black coating. Some parts are made of plastic (like the film advance lever or the focusing ring) but the overall feel is that of a solid, durable camera.
The most prominent feature of the camera is the HUGE and extremely bright viewfinder which is a small revelation for first-time users. It is very close in size and brightness to the viewfinders found in premium rangefinders and makes using the camera a real joy. In the 1035 the VF features three distance symbols and a red needle that moves between them according to the chosen focus distance, the minimum being 0.9m. The frame line is illuminated and there are parallax correction marks for close subjects.
Another unique feature of the Optima is the lack of a rewind crank. With the help of (rather flimsy) toggle switch on the top plate, the film advance lever doubles as a rewind crank, a clever design that made the installation of such a bright finder on such a small camera possible.
Upon opening the film door, another clever feature makes its apperance: When loading the camera, the film is passed under a small shield on the winding side which protects film that has already been exposed from accidental opening of the film door.
The lens is a fast f2.8, 40mm four-element Solitar-S ("S" denoting multi-coating) which is quite sharp under good lighting conditions with good contrast and resistance to flare.
Shutter speeds go up to 1/1000s and in low light the Paratronic can stay open for at least one full second. The high top shutter speed combined with the minimum diaphragm opening of f22 ensure proper exposure of fast film even under the brightest conditions. The shutter is completely battery-dependent, it doesn't open at all if batteries are not installed. The feather-touch shutter release ensures minimum shake when taking the shot, reducing the chance of a blurry shot in relatively slow speeds.
Agfa engineers were clever enough to put the CdS cells of the metering system at the six o'clock position of the lens beauty ring, a fact that prevents shadowing of the sensors when a lens hood is used.
Not everything is good on the little Agfa though. For starters, the ASA setting stops at 400 which can be quite limiting if one wants to push fast film. Also, there is no backlight compensation provision, one has to change the ASA setting to deal with backlit subjects.
Additionally (and most annoyingly) the shutter produces an awful screeching sound when fired, probably the worst-sounding shutter I've ever come across, regardless of camera type.
Another ill-conceived feature of the camera (perhaps imposed by the necessity for small size) is the fact that the battery department is accessible only after opening the film door, so in case the batteries die mid-roll, the film must be rewound in order to change them. To make things worse, there doesn't seeem to be any means of knowing if the batteries are weak. The camera uses an uncommon arrangement of three 625 button cells, but at least its exposure system is designed for the common alkaline ones, not the obsolete mercury cells.
For some reason, Agfa deemed it necessary to equip the camera with a red LED lamp that sits above the lens barrel and lights up momentarily every time the shutter is fired, letting everyone know that you've taken their picture. It also blinks during countdown when the (mechanical) self-timer is activated.
As you can see from the picture, the Optima has no strap lugs, as Agfa chose to equip the camera with a proprietary screw-on neck strap that attaches on the left side, a solution that is a complete failure in my opinion. First of all, if you lose the strap there is no way you can replace it with a generic one. Also, the choice of a long neck strap is very poor for such a small, light camera which would benefit most from a short wrist strap, although a pair of scissors and a couple of rivets can easily remedy that. On top of that, placing the wrist strap on the left side is totally counterintuitive, as it virtually precludes secure single-handed operation of the camera with the right hand. According to the manual, the port for the screw-on strap doubles as the tripod mount, although this obviously implies that the camera can be used only in vertical orientation when on a tripod.
Overall, the small size and all-black color, combined with an accurate, fully automatic exposure system, a good semi-wide lens and an unsurpassed viewfinder, make this little Agfa very attractive as a stealthy street shooter. Still, there are a few shortcomings that make it fall short of being the perfect "little black beauty" a title I reserve for the Olympus XA2, my "golden standard" for this particular category of cameras.
With really warm temperatures, our workshop students' cameras were running a little hotter than normal. No, their cameras were not exploding but I did have a little fun with it in this single exposure image captured in Arches National Park.
How I Got The Shot
This is a 20 second single exposure image where I shot for about 15 seconds with the camera locked on the tripod before releasing the camera for the final 5 seconds. During this last 5 seconds, I moved the camera free-hand using the lighted LCD screens to make the smoke.
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The black object is a device (i believe) that indicates the change in position of the road surface relative to the bridge pylon. As long as the indicator is within the area of the plate, then by visual inspection the bridge is safe.
Nikon FG-20
Nikon Series E Lens 50mm f/1.8
ExtraFilm.com 200-36, expired 11/2010
Digibase C-41, 3.15 min @ 37.8℃
Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II
Adobe Photoshop Elements 2019
18_20190808_034-2
I know I risked my camera's sensor burning out because of the direct intense sunlight, but I just couldn't pass this shot up. :O
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Agfa Optima 1535 Sensor • Paratronic Solitar 1:2.8/40
FujiColor C200 developed in Tetenal Colortec C-41
Scanned with Plustek OpticFilm 120 at 2400dpi with Silverfast AI Studio 9
Écomusée d'Alsace • Ungersheim • Haut-Rhin • Alsace • France
Combined photos of a white reflector before and after sensor cleaning.
I found this Adorama video helpful: youtu.be/qbJaR0xE1YY
Nikon D200
AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 G
ISO 100 f/22 6sec
Images combined with Photoscape
For the person who can't have too much electronic gear.
Part of an ongoing series on Boxes ... making useful or decorative containers out of LEGO.
The first thing to say is that each electronic sensor has a protective filter over it, so we are not actually touching the electronics. That would be a disaster. Most people send the camera off for a service and a clean and that's a very good idea. After all this is an expensive investment and we want to make sure our camera works as well as possible for as long as it can.
But, it is quite easy to clean your sensor at home. All you need is a kit (like the one I've shown). This includes sealed sterile swabs and a little cleaning fluid (they are essential - do not try to clean your sensor with a cloth where you can scratch the dust into the sensor filter). There are also many videos on YouTube showing you how to use these dust cleaning swabs, but provided you get the right size for your camera (mine is full frame) a simple swipe will suffice.
For a DSLR you obviously need to lock your mirror up before the clean, and then lower it immediately afterwards. Then with the other side of the swab give your mirror a quick wipe as well. Do not apply too much pressure. After all, these are only tiny dust particles - you should not have any dirt.
My Leica D-Lux 7 which I used to take these pictures has a fixed lens, so it will never need its micro-four-thirds sensor cleaned.
Introduction to CMOS Image Sensors
evidentscientific.com/en/microscope-resource/knowledge-hu...
I always regretted selling my M8. I recently acquired an M9 to make up for it. I love the CCD sensor.
What a beautiful camera, I really love taking pics with this! Only 18 years young!!!!!! Australian grevillea btw, and it was also a bit windy and getting dark
.....shooting against the sun is so appealing......but not what "doctors " recommend ......sensor will get sick.....and die...........
APS-C and 35mm sensor cleaning kits came in the mail this week, photographed on white paper.
Nikon D200
Tokina AT-X SD 80-200mm f/2.8 AI
Lit with 1 Vivitar 285 bounced from the wall
Encara que parega que el sensor estiga brut, realment són gavines volant i avisant del temporal que s'apropava.
Aunque parezca que el sensor esté sucio, realmente son gaviotas volando y avisando del temporal que se acercaba.
EXPLORE, 26 de març de 2009, #245
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