Grandpa's World War II Agfa Viking

I thought I had written about this a few years back, but it seems I forgot to post it.

Back in December of 2010, my Grandfather gave me his Agfa Viking camera. He picked it up during World War II, during which he was stationed in Japan and the Phillipines. He seems to remember trading a 35mm Japanese camera for it. Who knows what that may have been?

Anyway, once I got it, I saw that the shutter seemed to be working fine, and the lens turned to allow focusing (it's very common for the cell to get locked in place over so many years). Then I found the aspect that threatened to prevent me from using this old jewel - it is designed for 616 film, which is no longer available.

Grandpa's Agfa Viking

 

Undaunted, I hand-fabricated a thin plastic mask that allows 120 film (not as wide as 616) to ride in the correct film plane in the camera. I then modified some 120 spools to fit into the Viking. It's not perfect, and sometimes the spools slip during film transport. I measured out which exposure numbers on the 120 film backing would indicate sufficient travel. I can now use the red window on the back to make sure I've wound the film on far enough to avoid overlapping images.

 

This configuration results in a panoramic aspect ratio. Here are two shots I made in Washington, DC with the Viking:

Success!

 

As I said, it's a little fiddly to use, and frankly I have enough medium format folders that were designed for 120 film that I haven't gone back and used the Viking since that maiden voyage. But, it was great fun challenging myself to be able to shoot it at all. Pretty impressive images, if you ask me.

 

That said, I hope that someday the Film Photography Project (FPP), or someone else, will reintroduce 616 film for us niche camera owners. Probably hoping against hope. I'm not sure how many cameras were sold that used this particular format film. But then again, who would have guessed that FPP would be marketing 620 film? They are!

 

(Click Here) to check out FPP.

 

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Hump Day Blues - Fujifilm Brings Sad News

I just read the sad news on Phoblographer that the Fuji GF670, one of the last remaining medium format film cameras that you could buy new, has been discontinued.

Fujifilm GF670

Image Source: http://www.thephoblographer.com/2014/08/25/fujifilm-gf670-folding-rangefinder-now-discontinued/#.U_3JHBy9KSP

 

The GF670 is the only new medium format folder that I know about. I was sorely drawn to purchasing one about a year ago, but made myself content with my old Agfa Record III instead. Very different animals, the GF670 sports a coupled rangefinder, electronic shutter, and modern optics, as compared to the Agfa's uncoupled rangefinder, manual shutter (perhaps a plus), and Solinar lens.

 

(Click Here) to read the post on Phoblographer.

 

(Click Here) to read about my Agfa Record III in a post from my "Skeletons From The Closet" series. If you search "Agfa Record" at the search window at the top of this blog, you'll find several of my posts, including those showing results from this awesome old camera.

 

As for the GF670, well, it's just the march of time and technology. We must accept it gracefully and move on. I'm happy to know that I have several wonderful medium format folders in my collection. Enough to interest me for the years I have left to shoot them!

 

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Walter Ulreich Shares His Experience Going Back to a Zeiss Folder

 

Old Style, Kyoto, by Reed A. George

Zeiss 521/16 Medium Format Folding Camera

 

I love shooting old cameras. I have a few favorites, one of which is the Zeiss 521/16 folder, with Tessar 75mm f3.5 lens, which I used for the shot above.

 

(Click Here) to read more about this particular camera. This is the one that happened to have an old roll of film still in it, with pictures from JFK's Fourth of July speech in Philadelphia. (Click Here) to read about that roll of found film.

 

So, what made me think about this today? Well, as the post title mentions, Walter Ulreich has made a blog post that shares his experience in going back to a Tessar-equipped Zeiss folder after many years. His test images are quite impressive, certainly worth a look.

 

(Click Here) to go to Walter's post.

 

Amazing what a well-preserved old (very old, near 80 years old) camera can do!

 

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Huey Copter Pilot Portrait - Agfa Record III Medium Format Folder, FPP Walking Workshop

Mr. Don Nelson, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tri-X Film

This is Don Nelson, who flew this exact Huey copter in Vietnam in 1968, including having to put it down in a rice paddy in an emergency. Mr. Nelson was part of the military event going on in Findlay on the day of the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop, and had just that day given his 40-something daughter her first ride in the copter. I shot this with my Agfa Record III medium format (6x9 on 120 film) folding camera, on the Tri-X that came in my FPP goodie bag for the event!

Great memories all the way around! Thanks FPP, for a great event!

 

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October's Skeletons From The Closet Results - Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 6X9 Medium Format Folder

In October, my chosen camera for the SFTC series was a newly-refurbished Zeiss 521/2 folder, which shoots 6x9 images on 120 medium format film.

 

(Click Here) to read a little about the camera.

 

Even though it was autumn, perfect time to get out and shoot some landscapes with the nice big 6x9 format, I was pretty busy during October, and only really got out once with this camera. Here are five selected shots out of a total of sixteen (two rolls of Kodak Porta color negative film) I shot.

Early Reds, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 Medium Format Folding Camera

 

Korean Bell Garden, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 Medium Format Folding Camera

The Korean Bell Garden is at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, Virginia. It's a lovely place to walk, photograph, and picnic. The two shots below are of cypress trees in the native Virginia swamp area.

Cypress, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 Medium Format Folding Camera

Cypress, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 Medium Format Folding Camera

 

Golds Against a Blue Sky, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 Medium Format Folding Camera

This camera does a decent job, but it's not nearly as nice as my other 6x9 folder, the Agfa Record III. This is for several reasons. First, the lens is not of the same quality. The Zeiss has a Novar, which was the entry level lens, well below the venerable Tessar that was also available on this camera, whereas the Agfa has a gorgeous Solinar; both are 105mm f4.5 lenses but the Solinar is much sharper. Next, the Agfa has a real viewfinder, where the Zeiss has a simple metal frame that you look through. The Agfa has a rangefinder, and while it's uncoupled, meaning that you have to transfer the measured distance from the rangefinder to the lens focus ring, the Zeiss has no such rangefinder at all. Worse yet, you can't even mount an accessory finder on the Zeiss Ikonta, as there's no accessory shoe. Same goes for an accessory exposure meter, like my CV Meter II, an excellent companion to vintage manual cameras.

So, while I'm not unhappy with the Ikonta, I can clearly say that I prefer the Agfa Record III as a 6x9 folding shooter's camera. That said, it was fun to shoot the Ikonta, and if you have all the time in the world to set it up on a tripod, take a rangefinder and exposure meter out of your bag or pocket, and carefully set up the camera, it's capable of making some very nice images.

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Skeletons From The Closet Camera for October: Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 Medium Format Folder

 

Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 6x9 Format Folding Camera

ca. 1947-1951

 

This month's camera is from deep in the closet. A somewhat random ebay purchase from years back, I don't remember what I paid for it, but I remember thinking hey, if it's a Zeiss camera, it's got to be worth that much. It wasn't a lot.

 

I have not used this camera much to date, largely because the shutter was a little sticky, and more importantly, the shutter trigger, which loads as part of the film winding process, was a little unreliable. That's all fixed now, thanks to Jurgen Kreckel. You may remember that I sent off my lovely Agfa Record III to Jurgen for service. When I did that, I decided to get this camera fixed up as well. It came back working very smoothly, and is now ready to get out and shoot.

 

(Click Here) if you want to contact Jurgen Kreckel (certo6). I recommend him highly for service of folding cameras. I think he's the best in the business.

 

Although my 521/2 shoots 6x9 format (very large negatives) on 120 film, I don't expect it to replace the Agfa Record III as my current favorite folding camera for a couple of reasons. First, while my Record III has the top of the line Solinar lens, my Zeiss has the second tier Novar 1055cm f4.5 lens. The Novars are not bad lenses, just not as renowned as the Tessars. Second, the 521/2 has no rangefinder built-in, not even an uncoupled one like the Agfa does. And further, there's not accessory shoe to even mount up a finder to it. So, it's guess focus and guess exposure. Far less convenient than the Agfa in this respect.

 

My 521/2 has a Compur shutter, with speeds from 1 second to 1/250, plus B. F-stops range from 4.5 to 32. Close focus is at 1.5m.

 

Well, I'll get it out and shoot it this month. Let's see what it can do!

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - August's Agfa Record III - Buddhist Temple

My SFTC camera for August made a huge impression on me. The Agfa Record III with Solinar is a super capable camera.

 

(Click Here) to read about the camera.

 

Producing big ol' 6x9 negatives, the image quality is spectacular, in my opinion. Here are some shots from a recent trip to my local Buddhist temple, all on Kodak Portra 400 color negative film.

 

Altar Flowers, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

Tree Deck and Altar, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

I wish I had lined up Buddha's face in the reflection on the rail. That would have been difficult but interesting.

 

Bell, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

Smile!, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

This old camera is amazing. I recently found myself looking long and hard at the modern Fujifilm GF670, a folding 6x7 medium format camera. While I was looking, the Record III showed up in my life, thanks to a package from my Mom. With its uncoupled rangefinder built-in, and accessory shoe to hold my Voigtlander CV Meter II, the Record III is very convenient to use; I don't have to carry around a separate meter and/or rangefinder in my pocket. And, unlike the GF670, the Record III doesn't need a battery to operate.

 

So, the Record III is a perfect high quality medium format camera for carrying on travel. In fact, it went with me to Maui recently. The film is off for processing at The Darkroom now, so you'll see those pics soon as well.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet Results - August's Agfa Record III Folding 6x9 Camera

This month's camera is a real treat.

 

(Click Here) to read about the Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar lens.

 

So far, this CLA'd beauty has allowed me to resist purchase of a Fujifilm GF670. The only drawback in comparison is that the Agfa does not have the coupled rangefinder of the Fuji, or the integral exposure meter. The Agfa does have a fine uncoupled meter, and an accessory shoe to mount my Voigtlander Meter II, which works perfectly. I am VERY pleased with the image results from the Agfa. On the plus side, the Agfa does not rely on a battery; the Fuji can't even take a picture without one.

 

So, here are some black and white results from the Agfa Record III. The first was a pure coincidence. While I was driving to the National Cathedral in DC, I saw this old building being torn down. After being run off by the construction guy saying "No Parking!," I finally found a spot long enough to get out and get the shot. Handheld, no less.

Tearing It Down, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

The remaining shots were all made at the National Cathedral.

 

Cathedral Gardens, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

Inside the Cathedral, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

The shot above took about 1 second exposure, and was on a tripod.

 

And now for my favorite shot from the roll:

 

Concentric Arches, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

I just love the symmetry, range of tones, and sharpness of this image. This is one capable camera and lens.

 

All of these shots were processed by my favorite film processor, The Darkroom (thedarkroom.com).

 

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Results From August's Agfa Record III (Skeletons From The Closet) and a New Critique Group, PhotoWorks!

I got invited to a great photo group, known as PhotoWorks. They meet monthly at the Glen Echo Park, just outside Washington, DC.

 

(Click Here) to learn more about this very welcoming group. In addition to critiques (one of which I attended), they offer gallery space, an incredible darkroom facility, and more.

 

I decided to bring along a set of five prints, three from a recent roll of film shot in my SFTC camera for August, the Agfa Record III 6x9 folding medium format camera. The two square format images are from my Minolta Autocord, May's SFTC camera. (Click Here) to read about the Autocord.

 

These were shot at a recent world war II reenactment event.

 

All of my images were well-received, and I had to push a little to get some critical feedback. I'll mention it under each shot.

 

While everyone liked this shot, the light is a little flat. The out of focus people in the background are somewhat distracting.

 

These guys may be too happy to be real soldiers.

 

There was a suggestion to crop this picture, leaving only the guys on the right (in bright light in). This was instructive to me, because the facial expression on the guy furthest left is the important part to me. Unfortunately, he's not in great light. What I see as most important really isn't emphasized in the shot. It was also mentioned that this image doesn't fit with the others.

 

I had to admit that I cropped out an air conditioner unit on the right of this image.

 

This is Mike. I emailed him this shot, and he really enjoyed it, saying he's always disliked pictures of himself. This one changed his mind. This shot was very well-received. The framed picture in the back is Mike's wife back home in the states (reenactor in character).

 

Here are a couple of shots from the critique session, just to give you a feel for the setting. These were shot on my Leica M9 with Voigtlander 28mm f1.9 lens.

 

 

This is a very experienced group, and I stand to learn a lot from them. I will certainly be back.

 

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August's Skeletons From The Closet Camera - The Agfa Record III 6X9 Folder

My camera for this month is a real prize. My Mom found it in an antique store. Here it is:

 

Agfa Record III 6X9 Camera with Solinar 105mm f4.5 Lens

 

This camera is really nice. Made from 1952-1955, the Record III has an uncoupled rangefinder, and importantly, an accessory shoe. This is important to me because I like to use my Voigtlander VC Meter II, which mounts in the shoe. The Agfa Record III was available with an Apotar or Solinar lens; mine has the higher end Solinar. It has a maximum shutter speed of 1/500 second, relatively fast for this type of camera.

 

(Click Here) to read more about the Record III.

 

The uncoupled rangefinder allows you to use a split image in the finder to judge distance, which you read off of the dial on the top of the camera, and then make the same setting on the focus ring of the lens.

 

When I received the camera, the lens looked pristine, but the shutter was sticky, and the rangefinder was completely stuck. I shipped it off to Jurgen Kreckel (Certo6) for repair. Jurgen very quickly gave it a complete service, including a brand new bellows. He does excellent work, and specializes in folding cameras.

 

(Click Here) to go to Jurgen's website.

 

I've shot a couple of test rolls already. Be ready to be impressed by this camera in the coming days.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - April Results - Agfa Solinette II

April's SFTC camera was the Agfa Solinette II.

 

(Click Here) to read about my Solinette.

 

So, how did it go? Honestly, I'm getting tired of guess focusing. My last two SFTC cameras - the Zeiss Ikonta folder and April's Solinette are both guess focus cameras. It can be fun and refreshing to work without a rangefinder or through the lens focusing. However, I did come up with several images with both cameras that were just not quite sharp enough. That's frustrating, especially when I can see how good it could've been.

 

Here are some more images that I shot with the Solinette.

 

Spring is Here!, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II 35mm Folding Camera

 

You may recognize the house below from one of my pinhole posts.

 

(Click Here) to see how it looks in black and white through my pinhole camera.

 

Thornton House, Manassas National Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II 35mm Folding Camera

 

Here's a quick grab shot of an early spring barbecue in preparation. I really like how the color in this shot came out. It's a trivial subject, but I think it shows how the Solinar can perform when you get things right.

 

Burgers and Dogs, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II 35mm Folding Camera

 

I'll wrap this up with some shots of an activity that caught my eye - window washers on the gigantic curved glass structure where I work.

 

Spring Cleaning #1, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II 35mm Folding Camera

 

These shots were easy, since there was plenty of light and I could shoot at about f11. Of course, the guys working on the glass wondered why this crazy guy with an old camera was taking picture of them.

 

Spring Cleaning #2, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II 35mm Folding Camera

 

Spring Cleaning #3, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II 35mm Folding Camera

 

I like ths shot above especially. I like how you can see the guy on the left clearly, while the guy on the right has made an interesting pattern of cleaner on the window in front of him.

 

Spring Cleaning #4, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II 35mm Folding Camera

 

The fact is, this little folder is capable of making some nice images. I really like how the Solinar lens represents color. With a maximum aperture of f3.5, applications in low light are very limited. In today's word, f3.5 seems so slow. However, the truth is that a wider aperture would make guess focusing even harder, due to the reduced depth of field that would result.

 

I actually had trouble finding the right circumstances to shoot this camera last month. It's not that there aren't plenty of places this camera does fine in; there are just many more where a little more aperture, or some type of focusing aid would have made it more useful. So, I found that I couldn't really rely on this camera to be anything like general purpose. I made it a point to carry it all month, but found limited opportunities to use it.

 

In May, I'm shooting my Minolta Autocord. This is also an f3.5 camera, but has the benefits of the big 120 medium format negative, and gorgeous ground glass focusing capability. We'll see if I can get more use out of that.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - Results From April's Camera - Agfa Solinette II

I've only shot one roll of film through the Solinette so far this month. I've gotten a little behind in my writing for this feature as well. But, I did get a few images worth sharing, and I'm hopeful that I'll get some more film through the Solinette before the end of April.

 

My wife and I went to Dayton, Ohio recently. Here are a couple of shots from that weekend.

 

Springtime Portrait, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II with Solinar 50mm f3.5 Lens

 

While in Dayton, we visited a museum in the Carillon Park. I liked this mechanical detail of a generator at the museum.

 

Mechanical Detail, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II with Solinar 50mm f3.5 Lens

 

I have a few more images to share, these taken around home. First, the old manor house at the modern biomedical facility where I work still has spring flowers come up each and every year. These must have first been planted many years ago when the manor house was occupied. I think it's interesting to see these remnants of the lives that people spent living in this beautiful old house.

 

Daffodils at the Manor House, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II with Solinar 50mm f3.5 Lens

 

I grabbed this shot on the way to work one morning. I just had to pull over and catch this sunset.

 

Sunrise, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II with Solinar 50mm f3.5 Lens

 

 

Finally, this scene of a tulip magnolia tree at work caught my eye. I always enjoy when this tree bursts into bloom, and usually photograph it a few times per year. This year, I liked how the shadows of the branches above connected with the fallen petals on the ground. It's a little different, at least. I'll include two examples.

 

Tulip Magnolia Petals, by Reed A. George

Agfa Solinette II with Solinar 50mm f3.5 Lens

I've enjoyed shooting the Solinette so far, even though guess focus is challenging for me. The little Solinar lens is pretty darned sharp in my opinion. The colors are a little muted, but I'm not sure if that's due to the lens or the cheap color print film I used. Either way, I think they look decent.

I've got a new 36 exposure roll of Fuji 100 print film loaded up and ready to go. I think I'll carry the Solinette around tomorrow and see what I can do with it.

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Skeletons From The Closet - April's Camera - The Agfa Solinette II

Agfa Solinette II, April's Skeletons From The Closet Camera

 

April's camera is the Agfa Solinette II, a 35mm folding camera from the 1950s. I actually have two of these - the one pictured above with an Apotar 50mm f3.5 lens, and another with the higher end Solinar 50mm f3.5. I decided to shoot with the Solinar this month.

 

This is a guess focus camera, with no type of rangefinder for estimating distance. There's no battery or meter, either. The Solinette is a very basic, sturdy little camera. Both of mine look like brand new. I think I got both of them on eBay, for around $25 each.

 

Another month with a guess focus camera is challenging for me. Let's see what I can do.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - A Few More Shots From Japan With March's Camera - Zeiss Ikonta 521/16

I want to share a few more pictures and experiences from shooting my Zeiss Ikonta 521/16 medium format folder in Japan. There is always a certain amount of risk of failure in shooting cameras thirty or more years old. In this case, it's more nearly sixty years old. The Tessar lens on my Ikonta is in great shape, and really performs well. In general, the rest of the camera is in nice shape as well, but using it wasn't completely without issues.

I noticed on my second roll that the film wasn't being tightly spooled onto the take-up spool. When I removed it from the camera, I could see the edge of the film where it extended past the spool - not good. I did have several frames ruined by light getting in through this edge exposure. The shot below is a fairly mild example of that, with the streak of light at the bottom, right of center.

Light Leakage From Loosely Wound Film, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/16

 

Kyu-Yasuda Garden, Ryogoku, Tokyo, Japan, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/16

 

The shot above, of the Kyu-Yasuda Garden in Ryogoku, has the same problem. That's why it's cropped to a rectangle here. You can see a hint of the light leak at the bottom right. While I like it with this crop, the composition was better in square format, with larger walking stones closer in the foreground.

 

Sakura Reflection, by Reed A. George

Zeiss Ikonta 521/16

 

I don't know what causes the film to be loosely wound onto the take-up spool, but it did happen on about half of my rolls. There are two spring steel tabs that apply pressure to the source and take-up spool, but that's about all I can see inside this simple camera that may affect tightness on the spool.

 

Luckily, it didn't affect all of my images, just those that were on the outside (later shots in the roll). But, until I figure out how to fix it, it requires unloading the camera in complete darkness, and re-rolling the film tightly onto the spool by hand in the dark. Not exactly convenient.

 

It was a blast shooting the old Ikonta in March. I'm still very impressed by the optical quality of the Tessar.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - March's Camera - The Zeiss Ikonta 521/16 With "Eagle Eye" Tessar

 

Zeiss Ikonta 521/16 With Tessar 75mm f3.5 Lens, by Reed A. George

 

My original plan for March's Skeletons From The Closet (SFTC) pick was a 35mm folding camera. Since I'm taking probably my most exciting trip of the year (to Japan) in March this year, instead of April when I normally go, I decided that I really wanted to carry a medium format camera this month. So, I decided to take my Zeiss 521/16.

 

This is a beautiful old camera, produced between 1948 and 1953. It uses 120 film, and produces 6x6 (2 2 1/4" square) images.

 

You may have seen my post back on November 19 of last year, sharing some found film images from this camera. It was used to shoot a presidential speech by John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s.

 

(Click Here) to see that post of old images from this camera.

 

I also wrote a tongue-in-cheek nod to Edgar Allan Poe's Telltale Heart about this camera. You can read that on JPG Magazine's site if you (Click Here).

 

I want to shoot some color images with this camera while I'm in Japan, so I've already purchased a five roll box of Portra 400. With a maximum shutter speed of 1/200 sec., that may be a little fast if the weather is nice. I'll also take along a roll or two of Fuji Reala that is waiting in my refrigerator.

 

Oh, and don't worry, that 35mm folder will be out in a later month as the SFTC pick.

 

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