allphotography0
- Dec 16, 2023
- 3 min read

AGFA

Submitted by Al …

The name Agfa stands for the original firm ‘Aktien-Gesellschaft für Anilin-Fabrikation’, established in Germany in 1897. Since then Agfa has developed a wide range of photographic materials – in the early days, plates & papers; later on, films, cameras, lenses, and a variety of accessories.

As early as 1913, Agfa was experimenting with multi-layer colour film. An important part of Agra’s colour research was the pioneer work of Fischer in the use of colour couplers that were incorporated directly in the film’s emulsion layers. The process succeeded experimentally, but since production and manufacturing techniques were not yet perfected, it failed commercially.

Some years later an Agfacolor plate was marketed. However, it was not a multi-layer emulsion, but a screen-plate similar to the Lumiere Autochrome. The Agfacolor plate was considerably more transparent and required less exposure in the camera, and less light in projection. Agfacolor plates were quite popular. Many were used by explorers and other colour workers to provide slides for lectures and art work for reproduction in magazines.

Early in the 1930s, Ansco of Binghamton distributed Agfa products in the United States. A production line was set up in Binghamton. Some Agfa products – roll films, sheet films, motion picture films, contact and enlarging papers – were manufactured there as well as in Germany. Naturally, this arrangement ended with the beginning of World War II.

In Germany, work on multi-layer colour films proceeded. Late in the 1930s, Agfacolor-Neu (New Agfacolor) was put on the market. While this film was not available in the United States at the time, it was very popular in Europe. Agfacolor-Neu was widely distributed in 35mm rolls for still cameras. It was also available in long 35mm lengths for use in motion pictures. During the war years several feature movies were produced in Germany in Agfacolor.

After the war, Agfa built new plants at Leverkusen, West Germany, and improved products were designed and marketed. Recently Agfa established a research center in Munich. The products being exported today include a complete line of films and papers, both black-and-white and colour, cameras, projectors for both still and motion picture, enlargers, and many accessories.

Here is a partial list of Agfa products currently available in the United States:

Cameras

(most 35mm cameras with automatic electric-eye control)

Optima I

Optima IIS

Optima IIIS

Optima Reflex

Silette Vario (a simple 35mm camera without rangefinder)

Super Silette LK (35mm rangefinder camera)

Super Silette Automatic

(35mm rangefinder camera with built-in exposure meter in viewfinder)

Ambi Silette (35mm rangefinder camera with interchangeable lenses)

Agfa Reflex (35mm twin-lens reflex camera)

Agfaflex I (35mm single-lens reflex camera)

Agfaflex II (35mm single-lens reflex camera)

Agfaflex IV (35mm single-lens reflex camera with interchangeable lenses)

Agfaflex V (35mm single-lens reflex camera with interchangeable lenses)

Slide Projector

Diamator M (an automatic 2x2 slide projector with 30-slide magazine and automatic control; includes device for controlling slide changes from a tape recorder available as an accessory)

8mm Movie Equipment

Movex Automatic Camera

(fully automatic electric-eye 8mm camera for standard double-8 spool loading)

Sonector-8

(8mm sound projector for magnetically stripped films)

Black-and-White Films

Isopan IFF (slow, fine grain ASA 25)

Isopan IF (medium speed, ASA 80)

Isopan ISS (fast film, ASA 200)

Isopan Record

(ultra-fast film, ASA 650-1200 and above with proper development)

Isopan Ultra (fast press film, ASA 400)

Isopan IP (sheet film, ASA 250)

Colour Films

Agfacolor CN17

(colour negative film, ASA 40, for paper prints, and colour transparencies by printing from negatives; may be processed by the user or commercially)