Agfa Compact |
Version française |
Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1980 to (After) 1984.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 11998
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Agfa
This camera was introduced at the 1980 Kina exhibition under the name Agfa Optima 935. It was a very innovative camera for Agfa, but it was also one of the last Agfa productions in Germany.
What was innovative? It was the smallest motorized 35mm compact camera at the time. It is larger than a Minox, but it has an integrated motor. This motor is used for advancing and rewinding the film. To save space, it is placed in the axis of the receiving spool. Film loading is made easier; you just need to insert the film leader into the receiving spool slot and close the back. The motor advances the film to the first frame. The Sensor shutter release is soft, but you can feel the release. It is possible to reach a speed of 2 frames/second.
A general switch allows the lens cover to be opened and the lens to be extended. The large slider, visible on the right in the photo, also allows the viewfinder to be covered when it is set to "off". When it is positioned on "on" (the white dot), the lens cover opens and the motor incorporated in the lens extracts it from its rest position.
The rewind is motorized, but it is possible to disengage it to remove the film in a darkroom in case of battery failure.
Exposure is automatic and metering is performed by a CdS cell.
The camera was sold with a specific flash that attaches to the left side of the camera.
I do not know when the name changed from "Optima 935" to "Compact".
The Sensor shutter release button consists of a 16 mm diameter orange-colored disc, set within a 0.7 mm high chrome-plated brass collar designed to guide the finger to the center. Below the disc is the button itself, with a very short travel (less than 0.5 mm). A pressure of 300 grams on the plastic disc is sufficient to trigger the shutter. The motion blur caused by the release is thus extremely limited. Agfa will gradually equip all new models with this trigger and make it their number one advertising feature.
The patent corresponding to this shutter release button was filed in Germany in 1968 (published in 1970) under the number DE 1622174, and then in the United States in 1972 (published in 1976) under the number US 3,950,773. The title of this patent is "Operating Means for Photographic Cameras."
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