Frogmouth Cottage Photography

Agfa Isolette I

8 January 2024 Vintage Camera Test
Photograph of an Agfa Isolette I camera - a folding medium format camera. The camera is open with the bellows folded out. There are four rolls of 120 roll film stacked at the sides of the camera. The film is a combination of colour and black and white.
Agfa Isolette I

I purchased this camera in 2022, and it became my main camera for 2023. Initially I did not have a lot of luck with my images from this camera, due to either shooting with the wrong settings or in the wrong conditions, as well as some unfortunate accidents in the development process. It took a while to get into the habit of setting the focussing/distance ring, but now that I’ve put eight rolls of film through it and produced some consistently good photos it is definetly one of my favourite cameras to use and one I want to get better at using. Carrying around notes to remind myself of how to use this camera was a big help in getting better at using it.

The camera is an Agfa Isolette I, which was the baby of the Agfa Isolette range, replacing the Isolette V in about 1952. It is a 120 rollfilm folding camera which takes 12 6cm x 6cm pictures. The Isolette I was made in Germany from about 1952 until at least 1958. My version of this camera is from 1953 and has the vario shutter with settings for B, 1/25, 1.50, 1/200, and T. It has a flash contact and top mount for a flashbulb flash gun (which I don’t have) and a screw for a cable release. The focal length of the lens is 85mm with a maximum aperture of f4.5. Available exposure aettings are 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32.

Roll 1 – first three photos taken as the sun started to set in the late afternoon, bright sky. Kodak Portra 160. The blue cast on two of the images is from a development accident.

COlour photograph, with a blue color cast, of a group of people on the grassy edge of a river. There are paddle boards by the water and children standing in the shallows next to black swans. Residential homes are on the opposite side of the bank. In the background a highrise building is being built, with a tall yellow crane towering over it.
Photo taken at sunset of a deck overlooking a river. The light is pale and the desck has white deck chairs, umbrellas and fence. There is a pool ladder in the foreground.
Photo taken from a balcony looking down to a hotel pool area beside a river. The river is a deep blue colour and there are two red speed boats alongside the deck waiting for passengers. There are four people in the spa attached to the pool.
A photograph with a blue colour cast, of a residential area alongside a river. There is one medium rise building and lots of low-rise buildings. Two sight seeing boats are on the river.
TL to BR: Budds Beach Reserve (f11, 1/200, infinity), River sunset (f4.5, 1/50, infinity), Gold Coast Vibes (f11, 1/200, infinity), Gold Coast in Blue (f11, 1/50, infinity)

Roll 2 – taken on a cloudy bright afternoon. Kodak Gold 200. I forgot to change the settings between shots, but some shots turned out OK.

A close up photograph taken looking into the open window of a red car. The front dashboard and steering wheel are made of polished wood.
Photo of a black hot rod convertivle with blue pink, red and gold flames along the side. There is a crowd of people looking at it and other vintage cars in the background.
Photo of a vintage orange car with two black stripes along the side. The bonnet is up and a man is looking towards it. A child is alongside the car looking at it.
Photo of a red convertible with the roof down. The photo is taken from behind the car, looking towards the windsheild. There are people standing in front of the car, and reflections of trees and powelines in the red paint of the boot.
TL to BR: The Driver’s Seat (f5.6, 1/50), Hot Rod (f5.6, 1/50), Engine (f5.6, 1/50), Convertible (f5.6, 1/50)

Roll 3 – taken in Kakadu National Park on a day that started of cloudy with low light that became brighter over the course of the day. Fomapan Profiline 400. I forgot to change the distance setting, so everything was taken at infinity – it worked for some shots, not so well for others.

Black and white photo of a wide river. In the mid-ground there is a small boat with three people standing on it.
Black and white photo of a large rocky peak with a person standing on top. The photo is a bit blurry.
Black and white photo of a rock with with an overhanging ledge. There are small examples of Aboriginal rock art visible.
A black and white photo looking down a concrete boat ramp leading into a wide river.
Photo of an indigenous artist sitting cross legged on a canvas. He is paining with a thin piece of reed and looking down at his work.
TL to BR: Cahills Crossing (f11, 1/100, infinity, bright light), Rocky outcrop at Ubirr (f11, 1/50, infinity, dull & cloudy), Rock Art, Ubirr (f11, 1/50, infinity, dull & cloudy), Cahills Crossing (f11, 1/100, infinity, bright light), Indigenous Artist (f11, 1/100, infinity, shade & dappled light)

Roll 8– taken a year later at the same event in shoot 2. A bright sunny day using Rollei Kodak Gold 200. It is these photos that I’m most happy with, particularly the closeup of the motorcycle frame.

Closeup photo of the front of an orange car with light glinting of the shining metl bumper bar and paintwork. There are four headlights.
Close up photo of the boot of a red MG, looking towards the drivers seat and steering wheel. There is a brownish/red ute in the background with it's bonnet up.
Close up photo of the front corner of a bright green car.
Photograph of the front of a motorcycle frame. The low light is illuminating the steel frame against a dark background.
Close up photo of the side door and mirror of ared car. The shining metal of the engine is just visible as the bonnet is up
Classic cars and bikes

One of the things that helped to take better photos was to keep notes with me on how to use the camera. This led to making my own Quick Reference card (below) with metric measurements. Printed double sided and laminated, its something I can easily carry around as a quick reminder when I need it.

Reference guide for using an Agfa Isolette I camers
Agfa Isolette I – Quick Reference Guide Page 1
Exposure and depth of field guide for an Agfa Isolette I
Agfa Isolette I – Quick Reference Guide Page 2

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