135compact.com 35mm half format cameras Agfa Parat I
The Agfa
Parat I is half frame camera, one of 3 early 1960s half frames produced
by Agfa in Germany. The Parat I is a completely manual camera, focus,
speed and aperture have to be set manually. There was a Paramat model
with automatic speed and aperture, twice the price of the Parat I. Both
cameras have a good Apotar lens, specially designed for the half frame
format. The top model, called Agfa Optima Parat was launched 2 years
later. It has a top Solinar lens and additional shorter shutter speeds.
The Parat I model was was released in 1962. The housing was a new
design, partially (good quality) plastic, partially metal, which makes
it a light camera for those days. Obviously there were plans for a full
format camera within the same housing, as the frame seems to be
reduced. The Optima 1a has the same kind of back with its opening lever
and the Optima 500 SN has a very similar design, but has a hinged back.
Like
most half frame cameras, the Parat series cameras are vertically orientated, so it's portrait
mode.
The camera's main features are:
35mm film half-frame camera, picture size 24 x 18 mm
Lens: Agfa Color-Apotar 1:2,8/30 mm, 3 elements, F2.8-F22, min. focus 0.9m
Shutter: 1/125 - 1/30, cable release at the bottom of the shutter lever
Cable release socket, tripod socket, hot shoe
Size 110 x 72 x 45 mm, Weight 297 gr
Some pictures of the camera:
Front.
Viewer and lens. Around the lens: 2 tabs for speed and aperture, both settings visible in a small window. Shutter lever.
Back
view. Finder. Film advance via lever.
Seen from above. Rewind, rewind release and hot shoe.
Seen
from below. Back opening lever. Tripod socket (necessary for B mode). Film counter and counter setting.
Camera
back open. You can
see that they installed a blind to reduce the frame. So they wasted 18mm
of the camera width, nearly 20%.
Distance setting via symbols, the mark quite small. There are click stops for the 3 main settings,
Distance setting in metres and feet, again the mark is small and a bit
hidden. Hardly visible and unusual: cable release thread in the bottom
of the shutter lever.
Camera with a very small light meter. It only weighs 19 gr.
Camera with meter, ready to go.
The Agfa Parat I is a light camera, easy to handle. It
takes
sharp pictures. Spacing is not tight, so you get 72 photos from a 36
roll. It's mainly for outdoor photos as there are no longer speeds. There is a hot shoe, so
interior photos are possible with a flash. Night photos are possible as
well, as
there is a B mode and a cable release.
Seen
today's film prices, a half rame is a nice idea. There is not so much
choice if you want one. This one is one of the better choices, not so
heavy, not so expensive and it's a real camera, not a Lomo style
gadget. So this is an easy camera and
it's much fun to play around with it.
