First roll results from "new Agfa Isolette I"

Got 11 back, kept forgetting to roll film forward so 1 not taken.

Only 1 blurry due to camera shake, so evidently this folder is not
susceptible to shake due to shutter as some appear to be.

No light leaks in the bellows either.

I finally have figured out my Gossen Digisix which I hadn't used
much,most if not all of these pictures were taken at f5.6 because that
is the aperture that shows at the top middle of the Gossen, how dumb
can I be? From my web research, this Agnar lens works best at f8,11 ,
and down. So the next roll should be better.

I have to figure out an easy way to handle the film advance, I keep
forgetting it.

The square format photo takes some getting used to also.

All in all, I like these foldups but next time I'll buy a 6 by 4.5 and
one
with the top end lens.

Bill Mcdonald in Joshua Tree

Bill Mcdonald wrote:


I have to figure out an easy way to handle the film advance, I keep
forgetting it.



Simple solution, -always- wind film (and cock shutter) after each shot.
--

Stacey

"Stacey" wrote in message
...
Bill Mcdonald wrote:


I have to figure out an easy way to handle the film advance, I keep
forgetting it.



Simple solution, -always- wind film (and cock shutter) after each shot.
--

Stacey


Hmm, what about film flatness? Bellows camera suggests.... open bellows,
then wind just before shoot to give best flatness? Just asking as I have
just bought one of these old folders myself.

Glendon wrote:


"Stacey" wrote in message

Simple solution, -always- wind film (and cock shutter) after each shot.
--

Stacey


Hmm, what about film flatness? Bellows camera suggests.... open bellows,
then wind just before shoot to give best flatness? Just asking as I have
just bought one of these old folders myself.


I'd think letting the film sit on the film gate for a while would flatten
it out more than uncuring it right before you shoot? Never tested this so
can't post anything as fact. Normally the film path on this type of camera
is fairly good about this sort of thing and most don't have any sort of
film tension device, which would be a good idea.

The 6X9's would have more problems than the 6X6 or 6x4.5's anyway. I like
them much better in the old folders for this reason. But I've always wound
after each shot so I don't screw up and double expose. Also I'm ready to
shoot without having to think! Maybe this would help with flatness with a
6x9?
--

Stacey

"Glendon"

"Stacey" wrote in message
...
Bill Mcdonald wrote:


I have to figure out an easy way to handle the film advance, I keep
forgetting it.



Simple solution, -always- wind film (and cock shutter) after each shot.
--

Stacey


Hmm, what about film flatness? Bellows camera suggests.... open bellows,
then wind just before shoot to give best flatness? Just asking as I have
just bought one of these old folders myself.

I've found less dust problems with my folders if I wind after opening the
camera and setting up the picture. Try it if you're having dust problems.
Chuck

In article ,
(JCPERE) wrote:

"Glendon"

"Stacey" wrote in message
...
Bill Mcdonald wrote:


I have to figure out an easy way to handle the film advance, I keep
forgetting it.


For myself I have finally settled on winding after each shot so I'm
ready to go next time. This is the technique most people use when
shooting a manual-wind 35, so having the film already wound is
something people are just used to,

I don't typically cock the shutter because I hat the thought of leaving
a 50 year-old spring under tension for what may be months between
shots. This has posed a problem in the past when I have pressed the
shutter release on my Speedex "R", which has double exposure
prevention. You just can't cock the shutter and try again without
resetting the DE prevention by winding the film!

There is a workaround because you can still fire the shutter with a
cable release, si I always made sure I had a cable release in my bag
even if I didn't have a tripod.

I own several pretty decent 6X6 folders and have never seen film
flatness problems with any of them. I've only shot one roll from the
$15 Agfa Viking 6X9 folder I picked up at a camera show, so I really
can't comment on 6X9.

--
Sean Elkins RKBA

Being a talented actor or musician doesn't make some
drop-out's political ideas more valuable or enlightened
than mine.
**************************************************

Sean Elkins wrote:


I own several pretty decent 6X6 folders and have never seen film
flatness problems with any of them. I've only shot one roll from the
$15 Agfa Viking 6X9 folder I picked up at a camera show, so I really
can't comment on 6X9.


6X9's are the only ones that seem to have these problems. When they were
being sold, people shot 6X9 to have contact prints made. Very few would
ever enlarge them and this IMHO is why most 6X9's don't peform that great.


Sure there are some exceptions but I really feel looking at 8X10
enlargements the 6X4.5-6X6 folders perform as well if not better than the
6X9 folders in every area except visible grain. Given how much smaller the
cameras are and less film used, I much prefer a 6x4.5-6X6 to any of the
others. As far as film flatness, the lenses on these also didn't perform
that well at large f-stops and the focusing normally isn't that accurate so
most get shot at f11-f16 where small film flatness issues are that big a
deal anyway.

--

Stacey

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 09:58:19 -0500, Sean Elkins
wrote:

[---]

I don't typically cock the shutter because I hat the thought of leaving
a 50 year-old spring under tension for what may be months between
shots.

That was always my reservation against using that method, too,
although I must admit that I'm not sure if it is entirely
justifiable.

I never had problems related to film flatness on 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x9
folders. Just recently I started to wind the film just BEFORE
shooting. Some of my 6x9 have a double exposure latch, but most don't
have one. I noticed that the amount of dust (visible as unexposed
spots) on the negs was much less when winding the film just before
shooting, obviously less dust from the bellows fabric accumulates on
the film.

I tried to remove dust from the bellows with tiny brushes but this did
not really help, so I got one of those miniature vacuum cleaners used
for cleaning dust off computer keyboards etc. Let's see how this works
on cameras.

Winfried

"Stacey" wrote in message
...
Glendon wrote:


"Stacey" wrote in message

Simple solution, -always- wind film (and cock shutter) after each shot.
--

Stacey


Hmm, what about film flatness? Bellows camera suggests.... open bellows,
then wind just before shoot to give best flatness? Just asking as I have
just bought one of these old folders myself.


I'd think letting the film sit on the film gate for a while would flatten
it out more than uncuring it right before you shoot? Never tested this so
can't post anything as fact. Normally the film path on this type of camera
is fairly good about this sort of thing and most don't have any sort of
film tension device, which would be a good idea.

The 6X9's would have more problems than the 6X6 or 6x4.5's anyway. I like
them much better in the old folders for this reason. But I've always wound
after each shot so I don't screw up and double expose. Also I'm ready to
shoot without having to think! Maybe this would help with flatness with a
6x9?
--

Stacey

Hmmm, I probably should have come clean. I am fooling around with
6x12...obtained by running 120 film in an old 616 Kodak. Oddball I know, but
interesting.

As 120 film doesn't fit the much wider 616 film gate, flatness is an issue.
In addressing the issue I was interested to find much advice on the web (eg
Bob Monaghan's site) to the effect that one should wind just before shooting
when using any folder, irrespective of format. The expectation being that
the tension on the film will help keep it flat for the duration of the shot.
If one winds immediately after the shot, any subsequent jarring of the
camera before the next shot, opening of the bellows, etc., could loosen the
film supply spool just a little, relasing the tension on the film. Seems
logical to me, but I am just a beginner in all this.

But I must say that before this Kodak, I have used a Rolleicord and a Franka
6X6 folder without noticing any problems.

With my Kodak, I have helped things along by putting a couple of springs in
to add tension to the film supply spool. And I wind just before shooting. I
am still on my first roll of film...so will have to wait to see if it works
or not. If there are problems, I will experiment with a glass
insert....sandwiching the film between the glass and the normal back. (This
approach has been used by Rollei and Hasselblad, amongst others)

Great fun, these old folders.