As my vision fades, I'm trying some different approaches to stay involved with film photography. I don't like autofocus and have no desire to move to digital. I now have a Zero Image 2000 pinhole camera and last week, I bought a Agfa Isolette II from Jim Markus. It's a 6X6 scale focus folder that will actually fit in a jacket pocket. This morning, I loaded it with Tro-X and took it for a spin.
I have a Reveni Lumo meter. A little block of aluminum about the size of a Bic lighter. It can meter in reflective or incident, has a flash meter and a number of modes. It also has a OLED screen which is just about impossible to read in bright sunlight. I'm also curious to see how the film turns out because some of the meter readings were circumspect.
The laser measuring tape seemed like a good idea except in most situations, I can't see where the dot is landing.
Now on to the Isolette. In it's favor, it is easy to load. The feed side holder flips out and the top spool guide flips up to make loading the film easier. It's most annoying feature is the double exposure lock. Since there are no automated features on the camera, preparing to take a picture involve a number of steps. There is the normal ones of setting the shutter speed and aperture plus setting the focus. Next comes cocking the shutter. If you miss this step and press the shutter release, the double exposure lock engages and you have lost a frame. With the shutter cocked and positioning the camera, if you touch the shutter release, the double exposure lock engages and you have lost a frame. Halfway through the second roll, I began to learn the sequence but still managed to lose the last frame because I forgot to cock the shutter. I'll develop the film later today and it will be interesting to see how many images there are.
I like the camera, The Pronto shutter has four speeds plus bulb with a top speed of 1/200th. The viewfinder is fairly large and it offers square format images. I just need more practice.
Stoked to see the results. My nettar has the same get-the-steps-right for shutter cocking, and it took me a couple rolls of burning frames before I got it. I wish it had a way to cock the shutter disconnected from film advance. It’d be a great multi exposure camera if those two things were separate.
The Isolette models vary a bit, but I think there is usually another way to trip the shutter if things get locked up. The manual for Isolette II from Butkus says, "If you do not wish to sacrifice a piece of film, release in such special cases the shutter by means of the little lever on the lower part of the lens mount."
I have an Isolette III and somehow have not run into this problem. There have been many times where I forget to cock the shutter and hit the button and somehow it's fine to go back. I wonder if the person I bought it from modified it in some way.
I also have an Isolette III and have not encountered problems with losing a frame. They probably changed something between the two models. They have good lenses and take very nice photos. Enjoy the camera, and I also look forward to seeing the results.
I made mistakes from the get-go. I had two of these Isolette II's. The Solinar version had more shutter speeds, and the lens scale was in feet. The Apotar lens used meters. My very first shot with the Apotar lens was a still life at near mfd - but the focus was way off due to my using the wrong scale. Hey, at least I didn't miss Mars with a space probe. Next issue for me was camera shake. I found that 5-7 inch vintage cables releases worked great. Here is that first shot, and one to redeem myself.
Still Life with Kentmere 100
A freshly plowed onion field with a white Birch for contrast
skylight1b wrote:
The Isolette models vary a bit, but I think there is usually another way to trip the shutter if things get locked up. The manual for Isolette II from Butkus says, "If you do not wish to sacrifice a piece of film, release in such special cases the shutter by means of the little lever on the lower part of the lens mount."
I have an Isolette III and somehow have not run into this problem. There have been many times where I forget to cock the shutter and hit the button and somehow it's fine to go back. I wonder if the person I bought it from modified it in some way....Show more →
That's what I was looking for! Last year, I had a Fujica Super 6 with the same type of double exposure lock but I cold see the actuator arm and where it met the shutter release plate. On the Isoolette, I found the release hidden behind the right side door strut. Thanks!
Welcome to the Isolette II club! I love how small it is for travel, and when you do hit focus, it looks great. I mostly stick to 400-800 ISO if handholding to help with depth of field. These are with the Solinar.
Hey, at least I didn't miss Mars with a space probe. Next issue for me was camera shake. I found that 5-7 inch vintage cables releases worked great. Here is that first shot, and one to redeem myself.
