Agfa Memo (1939)

Name: Agfa Memo
Brand: Agfa

Compact 35mm horizontal folding camera made in the USA, using proprietary Ansco Memo film cartridges for 24 exposures.

Overview

The Agfa Memo is a 35mm horizontal folding bed camera introduced in 1939. Agfa-Ansco built it at the former Ansco factory in Binghamton, New York, which makes it one of the few Agfa-branded cameras manufactured in the United States. It uses double perforated 35mm film in proprietary Ansco Memo cartridges. These give 24 exposures and need no film rewind. A half-frame version introduced in 1940 captures 18x24mm images. A claw-based mechanism moves the film, advanced by a sliding knob on the back plate. Production likely ended around 1941, when the U.S. government seized Agfa-Ansco assets during World War II.

Specifications

Film Format	Ansco Memo film cartridges (half-frame 18x24mm or full-frame 24x36mm)
Image Size	24x36mm (initial), 18x24mm (half-frame, from 1940)
Exposures per Cartridge	24 (Ansco Memo), 12 (Agfa Karat)
Lens	Agfa Memar anastigmat, f/3.5, f/4.5, or f/5.6 (~50mm focal length)
Aperture Range	f/5.6 to f/22 (f/5.6 model); f/3.5 and f/4.5 models stop down to f/22
Shutter Speeds	f/5.6 model: 1/25s, 1/50s, 1/100s, B, T; f/4.5 and f/3.5 models: 1/2s to 1/200s, B, T
Shutter Type	Manually-cocked leaf shutter (possibly Wollensak)
Focusing	Adjustable from 3.5 feet to infinity (all models)
Viewfinder	Centrally mounted eye-level optical viewfinder with scale focus
Flash Sync	None
Frame Counter	Manually-reset 24-exposure indicator
Body Construction	Pressed steel stampings, metal-bodied folding design
Finish	Flat black paint (f/5.6 model); black morocco leather with nickel trim (f/4.5 and f/3.5 models)
Weight	519 grams

Design

The Memo uses a cassette-to-cassette film transport that Ansco developed in 1927. A ratcheting claw pulls the double-perforated 35mm film through the camera, so there is no rewinding. A bottom-hinged folding door protects the lens and shutter when closed. The top plate carries an accessory shoe, viewfinder, shutter release, and, on higher-end models, an uncoupled depth of field calculator. The sliding film advance on the back plate is noted as a distinctive and functional design element. The camera accepts both Ansco Memo cartridges and the smaller Agfa Karat cartridges, but with Karat you have to set the frame counter to 12 exposures.

Context

The Memo was an odd release, since Agfa had already developed its own Karat 35mm film format three years earlier. Agfa-Ansco used the Ansco Memo cartridge, developed in the U.S., and built the camera at the Binghamton factory. That targeted the American market, where Ansco film was more widely available. Being able to use either Memo or Karat cartridges gave it a market advantage in Europe. Production ceased around 1941 because the U.S. government seized Agfa-Ansco assets at the start of World War II.

Market

The Agfa Memo is less common than its Ansco-branded counterpart and sees limited collector demand today. One listing offered a faulty unit, with the lens detaching and internal parts loose, for $36 (on sale from $50). That suggests it is mainly good for parts or niche collecting. Original prices ranged from $14.50 to $35 in 1940, with the f/4.5 model at $25 and the f/3.5 at $35.