Agfa Registrierkamera (1961–1970)
Motorized 35mm surveillance camera built for automated recording in traffic, security, and industrial applications.
Overview
The Agfa Registrierkamera is a surveillance camera made from 1961 to 1970 for continuous monitoring in traffic, security, and industrial settings. Jacknau of Berlin manufactured it for Agfa. Jacknau also made similar traffic cameras under its own name. The camera is built for unattended operation, with motorized film advance and exposure intervals from half a second to 24 hours. It was built for the German Bundeswehr. It has no viewfinder, so it depends on a fixed or remote setup.
Specifications
| Film Type | 35mm film |
| Frame Sizes | 18x24mm (half-frame), 24x36mm (full-frame), or 24mm square |
| Shutter Speed | Single-speed: 1/100 or 1/500 second with X-synchronisation |
| Exposure Interval | Adjustable from 0.5 seconds to 24 hours |
| Power Supply | 12V DC |
| Film Capacity | 17m long-film cassette holds up to 450 full-frame exposures; 8 film spools included |
| Lenses | Color-Telinear 90mm f/3.4, 90mm f/4 Telinear, 35mm f/4 Color-Ambion, 50mm f/2.8 Color-Solinar, 130mm f/4 Telinear (varies by unit) |
Design
The front-mounted box holds the film advance motor and has two connectors, one set for electrical power and one for remote control. A low-light switch can be fitted to trigger the flash when needed. Some units come with a small ground-glass screen on a short arm. It mounts in the accessory shoe and is used for manual focusing with the back removed.
Context
Jacknau of Berlin produced the Registrierkamera for Agfa and also made similar surveillance models under its own brand. The camera was built specifically for the German Bundeswehr, which points to military and secure monitoring use.
Market
A Registrierkamera outfit with 50mm f/2.8 Color-Solinar lens, motor drive, 17m magazine, eight spools, and two close-up lenses sold at the 33rd Westlicht Photographica Auction in November 2018. Another unit, serial no.102769 with 35mm f/4 Color-Ambion lens and ground-glass focusing accessory, was listed on eBay (item 383923435169). One listing by Jo Geier priced the camera at €399.00 and described it as "in very fine condition and good working order."
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