Agfa Solinette (1952–1955)

Name: Agfa Solinette
Brand: Agfa

A 35mm folding viewfinder camera with a coupled selenium exposure meter and unit-focusing lens system.

Overview

The Agfa Solinette is a 35mm folding viewfinder camera made from 1952 to 1955. Agfa brought it out as part of its post-WWII push to modernize and expand its camera lineup. The body is all metal. It is a horizontal folder, so the lens bed drops downward on struts when the camera is held horizontally. The top plate is nearly symmetrical, with matching film advance and rewind knobs. There is no rangefinder, but there is a built-in Newton viewfinder with bright lines, a depth of field dial, and an accessory shoe. The Solinette II followed it, and the US sold that one under the Ansco brand as the Ansco Regent.

Specifications

Film Format	35mm
Lens	Apotar f/3.5/50mm, Solinar f/3.5/50mm, Solinar f/3.5/45mm, or Color Apotar f/3.5/45mm
Shutter	Compur RMXV, Prontor SV, Prontor SVS, or Synchro-Compur
Shutter Speeds	1 sec to 1/300 sec plus B
Shutter Type	Leaf shutter
Minimum Focus Distance	1m (3½ feet)
Flash Sync	PC socket and cold shoe
Shutter Cocking	Manual
Double-Exposure Prevention	Interlock with no override control
Frame Counter	Mechanical, manually set at film load
Shutter Release	Threaded for cable release
Body	All-metal
Features	Built-in self-timer, depth of field dial, accessory shoe, coupled selenium cell exposure meter
Lens Mount	Self-erecting with helical focus
Focusing Design	Unit-focusing
Viewfinder	Optical with bright lines
Film Advance	Lever wind
Exposure Meter	Selenium cell, coupled
Weight	720g

Design

The Solinette shares styling cues with Agfa’s medium-format Isolette series. Like the Isolette, it lowers the lens standard on struts when opened. Focusing is unit-focusing: the entire lens and shutter assembly moves, driven by a ring behind the lens. The bellows are either plastic-covered or leather-covered. The coupled selenium exposure meter sits on the front of the lens standard. The focusing helical uses a double-start thread, and if it is aligned wrong, focus will be inaccurate. Again, no rangefinder.

Context

The Solinette was part of a broader Agfa strategy to improve prewar designs and introduce new 35mm models after WWII. Two versions were made: the original Solinette and the Solinette II, considered its successor. The Solinette II was sold in the US as the Ansco Regent. A rangefinder version, the Super Solinette, was also offered. The Solinette and Silette were sold concurrently. After 1958 the Solinette name was reused for a rigid-body entry-level model.