Agfa View (c.1925–1939)

Name: Agfa View
Brand: Agfa

Wooden folding field cameras made by Ansco in Binghampton, New York, sold under the Agfa Ansco name.

Overview

The Agfa View refers to a family of wooden view cameras produced from about 1925 to 1939, manufactured by Ansco in Binghampton, New York, and commonly sold under the Agfa Ansco name. These folding field cameras were part of a broader range that included the Universal View, Commercial View, Standard View, and Universal Junior View models. The cameras were built with cherry wood stained in mahogany brown ("Adam brown"), featured brass fittings, and had black leather bellows with a thin rubber lining. A 'de luxe' finish introduced in 1938 offered steel-grey stained wood, nickel-plated fittings, and red leather bellows.

Specifications

Production Years	Made from about 1925–1939
Construction	Cherry wood stained 'Adam brown', brass fittings, black leather bellows with thin rubber lining
De Luxe Finish (1938)	Steel-grey stained wood, nickel-plated fittings, red leather bellows
Model Variants	Universal View (3¼x4¼, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10; later 5x7 and 8x10 only), Commercial View (8x10 only), Standard View (5x7 only), Universal Junior View (quarter-plate, front-focusing)
Standard Movements	Front: rise, shift, tilt; Rear: tilt and swing, with pendulum level
Focusing Mechanism	Universal and Standard Views: rear-focusing by rack and pinion; Commercial View: rear and front rack-and-pinion; Universal Junior View: front-focusing
Bellows Extension	Built-in extension bed allows large bellows extension
Special Feature	Supplied with a half-blind for capturing two half-size images on a single plate

Context

The Agfa View cameras emerged after Agfa merged with Ansco in 1928, forming Agfa Ansco, which sold these strictly Ansco-made cameras under the joint brand. This followed Agfa's acquisition of the Rietzschel camera works in 1925 and the introduction of its first camera, the Standard, in 1926. The View series was part of Agfa Ansco’s plate camera lineup, which included field cameras in quarter-plate, 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 inch formats.