The Box Camera Baby: The Agfa-Cadet A-8

Surprises can be a very good thing, particularly when they fill an unmet need or want.

I had just won one of those "bulk" camera ebay auctions which somehow closed for surprisingly less than I'd have expected.  In fact, I considered by bid to be a mercy bid that would soon be sniped as the auction drew to a close.  Perhaps I had a little luck on my side, or perhaps traffic was light on this afternoon before a three day weekend, but I now had a motley collection of about 8 cameras that also included the Ansco Goodwin, Rolls, and the Pickwik.

As I surveyed my surprising win, I could see that one of the cameras headed my way would be a more modern Agfa box camera with a lot of patina on its face plate.  Doing a quick look about online, I spotted a very similar looking Agfa-Box B2 camera, and presumed this was what would be in that package on delivery day.

So the true surprise came upon opening the box and discovering the tiniest of box cameras awaiting me.  I had become the unexpected owner of an Agfa-Cadet A-8 camera, a true box camera for 127 film!

Pictures do lie. This seemingly imposing brute of a box camera is likely smaller than the box your last mobile phone was packaged in. 

This adorable little box camera dates from about 1940, and is a bit of an update over previous versions of this camera with a more ordinary leather front.  This model has a metal front with a more Art Deco style to it, with geometric lines inside of the box case and outside of the lens opening, all punctuated by the diamond "Agfa" script logo.  Atop the camera, which measures roughly 3" x 5" x 7", is a leather carrying handle.   

Superb Reflex Twice: The Minolta SR-T 101 - A Gallery

I just expended time, effort, and brain cells (Ok, that last part may be debatable) to reason why an SR-T 200 is for all intents and purposes, just as usable as an SR-T 101, and then I seem to contradict myself with this posting showing images taken with that very camera.  Am I that much a hypocrite?

In actuality, I'm proving my own point.  The following images were shot with an SR-T 101, and upon reviewing them, I can readily attest that every one of them would have been just as easy to have captured on the SR-T 200.  And I can speak of this having shot both models of camera.

So how did I wind up with an SR-T 101 after making the case for the underdog camera that is the 200?  It's simple really.  The lens.  I spotted this camera for a bargain price with a Minolta Rokkor 28mm wide angle lens attached, so it seemed like a perfect pickup, and it was.  It's a great camera, but so is the model 200 in nearly every way.

Since both the 101 and 200 model will meter down as low as ASA 6, this seemed the perfect chance to shoot another roll of Mr. Brown LOW ISO film on a week in mid-November.  Yet again, this film is increasingly showing itself as a great medium that allows some great strengths: namely limited depth of field photos as well as daytime time exposures!  The following shots were taken with both the 45mm and 28mm lenses and made for a great time out shooting.  Enjoy! 

First shot taken with the both the SR-T 101 and with the 28mm lens in late afternoon light.  I'd forgotten how easy it is to accidentally "appear" in your pictures with wide angle lenses.  I guess this shot is sort of like that first "tester pancake."

How Low Can You Go? Mr Brown Low ISO 6 Speed Film from the Film Photography Project

Reading some of my postings, it doesn't take too long to realize that I'm a fan of slow speed films.  I rarely shoot 400 speed film, and actually like to stick below 100 if at all possible.  

Still, there are times when even Rollei RPX 25 is too fast for me: when I'd like to open up the lens fully on a sunlit day and get some fun shots with limited depth of field.  I've managed to try a few super slow speed films with speeds near 1 and 3, but there are times when these are admittedly just a bit too slow.  I lamented that there was nothing in that middle ground between 6 and 12 speed.  Sure I could shoot 25 speed film with a polarizer to slow it down, but shooting with a quaint old camera that would require hand-holding an SLR-designed polarizer in front of the lens is admittedly something of a hassle.

So when I saw the Film Photography Project offering an affordable limited edition film with a speed of ISO 6, I just HAD to snap some up to try!  

Mr. Brown Low ISO film comes in a 24 exposure roll for just under $3.00 a roll.  It is listed as being a thin based, high contrast film that develops well in most typical developers.  I had no idea just what to expect from this film, but elected to put it to work in one of my favorite "adapted" cameras: my Kodak Bantam RF with the 24mm square mask.  

I took the camera along with me on a couple of errands, stopping for photos at the Rose Hill Manor in Frederick, as well as a few other locations around town.  I kept my expectations minimal, and they were exceeded.  GREATLY exceeded!