AGFA CLACK 6X9, Photo Example and Wanted Same Look

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

My friend bought an AGFA BILLY 1. I bought an AGFA CLACK and found below clack photo below.
If I find similar light at the summer , how I can guarantee to get similar degrades on blacks , same saturation on walls , roofs and towers. I found at even that photo , there are vibrations on every photo I have ever seen on this camera galleries. I will carry manfrotto tripod with this camera but I want to ask does it guarantee to take rock solid images ?

Thank you
Umut
Istanbul

 

[koraks]

• Shoot color film; any kind will do
• Scan
• Adjust contrast and colors to taste
• Remove dust etc. from digital image
• Apply a slight amount of blur if the image is too sharp to your taste

PS: the camera doesn't really matter.

 

[RandomViews]

The Agfa Clack is a fun little camera! The shutter speed on the Clack is very slow, fixed at around 1/30 of a second, which makes it challenging to hand hold and get clear images. Bring a tripod and shutter release, like you said, or stabilize the camera on something solid, like a wall or pole. I have a later model, so the aperture is fixed at f11 or something like that (the choices on mine are f11-ish, close focus at f11-ish, and yellow filter f11-ish). In regards to your goal to replicate an image with the Clack, the only modifiable exposure variable is film type and ISO and, of course, the time of day you choose. It's easy to forget to advance the film and get a double exposure (at least for me), so I try to be consistent with advancing the film before or after each exposure. But, being a box camera with a single meniscus lens, it can take a nice picture!

 

[loccdor]

You definitely need a tripod for best use of the clack. I tried bracing on railings and trees while using it and I got shake about half the time. Unless you are very steady and practice your technique.

Another problem is that since the shutter release is also cocking the lens, your finger has a very long travel when taking the picture which adds to the shake. A cable release is a good idea and practice to understand the amount of pressure to use with it.

The films typically recommended with the Clack were around ISO 40. Using faster film will result in less dark shadows, unless you adjust them in processing.

It wouldn't surprise me if that photo was taken on Velvia 50, but I can't be sure.

 

[Donald Qualls]

The films typically recommended with the Clack were around ISO 40.

This would have been before the ASA revaluation in 1960, so with modern film you'd use ISO 80-100.

 

[RandomViews]

Cinestill 50D works great in bright daylight. Portra 800 works great in low light situations. Just meter as usual and select the proper ISO film.

 

[loccdor]

This would have been before the ASA revaluation in 1960, so with modern film you'd use ISO 80-100.

The camera has an f/11 aperture, 1/30 shutter, and when you switch it to the "Sunny" position on the dial it puts a 1-stop yellow filter in front of the lens. So it really is set up for 40 speed film.

 

[Donald Qualls]

That aperture is probably closer to f/16 to get the 2m-infinity DOF, or the shutter to 1/50-1/60. That's where most box cameras are, and they're built for (new) ISO 80-125 consumer films of the 1950s and 1960s. A pre-WWII model might have been built for what we'd now call ISO 25-64, as those film speeds were common in the 1920s and 1930s, but it would be hard to get steady, sharp shots and DOF together at that film speed with a fixed-everything camera.

 

[loccdor]

These values come out of the manual here: https://www.cameramanuals.org/agfa_ansco/agfa_clack_6x9.pdf

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Hello , This is 6X9 camera , how to place red window film numbers for 9 cms ?

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

These values come out of the manual here: https://www.cameramanuals.org/agfa_ansco/agfa_clack_6x9.pdf

By the way , shutter speed is 1/35 but after 60 years or more , I suspect it lowered to 1/25 so. Half of the gallery images , I have seen have serious vibration.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Is manfrotto fit in to this camera ?

 

[runswithsizzers]

There are two version of the Agfa Clack (at least), and the aperture mechanism is different, depending on the version.

With the lens removed, I can see one Clack has a smaller aperture for the Sunny setting -- so, based on the instructions, f11 for Cloudy and f16 for Sunny.

On the other Clack, the two apertures for Cloudy and Sunny appear to be the same size, as each other -- and the same size as Cloudy on the other one, so f11, but the Sunny one has a yellow filter.

I assume (but do not know) the yellow filter version is the earlier one, and the change away from the yellow filter was to accomodate the arrival of color film?

 

[loccdor]

Is manfrotto fit in to this camera ?

Mine has a standard 1/4 inch tripod mount.

the yellow filter version is the earlier one

I assume that too. It does look like it could be easily modified if the user wanted.

shutter speed is 1/35

1/35 is slow enough to cause serious vibration, especially with the long pre-cocking travel of the mechanism. A very simple shutter design that remains clean won't necessarily slow down much over time.