Agfa Optima 500 Sensor

[Ypsi]

Recently i found myself this nifty little camera: http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Agfa_Optima_500_Sensor
I've got some film and figured out how to load and unload it. I haven't figured out though if the little battery that fits in there is actually necessary?
I don't usually work with analogue camera's that need a battery except for a flash to work.

 

[jochen]

Hello,
the Agfa Optima 500 Sensor has a CdS light meter that needs a battery. It came to the market in 1969 and has a Apotar taking lens of the Cooke type (3 lenses in 2 groups).

 

[Ypsi]

I have close to no experience with light meters what so ever. By what I understand it's a handy feature but not really technically necessary to take a picture, am i right?

Im asking because it could take me a while to find and get the correct battery, and i'd love to just get the film going

 

[labcoat]

From what I can tell, the Optima 500 Sensor does need a battery to operate. Without a battery it won't be able to select an appropriate aperture/shutter speed combination and there seems to be no way to set it manually. (There is a manual bulb setting, but that's not much use for daylight pictures.)

Finding the correct battery can be tricky. However, you might be able to find a substitute. 1.35V zinc-air cells for use in hearing aids will, in fact, work perfectly and are very inexpensive. They usually don't last very long, but that's not a problem at their price. Their diameter is smaller than that of the original px625, though, so you'll have to make a little paper collar or perhaps use rubber bands to keep the battery centered in the compartment. That's what I use in my Rollei 35, which needs the same battery.

Another option are 1.5V alkaline button cells. Since the voltage is slightly higher, you'll need to compensate by setting the film speed a little lower (or maybe higher, I'm not sure). The voltage will vary over the lifetime of the battery, so your exposures may not be super accurate, but it's usually good enough.

I hope this helps. Let us know if you have more questions and have fun with the camera!

 

[Ypsi]

That was indeed a very helpfull answer, thanks a lot !

 

[agphotography]

I had one for a little while, the viewfinder is just a joy to look through. The results on Portra 400 were very pleasant also.