| Agfa Isolette 1 Tricks
This post is going to cover a few tricks and mods we’ve done to the Agfa Isolette 1 / I that we use on shoots. Included are: actual measured shutter speeds, a sticky shutter trigger trick, using a flash, and a quick as well as cheap way to fix leaky bellows.
The image you see above is a cheap JCPenney Automatic Electronic Strobe flash unit powered by 2 NIMH AA batteries and attached to the Isolette 1 via the top cold shoe. For some reason it has a short cord coiled up under the flash with a plug that fits right into the lens of the Isolette. We fired it at 1/60 successfully using the settings listed on the back of the flash for distance and f-stop. The next photo shows the plug we are referring to. It also shows our sewn felt bellows cover that we use in the field. After fitting it to the camera we have had zero light leaks on shoots, even in broad daylight.
The following is a sample fired with the flash. ADOX CHS 100 Art pushed to ISO 200 at 1/60th fired with camera at F4,5 and around 12 feet. The focus is a bit off, but this is an example of the flash working.
Using the same shutter speed tests we used on the Polaroid J610, we came up with two different shutter speeds working on our Isolette 1.
25 and 50 on the dial = .016/.017 seconds or 1/60 of a second
200 or max on the dial = .004 seconds or 1/250 of a second
Upon doing research we discovered it is common for cameras of this age two have two separate mechanisms for high and low speeds, which would explain only having two speeds. We still have no idea why they would be so fast, but the solar cell doesn’t lie.
Another trick we have for you is how we cheaply and easily keep the shutter from sticking. Keep in mind it will still stick periodically, but all you have to do is give it a gentle push in the right direction and it fires fine. All we did was wrap a hair band around the that folds the bellows and lens out. What you’ll do then is cock the shutter and slip the band over. It should fire almost every time now. The top image shows the shutter ready to fire and the lower one shows it in the fired position.
We have a few more tricks (and some photos from recent shoots) in store, but are not entirely sure how or if the tricks will work at the moment. More to come as we explore a multitude options with this wonderful camera.
Posted by falcoln0014 
April 2010
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