Any 35mm camera/photography buffs out there? Need help...

[RaDragon]

Hallo! I just acquired this vintage AGFA Optima IA (sample here). It's a 35mm camera manufactured around the 60's.

It's been years since I've placed film in a regular camera (the ones I have now are digital and APS format). Is there a trick to placing a 35mm roll film in the camera? Should I be under low light to avoid exposure?

Thanks!

 

[Ornery]

Put the tab into the slot (right side) and crank it so it winds around that spindle once. Drop the film into the left opening. When you close the back it will be set to the 1st frame.

I think you ought to grab a book too!

 

[Doggiedog]

I usually thread the film first, then pull the roll to the end rather than inserting the cannister and pulling the film out.

I don't think there is really much of a difference though.

 

[Modeps]

Yup Ornary is right, no need to worry about exposure. enjoy your new (old) toy... those are the best kind of cameras to have... IMO

 

[MajesticMoose]

It doesn't need to be in low light. Anyfilm that is exposed to light is not a portion that will have pictures on it, that is unless you pull out the entire roll. Congrats on finally getting the real thing

Enjoy it,
m00se

 

[RaDragon]

thanks for the help thus far... yeah, i might just grab a book on using vintage cameras, too!

last question, does the ASA/Film speed matter? i mean, i have this 400ASA film, can i use it for this camera (that has ASA settings up to 200 only).

 

[Ornery]

Damn, I'm thinking of going the other way. These new digital cameras knock me out! For the little they cost, the output is fantastic. My Contax has been gathering dust for over a decade. I can't get a decent screen capture from my Hi8 via Snappy. Hell of it is, that I can't even afford a cheapy digital at this point

Edit: You can cheat on the settings to use that film, but you'll still need that book to figure it out. Ya gotta set the exposure half as long (or closed one F stop) as the 200 setting using 400 film.

To get the most out of it, you might want to stick with shooting daylight only and 100 speed film. 400 is grainy when enlarged. Shoot, you may need a dang flash. A dedicated synched flash! What a hobby!

 

[Isla]

Hey, nice to see you!

Sounds like a great camera... Don't worry about the 400 speed film. It is very versatile and the pictures should come out just fine. At least, that has been my experience. The camera has the limitation, not the film. Buy 100-200 film from now on, but mainly because is it cheaper.

Edit: I'm a lazy one. I keep my lovely Minolta on automatic settings most of the time. Why switch to manual when the camera is willing to do all the work for me?

 

[Plantanthera]

You could try to use the AGFA for fun, but it doesn't worth the time. The lens is of poor quality that will not produce as sharp picture as your current APS. You will get okay sharpness at the center of the image, but will blur & under expose at the edge of the image. Since the camera is old the shutter might be laging (could be as bad as -1.5 stops) that will cause under exposesure, which could be compensate if you know what you are doing by taking a roll of test slide. Personaly I would just use it as a book end or paper weight, and it worth about $50.00 in mint condition.

 

[SirFshAlot]

actually, in the latest consumer film tests in Popular Photography, the 400s are getting the best scores

I think Kodak Gold was one of the tops.

 

[Eug]

<< The camera has the limitation, not the film. Buy 100-200 film from now on, but mainly because is it cheaper. >>

Well, not really... the limitation comes from the photographer. But Ornery's quite right... unless the conditions are ideal, 400 ISO film is clearly inferior to good 100 ISO film when you enlarge the pix beyond the 4x6 size. The colour isn't as good either. For some special shots, I use Fuji Velvia, which is a slide film best rated at 40 ISO. The colours and resolution are simply amazing. And for everything else, I use my 3 megapixel digital camera.


<< Buy 100-200 film from now on, but mainly because is it cheaper. >>

Well, again it depends on what he wants to do with it. 800 speed film is great for sports events, etc. 100 speed film is fine for vacation shots and party shots with flash.

You may also want to pick up a flash. If size isn't an issue for you, then a nice ultrastrong flash is the Vivitar 283 or 285 HV. It's about $100 US or less I think, and has the same strength as those $300 Nikon automatic flashes (which you can't use).

 

[Plantanthera]

Isla - You might want to try pushing your films 1-2 stops if you need more light at critical moment when you don't have fast film.
Today films can be push as much as 1.5 stops with little or no lost of colour or quality (eg. under expose 200iso film at 2 stops ( 800iso ), and process it at 800iso to get the image.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

you should be able to use the 400 film, but in general 400 film isn't good film to use b/c its too grainy. if you do, i think you can set your camera to 200 speed, and then half the exposure time, or decrease the f-stop. plan on experimenting and taking good notes for each shot. have fun!

ps. i may be wrong about halfing the exposure time! heheheh

 

[RaDragon]

<< Hey, nice to see you! >>



nice to hear from you too! hey diamond member... congrats, Isla!

--

ok, i lost you guys when you started talking about film speed and '1.5 stops'. it's cool, i'll catch up on my 'photo 101' reading. i don't plan to take any &quot;good&quot; photos w/ this camera anyway. just got it for fun! as much as i enjoy using my digital camera, i'm realizing that nothing can replace that cool camera shutter sound!

if i'm successful w/ placing the film in and developing my photos, i'll scan one pic for you guys.

 

[ultravox]

I wouldn't boost any colour film. Anything over 5x7 will show the effects especially with today's develeloping automats. They just don't develope film the way they used to. If it was some good ol' Tri-X or illford,,,no problem. All this is going to confuse the newbie anyway and learning correct exposure/speed techniques is hard enough anyway without going into +1 +2F. I would just save up and buy a roll of 64 or 100 asa film and go outside and start shooting pictures. Set your speed at 250 and adjust aperture accordingly

 

[tim0thy]

<--- beginner photographer with digital cameras (coolpix 950)

 

[Ornery]

You're missing the point, RaDragon. At this point in time, film still has better resolution than digital. Even the best digital. But, at the rate they're going, that won't be the case for long.

Put that thing on a tripod, focus, and shoot the best shots you can. Anymore, I just use a 35mm point and shoot for birthday snapshots and the like. I'd just as soon use my camcorder if I'm going to take the time to do serious shooting. But if I were going to take the trouble to use my good SLR camera, it would be for keepers. Something that I could use as wallpaper on my desktop, you know?

See if you can get a remote shutter release cable for it too. Then you can do some time lapse stuff. That can be pretty cool. I don't know if yours is mechanical or electronic, but either way, it shouldn't cost much.

 

[RaDragon]

i think the camera i have is mechanical... i mean, there's no place to put batteries on it (so i guess it's not electronic?) if anyone can read german, there's a site w/ some specs of the camera (agfa optima ia) -- Agfa Optimas maybe this will say if my camera is electronic or mechanical?

 

[sharkeeper]

Looks mechanical to me. Lightmeters were powered by selenium sulfide photovoltaic plates back then. No batteries required.

Cheers!

 

[RaDragon]

thanks...that's what i thought..

 

[Webbed]

Oh, this brings back memories of my old Yashica. It doesn't matter what film speed you put in the camera, just don't trust the metering. You might want to invest in a good light meter as well. If you set the ASA on the camera to 200 and you're using ASA400 film, you might want to double the aperture or the shutter speed. For examplpe, if your meter shows that an aperture settting of 5.6 at 125 is ok and you're using ASA400 film instead of ASA200, then you probably want to change the aperture setting to 11 or 12 or doubling the shutter speed to 250 (one or the other NOT both). Otherwise, your pictures will be overexposed. It gets complicated, so I suggest getting a light meter.

For a true photo enthusiast, I would recommend using ASA100 or lower. The higher the film speed the grainier the picture and it is very obvious when you blow it up. I usually like to ASA50 esp. for scenery.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[RaDragon]

webbed, thanks for the info on the film exposures. i don't think my camera has enough 'features' to do the modifications you mentioned -- i know i can set the ASA manually, but that's about it. do you have any suggestions on websites to visit in terms of vintage cameras or general info on photography? just send me a PM if you have 'em.

cheers,

RaDragon