NOVEMBER 2024 – An Agfa Super Silette-L viewfinder camera from 1958 with Synchro-Compur shutter and Agfa Color-Solinar 1:2,8/50 lens. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
A Camera From The Late 1950s
Here’s an old analog camera body that I purchased a while ago on eBay. It’s a Super Silette L made by Agfa in Germany – back then a film and camera giant. It came with a sturdy brown leather case. I found an original instruction booklet in German from another seller, so I had everything to start shooting. (For you photo enthusiasts, here is a German PDF: Gebrauchsanweisung Agfa Super Silette L.)
This model was launched in 1958 at a list price of 250 DM. Typically, the leather case was sold separately and would set the buyer back by another 22.50 DM. The price for the camera translated to roughly 1050 Euro (1100 US-Dollars) in November 2024. Wow. That’s a heavy price tag and a clear indicator that this camera was aimed at really ambitioned amateurs.
I purchased this camera because the Agfa Silette L I already owned turned out to be NOT what I had been looking for. That model had been launched two years before the Super Silette L and was terrible to work with, especially the exposure setting. Of course, most analog cameras fall into this category (except, maybe, relatively modern cameras.) But compared to digital cameras they are far from convenient.
The exposure setting of the Super Silette L is similar to the Silette L but slightly easier to apply because you do not have to flip up a cover to meter low light scenes – the improved exposure meter can cope with all lighting conditions. The real improvement, however, is the sharpening indicator in the viewfinder. With this model it is easy to set the focus by just turning the focus ring until two light shadows of the scene in the viewfinder overlap and match. No more distance guessing!
This apparently also excited the marketers back then. Here’s what they wrote in an ad to support the launch of the camera in 1958:
With the Super Silette L there is no more guesswork: the coupled, large rangefinder always guarantees perfect sharpness – the built-in, particularly easy-to-read exposure meter with tracking system always ensures correct exposure.
Okay, now this is typical advertising language and clearly leans towards the optimistic side of truth. After all, the “built-in” exposure meter was indeed “built-in” and might have been easy to read, but it was still not coupled to the lens. Yet, they mentioned the feature in conjunction with the coupled rangefinder. The truth is: only when the user manually transfers the exposure value to the lens he’s got a chance to get a correct exposure. (And no, the system does not ensure the correct exposure by any means.)
What about the test shooting, then? Well, I must admit that it took me several months to complete a single roll of black and white film, mostly because I found the camera I grew up with (a Kodak Retinette 1B) shortly after I purchased this Agfa. I like them both, but I love just the Kodak. Also, I did not take the camera to any exciting places where I would want to use a modern DSLR. Why carry two cameras when one predictably will deliver far better results, and faster?
Anyway, from this roll of film I learned that the camera works well after more than six decades, and the images are pretty sharp and well exposed. What I find exciting is the exposure meter. It works after more than six decades – without a battery! I think this is incredible. Only old (and smart) cameras from the past can possibly do this. (Any modern camera becomes a door stop once it runs out of battery power.)
Below I’ve added an unedited scan of a small river in Unterhaching, Germany, and a slightly edited scan of a building near Aschau (Chiemgau) in Bavaria. Of course, the grain of the black-and-white film (an AgfaPhoto APX 100, by the way) is visible when scanned at 4800 dpi and inspected at 100%, but that’s not the fault of the camera. Some of the images were out of focus, though, so the focus indicator in the viewfinder might not be as good and useful as it seemed.
I don’t like the round corners at the edge of the negative frame, by the way. When I create a print (or scan, in this case), the round corners will reduce the visible image area, unless I accept four dark corners. So, where’s the point?
Other than that, it has been fun (sort of) shooting with the camera. If you want to try it, go ahead. There are plenty of bodies available at moderate prices on eBay. Just make sure that the camera has been used for shooting recently and works in principle.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date & Time | 25-NOV-2024, 10:34 |
| Location | Unterhaching, Germany |
| Camera | Canon EOS M6 Mark II |
| Lens | Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM |
| ISO | 100 |
| Exposure | 0.3 sec at f/16 |
| Digital Image Source Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6745 x 4497 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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