My Agfa Karats: A journey in discovery, frustration and finally satisfaction (Sorta’).
Agfa offered its first Karat in 1936. A small, rounded-body bellows camera with a collapsible lens plate mounted on struts, it took Agfa’s Rapid cassettes for 12 non-rewindable exposures per roll. The series moved to a rangefinder-equipped body after the war, taking on a modern chrome and leather appearance. It gained weight and size in the process but remained a compact, well-finished camera. In 1948, responding to the decline in demand for cameras using the Rapid cassette, Agfa brought out the first of its Karat 36 cameras. Although similar in appearance to the earlier Karats, these used 35mm film in standard magazines, and featured a now essential rewind knob.
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| Agfa Karat 36, type 3 with Xenon lens |
In quality and appearance, the Karat 36s rival the Kodak Retina cameras sold during the same period, offering better features in some ways, not so good in others. All were marketed as Agfa’s highest-quality 35mm camera. Priced at $165, they were also Agfa’s most expensive camera, the equivalent to almost $1500 in 2020 dollars. They came with the same quality optics that the Retinas did: Schneider Xenar or Xenon lenses or Rodenstock Heligons, and later, Agfa brand Solinars and Solagons. Also, like the Retinas, all featured Compur Rapid or Synchro-Rapid shutters except the last, very-different Karat IV. I got interested in the Karat series after working with the Ambi-Silette cameras and liking their features. The compactness of the Karats and their split-mirror rangefinders appealed to me. I located a restored Karat, but found that its bellows leaked. The seller took it back, but I kept looking. Prices typically run-higher than the Ambi Silettes, often over $100, and I tend to go as cheap if I can, so it took some time. Several purchases revealed non-operational shutters and/or frozen helicoids. Repair attempts were unsuccessful. Finally, down to zero Karats, I located a Ansco Karomat 36 with the 50mm f2.8 Karat Xenar lens at a low enough price. I took a chance and got lucky. Everything worked, although the advance lever return was initially stiff and the focus lever difficult to move.
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| Ansco sold the Karat 36 in the US |
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| Ansco Karomat & Agfa Karat 36. Same cameras with different labels |
Agfa 35mm camera focusing helicoids are notorious for their greenish lubricant that hardens over time and can become like glue. The solution is a complete disassembly of the lens helicoid, flushing out all the old lubricant, cleaning, re-lubricating and re-assemblying. Not fun work. A
little lighter fluid dropped into the threads from the rear, followed by heat from a blower gun freed the focus enough for day-to-day picture taking. But, even though I now had a working Karat, I was still on the lookout for a Karat in better working condition, particularly one with the faster f2 Xenon lens, or equivalent. In July I finally found one at a price I was willing to pay. The metal work shows some corrosion, but the 50mm f2 Karat Xenon was clean and scratch-free. The shutter operated at all speeds and the focus was smoother than the Karomat’s.
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Agfa mark on Karomat The Ansco label  |
Only the rangefinder was out of alinement—an easy problem to fix since access to the rangefinder prisms is pretty straight forward. So was I happy? For a while. Shot a roll and the results were pleasing. Two weeks later, while exercising the shutter to help the advance get smoother, the shutter suddenly jammed. This time I sent this Karat off for repairs. It’s back now with a replacement shutter. So, we shall see.
The most distinguishing characteristics of the Karat 36 is its split-mirror rangefinder and its pull-back advance lever. The nice thing about such a rangefinder is that it does not depend on a superimposed image but uses a split image instead. The result is a clear view plus faster and easier focusing, even in low light. I like it. The pull-back advance lever takes a little getting used to, but operates well enough. Hook a thumb or index finger around the front of the lever and pull back. Why did Agfa go with such an advance? Probably due to the demands of the Rapid cassette. When Agfa went over to the 35mm magazine, it carried over the same advance used in the Karat 12. Here is where I feel the greatest weakness of the Karat lies. Instead of a pair of sprockets for pulling the film out of its magazine, the Karat 36s have only one, set back away from the takeup stool and guarded by a snap-over plate. This means that advancing the film depends almost completely on the takeup spool with the sprocket drive pushing the film forward like it would have using a Rapid cassette. It usually works, but advancing the film requires a hard pull accompanied by discomforting crunching sounds.
In operation the Karat is solid and easy to steady, the release firm, the shutter ultra-quiet. Since no cover shields the lens when collapsed, it is wise to carry a lens cap if one wishes to stow the camera in one’s jacket pocket. Like other 50mm Schneider lenses during this period, the Xenon takes 29.5mm filters, or 32mm slip-ons. Focus is down to one meter, but with a slip-on proximeter, you can get down to 18 inches. The film type guide and manually-set, additive frame counter are easier to set than the Silette series. Linkages from the body to the shutter are more robust than the Retina’s and the frame counter does not care if you shoot more than 36 exposures on a roll. The 50mm f2 Xenon is the same lens as the Retina IIa came with. Like so many German 35mm camera from the 1950s, shutter speed and aperture settings have no click stops and are difficult to see. This makes bracketing exposures a slow process. I wish the Karat had strap lugs. The cameras came with cases but today many are missing and invariably the straps are rotten and undependable. Still, it is an easy camera to slip in one’s jacket and just take along for a walk or photo shoot.
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| With closeup device |
