The Camera Site

Agfa Kamerawerk AG, Munchen, Germany

Solinette

Agfa Solinette II (~1955)

The Agfa Solinette and Super Solinette were current in the mid-fifties and, although the external finish is sometimes in poor condition, the mechanism and optics have usually stood the test of time very well.

"The Solinette is a modern miniature camera of an attractive and smart appearance. The camera is designed to take the standard miniature cassettes for 18, 20 or 36 pictures on 35 mm. film (size 24 x36 mm.), black-white or colour film (Agfacolor)."

 

This is the standard Solinette, with a good-quality 50mm f/3.5 Apotar lens (Although on the top of the list was a four lens Solinar 50mm f/3,5) and Prontor SV shutter. The Super Solinette looked similar, apart from its having two 'windows' in the top-plate for its coupled rangefinder and it was equipped with the four-element 50mm f/3.5 Solinar lens in a Synchro Compur shutter.
You might guess that it has been also Solinette I model. The both cameras were the same design. Model One had a slightly smaller front lens in a viewfinder, otherwise they seem to have been identical.

This camera lacks the rewind knob (darned Ilkka and Jussi;) because after a some sort of malfunction the camera was left for children to play with. Many Thanks anyway to M.K.

 

What is Light?

Anywhere around us on the the earth and also in the space there can be found electromagnetic radiation. The source of the radiation could be a star or something which is related to the birth of the Universe, then we are speaking about the Background Radiation. Radars, radio transmitters a burning candle or even the human brains are the sources of electromagnetic radiation.

Visible light waves are the only electromagnetic waves we can see. The wavelengths of the light we can see range from 400 to 700 billionths of a meter. But the full range of wavelengths included in the definition of electromagnetic radiation extends from one billionth of a meter, as in gamma rays, to centimeters and meters, as in radio waves. Light is one small part of the spectrum. We see these waves as the colors of the rainbow. Each color has a different wavelength. Red has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest wavelength. When all the waves are seen together, they make white light. When white light shines through a prism or through water vapor like in a rainbow, the white light is broken apart into the colors of the visible light spectrum.

How do we "see" using Visible Light?

Cones in our eyes are receivers for these tiny visible light waves. The Sun is a natural source for visible light waves and our eyes see the reflection of this sunlight off the objects around us.The color of an object that we see is the color of light reflected. If the color of the object is white it means that all the wavelengths of the visible light are reflected. If it is black it absorbs all the light.

©2004 Reijo Lauro