Lomography

The Agfa Clack camera was produced from 1954 until 1965. It uses 120 mm film and is part of the Agfa box series – several kinds of cameras designed like a box which were inexpensive and easy to use for everybody. After I had unpacked my Agfa Clack camera I almost had to laugh because of its unusual and somehow funny look – it is the big black teddy bear among all my other analogue cameras. I found it on an online auction for 8€.

Because of the fact that I use to have a big hoard of 120 film and the sun was shining I was able to try it immediately after it arrived at my home. But I had to solve a problem first. I did not know how to open this strange camera. There is a lock on the bottom of the camera and you need a key to open it. But the seller did not add that key to the camera. So I took a small screw driver and it worked somehow. I removed the case and now I was able to recoil the film. For my first try I took 200 ISO film because I did not know any better. But the Agfa Clack cameras are built for 50 ISO films because the shutter speed is about 1/35s. I found out about this fact later when I read something about this camera.
On the back of the camera is a little window which can be opened. There you can see how far you have to turn the filmtransportation wheel to the next shot.
The release-reset does not work automatically. You have to do it yourself. That was also a little bit unusual to me. Also the format is extraordinary: First I wondered that it was only possible to take eight shots with one 120 film. I found out that the format is 6×9cm. This is really special and looks great. But it is also a disadvantage regarding the little number of pictures you get out of one film.
A big surprise for me was that such a “cheap” camera has connections for cable release and tripod.
The Agfa Clack also has a B setting (which I did not try yet), and you are able to do multiple exposures.
Maybe you are wondering about the name of the camera – Agfa CLACK: Push the button and you will not wonder anymore.