Agfa Flexilette

The Agfa Flexilette is a 35mm camera. It was manufactured by Agfa Camera Werk AG and presented in the early 1960s. It is the predecessor of the Agfa Optima Reflex. The Agfa Flexilette was also on the market under the name “Agfa Reflex”.

The Agfa Flexilette comes with two lenses, one for focusing and one for taking pictures. The manufacturer’s name of the lens is Apotar 1:2.8/45. The largest aperture is f/2.8, the smallest is f/22.

The focus of the lens must be set manually. There is no autofocus system. The shaft finder helps with focusing. This was later replaced by a prism viewfinder on the Optima Reflex. The closest focusing distance of the lens is 1 meter.

The correct exposure cannot be measured by the TLR camera. The shutter allows exposure times from 1/500 s to 1 s. The camera has a Bulb mode. In this mode, the shutter is open for a variable time. The use of an external flash unit is possible via the PC flash socket.

Films for the Agfa Flexilette

Cartridges with 35mm film are exposed in the Agfa Flexilette. There is still a good selection of material for color and black and white images for this film format. One possible film for color images is Kodak Ultramax 400*. A possibility for B&W images is the Ilford FP4 Plus*.

The development of color film is the C-41 process. C-41 film can be developed by most photo labs. B/W film can only be processed in a developer suitable for this type of film.

The area of the Agfa Flexilette negatives is 24 mm x 36 mm. 36 photos are usually possible with a normal film (135-36). The film in the camera must be rewound manually by the photographer.

The Agfa Flexilette has a cable release and a tripod thread. No power is needed to take pictures. On the top, in addition to the shutter release, there is also a switch for double exposures and the frame counter.

The 35mm camera can only be bought used. The value of a used one is mainly measured by its condition and functionality.