Roll 2 The Isolette

I bought a very pretty Agfa Isolette last fall. My Voigtlander Perkeo which I was just learning to love had a mechanical issue during my trip to Iceland and I left it behind in hopes that someone would find it and give it a loving home since I am worthless when it comes to fixing things.

The roll I shot was expired Fujicolor 400. I got a few weird semi-double exposure shots that were due to operator error (in other words I didn’t plan to do a double exposure…but maybe I should because it’s pretty easy in this camera). I shot a few more for my “weird stuff in the neighborhood” project.

It seems the lens is pretty nice. The camera is light and easy to carry. The range focus seems to work pretty well. But the shutter speed setting is driving me nuts. The three settings (other than B) are 25, 50 and 200, with the distance between 25 and 50 being the same as the distance between 50 and 200 which is pretty much the fastest speed. All the regular aperture settings from f4.5 to 32 are clearly marked. Trying get something like an accurate setting based on a meter reading is infuriating. Nevertheless I like this camera. It’s so easy to tote around, for medium format, and the lens really seems pretty good. But I’m still longing for another Perkeo so we will see. The next shots I took when we had some days of very ominous weather and the seashore was lovely.

I also found this beautiful flowering tree in my wanderings.

I think I could get a better sense of this camera if I didn’t use expired film for my very first outing. The next roll I shot on this camera is Portra 400 so that will provide greater enlightenment.