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Agfa Billy I |
 Version française |
Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1930 to 1931.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 2993
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Agfa
After the Standard, Agfa released a new series of 6x9 folding cameras. They were initially called Billy and Billette, and then Billy Record. After the war, there was again a series of Billy Record, followed by the Record.
The Billy cameras are automatic, meaning that opening the bellows and cocking the shutter is supposed to be done simply by pressing the bellows lock. The bellows have a special shape to allow for this. This is an important evolution compared to the Standard.
The first Billy cameras have a rectangular body shape. They are renamed Billy I from 1931, with the release of the Billy II, whose shapes are softened. On the occasion of the name change, the Igetar lens became the Igestar. The Billy II is a more affordable version of the Bilette (1930) which has a Compur shutter. Many French catalogs continue to call them Billy, without further detail.
The Billy III introduces new bellows with their own kinematics. The Billy Compur still comes with a Compur shutter, but retains the bellows of the models prior to the Billy III.
| Body Shape | Lens | Shutter | ||||
| Billy |  |
1928-31 | Rectangulaire | Igetar | ||
| Billette | 1930 | Extrémités arrondies |
Igestar | Compur | ||
| Billy I |  |
1931 | Rectangulaire | Igestar | similar to Billy | |
| Billy II |  |
1931 | Extrémités arrondies |
Igestar | ||
| Billy III | 1932 | Igestar | Pronto | Ciseaux courbes | ||
| Billy Compur |  |
1934 | Apotar | Compur | Ciseaux rectilignes | |
The Billy Record cameras generally have lenses that are less bright than those of the earlier Billy models. The Billy Record 4.5 has a maximum aperture of 4.5 like the Billy Compur, but it does not have the Compur shutter. The Billy Record cameras sometimes have an ungarnished side of the body, which is ribbed on the rest of the camera. The Billy Record cameras of this series do not have a name or number; they are defined by the maximum aperture of their lens.
After the war (around 1950), there is a new series of Billy Record cameras. The first models have a folding external viewfinder. It is quickly replaced by a streamlined viewfinder integrated into a piece that also includes the flash shoe, without covering the entire side of the camera. The Billy Record II has better lenses than the Billy Record I. The Billy Record III has a rangefinder.
They are replaced from 1952 onwards by three new models called Record I, II, and III (Billy disappears from the name), which have more unity in their shape. A new hood that integrates the viewfinder, flash shoe, and optionally the rangefinder, covers the entire side of the camera. At about the same time, the Billy makes a comeback, following the same evolution of the viewfinder as the Billy Record cameras. The post-war Billy models differ from those of the 1930s in the shape of the scissor struts. __________
This particular specimen is a Havana (brown) version of the Billy I.
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