Film cameras
Agfa Silette SL User manual
User manual for Agfa Silette SL. 33 pages in German. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.
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- Brand
- Agfa
- Model / document
- Agfa Silette SL
- Document type
- User manual
- Language
- German
- Pages
- 33
- File size
- 1.1 MB
- Category
- Film cameras
- Document date
- Not specified in catalog
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Page 5 · Read text
DEAR AMATEUR,
With the ocquisition of on Agfo Silette SL, you will be looking ot your surround-
ings, your house, your fomilyl notiaoys, week ends-everything in foct thot holds
pleosont memories in o new light-os subiects for your comero. The purpose of
this booklet is to help you to quick success ond pictures with the expert touch'
lf you will reod the foliowing poges through reolly corefully, you will find this
the quickest woy to leqrn oll obout your Agfo Silette SL ond the woy to use it'
Toking photogrophs with this minioture comero is octuolly very simple; there
or" ulry fewlhings to remember ond thqy ore quickly leqrnt. The use of the
exposure meter, p'orticulorly, is simplicity itself, becouse on ingenious coupling
of the meter setting pointei with the stop ensures outomoticolly thot the shutter
gives the correct exposure. This innovotion hos effected o consideroble simplifico-
tion in the operotion of the comero.
The 4-component Agfo Color-solinor lens, with o moximum operture of f/2'8 ond' for block-of course, cooted,'giu", outstondingly good reproduction, whether
ond-white or colour PhotogroPhY.
We ore confident thot your Agfo silette sL will bring you cr greot deol of
pleosure.
www.butkus.usView original page 5Page 6 · Read text
INTRODUCTION
In the following guide to the use of your Silette SL, we begin with looding the
film into the comerq; since this is the first time you hove [qndled the comercl
it is odvisoble in the first ploce merely to go through the motions of looding,
without using ctn octuol film.
Before inserting the film, it is odvisoble to set the film type reminder disc
to the type of film to be loqded ond fhe fifm speed scole to its speec.l. The
lotter is porticulorly importont, becouse it
is the bqsis of operqtion of the exposure
meter.
THE FILM SPEED SCALE
With the thumb press the smoll knob to
the right qnd rotote the scole beneqth the
rewind knob until the block triongulor
index mork comes opposite the speed
number of the film to be used-in Fig.3
: 40 ASA (r7 lrco DIN).
1 t' Fis. 3View original page 6Page 7 · Read text
FILM TYPE REMINDER DISC
You will not olwoys be using the sqme type of film in the cqmero, from time
to time you will hove occosion to chonge from one type to onother. For this
reoson the Silette SL is provided with o film type reminder disc, so thot should
the comero not be used for some time-or perhops be used olternotively with
g|nother cc|mero-you will olwoys know whot type of film is loqded into it.
To set it, pull out the rewind knob ond, toking the upper disc between finger ond
thumb (see Fig.4), rotote the film type re-
:: i,,,,,,,, minder disc by its underneoth milled rim , with the first finger until the figure cor- ,,, ,,.,.,, i
' .'..,. ', i responding to the film to be loqded qp-
, p€ars in the window. The disc con be
rii:ri,r,::::rr:!iliir,i.!:i:::ri,:ri:"::,r:','.l.:. fOtqted in eithef difeCtiOn.
lf, for exCImple, o blqck'qnd-while film is to
be looded, this is indicoted by setting the
block ond white sectors in the window of
the reminder disc (see olso Fig.3)
Fis.4
www.butkus.usView original page 7Page 10 · Read text
INSERTING THE CASSETTE
The unwropping of the new cossette, qnd the looding of the comero, should
if of oll possible be done in subdued light, or ot leost in the shodow of the body.
To insert the ' cossette, pull out the rewind knob , until the spool driving k"y
disoppeors into the housing (see Fig.7).
Insert the cossette qnd push
the rewind knob right bock
ogoin, gently turning it the
while so thqt it engoges with
the slot in the spool core.
Fig.7View original page 10Page 11 · Read text
THREADING THE FILM
AND PULLING IT TAUT
lnsert the nCIrrow end of the film into
the slot in the toke-up spool ond hook
the second perforotion on to the tooth.
Then rotote the empty spool by its
milled flonges until the film is pulled
tout with not more thon obout 3/e of
qn inch of the full width film proiect-
ing from the cqssette (see Fig. 8).
ffi
'{.oq}
Fis.8
www.butkus.usView original page 11Page 12 · Read text
CLOSING THE BACK See lhot the film perforqtions ore engoging properly with the teeth of the'feed sprocket beneoth it. The bock mqy then be closed. This should be done by pres- sing it with both honds, CIs shown in Fig. 9, until it snCIps shut.View original page 12
Page 13 · Read text
EXPOSURE COUNTER
Hoving looded the comero set the
exposure counter to z.ero. With the
thumb, press down the inner milled
ring of the counter disc which is built
into the ropid film wind lever, ond
turn it counter-clockwise until the green
triongle comes opposite the index line
engrqved on the edge (see Fig. 10).
When looding o 36-exposure minioture
cossette, use the green mork between
36 ond 1 ; for o 20-exposure cossette,
the green mork between 25 ond 20-
The counter ru ns bockwords ond in-
dicqtes olwoys the number of frqmes
still remoining unexposed.
THE FILM WIND
Two blonk exposures must now be mqde. Eoch full turn of the ropid wind lever
moves on the film one frome ond of the sqme time loods the shutter. To operote
www.butkus.us 12View original page 13Page 15 · Read text
DOUBLE EXPOSURE AND BLANK FRAME PREVENTING INTERLOCK
The Aofo Silette SL is provided with on interlock for preventing double ex-posurei ond blonk fromes. This meons thot it is not possible to moke two
exoosures on the some frome ond olso thot the film connot be wound on to
thd next frome until ofter o picture hos been token. on it. lf, therefore, it.is
found thot the releose button' connot be operoted, this meons either thot the
film hos not been wound on ofter the prbvious exposure or thot the ropid
film wind lever wos not token right rouncj to the stop. lf the lotter is the cose,
the winding con be completed, 6y ogoin operoting.'the lever os for os it will
oo. without-wostinq ony film. lf thdre ii ony doubt, when some time hos elopsed
iince lost using th6 coinero, whether or not the film hos been wound on, the
fi]m wind levei should be tiied. lf it connot be operoied, the comero is reody
for the next exposure.
When the comero hos been loqded os exploined obove, give the film wind lever
one more turn-the exposure counter wili now reqd 36-qnd the comerq is now
reody for the first exposure. The subiect distqnce must then be set on the focusing
scole' ond it remoins'to decide whot shutter speed ond stop to use'
THE EXPOSURE METER
The setting frome of the exposure meter is coupled direct to the stop ond shutter
speed setTinq rinq on the'shutter; consequently the operotion of setting ihe
meter reodin-g on-the shutter, which would 6ther*ise be necessory, is eliminoted.
t4 www.butkus.usView original page 15Page 16 · Read text
First of qll moke sure thqf the film. speed scole (gn the film rewind knob) hqs
been set to the correct .film . speed os described on pogev 5. Then op"n the 'protecting cover by pressing the smoll cotch to the left.
See the hints on the use of the Exposure Me,ter on page 2r..
Pgj.nt your Agfo Silette SL towqrds the subiect. The light folling on the meter
will cquse the pointer to deflect, ond the seiting frome-now hos"to be odiusted
to be exqctly over it.
The best procedure is qs follows:
With normol light..co.nqitions, set the shutter to q medium speed, e. g. L/a,0, by rot-
oting (r^"" the lqrgq milled ring Fig. the press-in'key of tfle diciphrogm 1?).'theKeep!ng -hond,ring on-e fing9r- in wifh left of diophrognn riilg, rotote the . ,pressedwotching the exposure meter pointer
the while, until the pointer lies ex-
octly centrol in the bperture of the
setting frome.
correcr
Incorre*ffi|fi ffi
It will be found eosier to odiust the
rins.if the fixed lqdge @ilSn1lgs.m(Fig. 15) is used cls q rest foi thb
right hond (see fig. 12).
Fis. 12
15View original page 16Page 17 · Read text
lf the diophrogm ring comes to cl
$top before the setting frome reoches coihcidence with the pointer, the
shutter speed ring should be rototed
to o point where this becomes pos-
sible. Finolly, releqse the press-key:
the rneosurement is now complete,
qnd the meter reoding hos been trons-
ferred to the shutter. So long os the
press-key is not pressed in the shutter
speed ond diophrogm rings ore coupl-
ed together. From now on, only the
shulter speed ring (see Fig. 13) musl
be tldiusted, else the meter-controlled
setting which hos iust been mode
will be qltered.
In odiusting the shutter speed ring,
you will notice thot
the ring con only be rototed be-
tween certoin limits,
ond qlso thqt
the setting frqme does not move
from the position in which it wos
Fis. 13 set obove the meter pointer.
www.butkus.us 16View original page 17Page 18 · Read text
It only remqins now to decide whot combinotion of shutter speed ond stop to choose. Remember thot for hond hgli e"pgsg"t tnt ;ii;ii;r ;F;i ,",.,rit nor be slower thon second. r/rtr,, tlr, riqp. id; '/uo itself tg gny olterotion of ihulter;f;g.;q;!",-.q, it g;J'heie"i'ii. wiil Wit't-ouioroticoliyb;;;;;;rolv toodiustbeor in mind the considerqtion qs tJ d"dth;f fi;i; *ni.rr is oiscussJi;j[;;;,4"ir" section.
As the shutter speed ring.,is rotoi.ed, the different combinotions of shutter speed ond stlP which'ore,poslible with the p"llidor meier setting ;;; t-""r"od off opposite the triongulor index pointer (seie Fig. I ll.
Thus, in theexomple illustroted in Fig. 14,the fotlowing combinotions ore ovoiloble:
Shutter speed; 1 lsoo r/pr r/ao r/so r/ts r/eil srop: 2.9 4 5.6 B ]t 16 22
Note thot only the click seltinqs of the Fis. 14t, shutter speed ring con be used tfiL shutfei
speed mqst, in other words, olwoys' oppeor
exoctly obove the triqngulirr index pciihter.
lntermediate settings cinnot be utid: such
il settings o19 porti-ulorly lioble to occur when the shulter speed'ring is of the ex-
tremities of its moiion. Inte-rmediote stop
vo.lues,.. on the other hond, CIre perfectlyt gdpissible, old moy in foct be necessqry
to..Ftllg the.shutter ietting into ogreement
with the meter reoding.
17View original page 18Page 19 · Read text
DEPTH OF FIELD
The lens is focused by rototing the front cell of the lens mount until the subiect
distonce comes opposite to the index mork (e.g. 10 feet in Fig.'15).
Just os the shutter speed is dependent upon the stop, so does the stop control
the ronge of definition in front of ond behind the point on which the lens is
focused. When the lens is "stopped down" to o smqll operture this ronge of
shorp focus is considerobly extended, ond this is soid to "increose the depth of
field". The depth of field olso increoses os the subiect distonce increoses. r -lThe depth of field is thus controlled iointly by the stop ond the subiect distonce.
The exoct volue of the depth of field for ony poriiculor stop ond distonce con
be seen from the toble on poges 30-31. It
It should be emphosized thot in colculoting these volues o very high stondord of
definition wos used, so thot strict odheronce to them is necessqry only for tech- 1fnicql photogrophy or for work intended for very consideroble enlorgement
demonding ihe.utmost shorpness in the negotive. For oll procticol purposes ihe Il
figures given by the depth-of-field scole provided on the comero will fully suffice.
While ihese ore somewhot greoter thon the volues given by the toble, ex- ?
perience hos shown thot they ore odequote for most purposes. As on exomple
1moy serve the l0 feet setting shown in the occomponying illustrotion.
l8 www.butkus.us
IView original page 19Page 20 · Read text
On the depth-of-field scole,
the stop numbers qre engrov-
ed symmetricolly to left ond
right of the disfqnce pointer.
Th us, if th e lens is stopped
down to t 18, the ronge of
distqnces, on the odiocent
distonce scole, included be-
tween the 8 on one side of
the depth-of-field scole to the
8 on the other represents the
15depth of field qvqiloble ot Fis.
this stop qnd subiect distonce : in this cose from obout B feet to 13 feet.
Where definite close-ups or distonce shots ore involved it is possible to use whot is termed the two-
point setting. This however ossumes thot the exposure meter seiting ollows the red dot befween
f/8 qnd flI1 to be set ogoinst the triongulor pointer (l) (Fig. 16). Note, too, thot the red dot must
olwoys be set ogoinst q full shuiter speed; if this isYot possible, f/I1 must be used. lf then the
red 10 or 30 of the distonce scole is set ogoinst the pointer (Fig. 16), the red 10 setting gives @o depth of field from obout 8 feet to 15 feet ond the red 30-setting o depth of field from qbout
16 feei to oo.
19View original page 20Page 22 · Read text
SOME H INTS ON TH E USE OF TH E EXPOSU RE METER
When meosuring the exposure in sunshine, tilt the comero o few degrees
downwords. Experience shows thot os o rule the sky occupies o consideroble
proportion of the negotive, ond since with but few exceptions it is brighter
thon the subiect proper, it is better to point the cqmero, for the purpose of
the meosurement, of this dorker port of the picture oreq. lf there qre very
greot differences in brightness between different ports of the subiect it is
$I necessqry to decide which ports of the picture must in ony circumstonces be
correclly rendered. This-one might coll it essentiql-port ol ihe picture should
l be metered from close up, by opprooching the subiect with the cqmero
directed of this essentiol port, wotching the meter, until it is seen thotI*/ the lighter surroundings ore cleorly exerting"*porrr"no influence on the reoding; this
is indicoted by the foct thot the reoding does not moteriolly chonge on still
The photogroph is then token from the originoi standioint using tI closer opprooch. I the exposure volue thus determined.
llrl But note also the remarks on page 29 regarding the effect on exposure oalues of l
$ the use of filters.
I
IView original page 22Page 23 · Read text
THE PRONTOR SLK SHUTTER
Detoils of operotion:
The lorge milled ring controls the shutter speeds.
The block figures
300 125 60 30 t5
ore outomoticolly controlled exposure times, the lost five of which, viz. 15, 8, 4,
2 ond I connot be sofely used with the comero held in the hond. The numbers 1/goo second, 8 : 1/s second, etc.represent froctions of o second, e.g. 300 :
When set to B the shutter remoins open so long os the releose buiton is kepi
depressed, ond for such time exposures o tripod or other firm suppori is essentiol.
The green figures ore not used for setting purposes. They serve only to indicote
B,how mony full seconds time exposure ore required with the shuiter set to
when only very smoll deflections of the meter pointer qre ottoined. The oppro-
priote stop is reod off on the scole odiocent to the green figure.
Keeping the coupling key @ (Fig.16) pressed in, set the indicoted stop opposite
to the pointer @ ond expose for the required number of seconds. This will olter
the seiting which hos been mode by meons of the exposure meter setting frome,
ond the exposure volue must therefore be re-set for the next exposure.
www.butkus.usView original page 23Page 25 · Read text
THE DELAYED ACTION (SELF TIMER)
Setting V : deloyed oction (olso known os self-timer).
When, os occosionolly hoppens, you-wi{ to include yourself in o photogroph, ofler winding.on
the filh, push bock tlie smdll lever (8) (Fig. 15) to V. About seven seconds will then elopse, ofter
lhe releoie is pressed, before the shutter operotes.
After operoiion, the lever outomoticolly returns to X; it moy olso be pushed bock io t[ris position
should'it not be desired ofter oll, to use the self-timer. Once the deloy-oclion mechqnism hos sfqrled runninq, the film musl nol lie wound on, nor lhe releose bullon be pressed o second time.
Anv shutter sp-eed moy be used with the self-timer but not the B setting. The selftimer con olso be
used in coniunction with flosh, bui only with X-synchronizotion'
FLASH SYNCHRONIZATION i
Setting X : X-synchronizolion.
The usuol settinq for floshbulbs. Every corton of floshbulbs corries detoils of the type of synchroni-
zoiion they requ-ire, i. e. X or M setting. The best shutter speed to use with the X setiing is 1/ro or
r/66 second.
With electronic flosh the X setting is olwoys used; in this cose, however, even ihe fostest shutter II speeds moy be used for fost moving subiects. )
Setting M : M-synchronizotion.
With the synchronizinq lever set to M, only those flosh bulbs con be used which ore specificolly
stoted on the corton os requiring M-synchronizotion.
With these it is possible olso to use foster shuller speeds ihon 1/oo second should fost moving sub-
iecls require it.
The exposure meler ond flosh. The exposure meter of the Silette SL connot be used wiih flosh. On
ond shutter between sto$ the coupling oliornT-of
ThE necessory eiposure doto wiil!p.egd,be'found-the shutterin the'instructionsspeed must beissuedset.firsJ,.with ondthe ttt" Jop oirJr*o-rati
r. */ ,-. www.butkus.us' T 5,6 i't8r/floshgu n. d-t a-L /5 l/r" ztView original page 25Page 26 · Read text
For horizontal pictures the comero should be held in both honds, cls shown, ond the releose pressed firmly ond steqdily right down, using the first or second finger of the right hond. For aertical pictures the thumb or first finger of the right hond is used for the releose, CIccording to which wqy you prefer to hold the comerq. When using the cqmerq in the hond, it is importont to odopt o firm stonce, ond by holding the orms close in to the body ond pressing the comercl ogoinst the foce, keep the Silette SL perfectly steody os the subiect is sight- ed in the finder. Fis.17 25View original page 26
Page 27 · Read text
operoted, the shutter opens ond, regordless of howil:ffi ):'r" button is
long the button remoins depressed, the shutter closes ogoin ofter the lopse of the
time period for which it hos been set.
With the comero held in ihe hond, only the foster shutter speeds from r/66 to
t/s00 sec. should be used, or, in cose of necessity, 1/3s sec. For ony slower speed o
firm support, or better still, o tripod ond o coble releqse ore esseniiol.
VIEWFINDER PARALLAX
The viewfinder shows iust whot oreo of the subiect will be included in the picture.
When toking close-ups, however, o smoll error is introduced by the foct thot the
viewfinder is ot o higher level thon the comero lens. ln proctice this only becomes
noticeoble with subiect distonces from 3 to 6 feet. When toking horizontol close-
ups, therefore, the comero should be tilted slighfly upwords; for verticol close-
ups it should be turned slightly towords the viewfinder side.
www.butkus.usView original page 27Page 28 · Read text
UNLOADING THE CAMERA
When the exposure counter indic-
otes f , one more frome remoins to
be exposed.
lf too much film hqs been pulled
out of the cqssette when looding
the comero, it con hoppen thot the
film connot be fully wound on for
the lqst €XposUre: the film wind
lever sticks holf woy. ln this event,
the lost exposure hos to be socrificed.
The exposed film must now be
wound bqck into the light-tight cos-
sette. To rewind the film, with the
left thumb press the rewind releose
button on the bose of the cCImercx
(see Fig. 1B) ond with the right hqnd
pull out the rewind knob qs fqr qs
the first cqlch (obout lle inch) ond
Fis. 18View original page 28Page 29 · Read text
wind the film right bock by turning the knob in the direction of the orrow. This
operotion is complete when the film detoches itself from the toke-up spool, ond
this point con be detocted by o slight resistonce to rewinding. By corefully con-
tinuing rewinding check wheiher it is still possible to turn the rewind knob even
when the rewind releose buiton is releqsed. As soon os this is the cose the
rewinding must be stopped.
The comero bock con now be opened os described on poge 7. Pull out the rewind
knob os for os it will go, so thot the cossette con eosily be removed. lt should
ot once be pocked up in o light-tight wropping ond morked "exposed".
CARE OF THE CAMERA
By toking core of your comero you con lengthen its useful life. lt is speciolly
importonl in this connection to protect your Silette SL from ihe weoiher by
keeping it olwoys in the convenient ever-reody cose. The comero is secured in
the cose by the retoining screw, so thqi it cqn be used inclined ot ony ongle
without feor of its folling out.
Before looding the comero, toke core too, thot the interior of the comero, ond
the surfoce of the lens, ore free from dust or ony other foreign motter.
www.butkus.us 28View original page 29From the M. Butkus Camera Manual Library. Original publisher and archive notices are retained.
Check the model and edition against your equipment.
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