Agfa's early auto-exposure compact — the Optima, selenium meter, scale focus, 1959.
The Agfa Optima is a fixed-lens 35mm viewfinder camera made in West Germany, launched in 1959. Agfa marketed it as the first fully automatic-exposure 35mm camera, and it started a long Optima line of everyday compacts. It sits at the consumer end of the market as a simple point-and-shoot for casual snapshots rather than an enthusiast rangefinder.
This is a scale-focus viewfinder camera, not a rangefinder, with a fixed Agfa Color-Agnar lens. Exposure is set by a selenium-cell automatic system that works without a battery, with a large signal in the finder indicating whether there is enough light to shoot. Focusing is by estimated distance on the lens ring. The design emphasises one-button simplicity, with the shutter release on the front of the body.
The Optima suits collectors and casual users who want a period German compact that runs without batteries thanks to its selenium meter. Handling is basic: estimate focus, frame in the bright viewfinder and press the release. It is straightforward to use for daylight snapshots but limited in low light and offers no manual override on the fully automatic versions.
The main used-market concern is the selenium meter, which loses sensitivity or dies with age and cannot be recharged; test that the automatic exposure and the finder signal still react to light. Check the leaf shutter fires at speed and the aperture blades are free of oil. Inspect the lens for haze, cleaning marks and fungus, confirm the focus ring turns smoothly, and look over the light seals and film-door foam, which are commonly perished.