What is the marked dial under the rewind knob on an Agfa Silette for?
Asked 10/1/2019
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I have an older Agfa Silette film camera. Under the rewind knob there is a small indicator dial with DIN numbers and some letters such as R, C, CT, CN, and K. It seems to turn only intermittently when I rotate the rewind knob, and it does not appear to affect the camera.
What does this dial indicate, and how was it meant to be used?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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This is just a passive dial (that does not communicating anything to the camera mechanism), meant as a memorizing aid for the film type and speed inserted.
The degree values are DIN speed numbers.
C seems to be a shorthand for generic "Color" film.
CT, CN17 and K appear to be shorthands for various Agfa film stocks that were contemporary for that camera:
"CT" ("Color Transparency") is found in the name of various color slide films, eg "Chrome CT 18", though the latter was apparently only introduced 1958, so the intent could have been generic "Color Transparency"
"Agfacolor CN17" was a 17 DIN/40 ISO "Color Negative" film. There was VERY likely no "CN27" when that camera was made - 400 ISO color negative films weren't marketed in the late 1950s AFAIK.
"Agfacolor K" was a tungsten-balanced color negative film. "K" could have been for "Kunstlicht" (artifical lighting) or "Kelvin", as a tungsten film is designed for a different color temperature in Kelvins.
It would appear that different Silette models, and probably also their export versions, had varied values on this dial (eg old english language manuals seem to suggest some models had ISO values).
Originally by user58185. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user58185
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
It’s a film reminder dial, not a functional camera control. It does not connect to the exposure or transport mechanism; it’s just there to help you remember what film is loaded.
The numbers are film speed markings in DIN, and the letters indicate film type. Examples mentioned in the answers include:
- CT = color transparency (slide film)
- CN = color negative
- K = a tungsten-balanced Agfa color film
- C = generic color film
- black-and-white markings may also appear on similar dials
These cameras were often loaded and then put away for days, weeks, or longer, so the reminder helped users avoid forgetting what film was inside.
Its movement can feel odd because it’s just a simple indexed reminder ring, not a precision control. You set it manually to roughly the film type/speed you loaded. The fact that it turns only intermittently or seems loosely coupled to the rewind knob is normal for this kind of reminder dial.
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