Why won't the shutter release on my Agfa Billy Record 7.7?
Asked 1/31/2021
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2 answers
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I found an Agfa Billy Record 7.7 folding bellows camera and I'm new to vintage cameras. The top-right shutter release button will not press, and the small dot next to it shows red. There is no film loaded. Does this camera have a shutter lock, or does the shutter need to be cocked first? Could the lack of film prevent the shutter from firing?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
1
Some of the more sophisticated simple cameras had a double exposure interlock -- this requires the film advance to be operated to unlock the shutter, which locks after an exposure is made. Many of these interlocks weren't very "smart" -- they'd unlock the shutter after only a fraction of a frame had been advanced, and a few such cameras (like the Duaflex II and later members of that family) had an override control to allow intentional double exposures.
Try turning the film advance a turn or two and see if that unlocks the shutter release.
Originally by user89902. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user89902
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Most likely the shutter is not cocked. On many bellows cameras of this era, the shutter release will not do anything until the shutter has been manually cocked first.
It’s also possible the camera has a simple double-exposure interlock. On some cameras, the shutter stays locked after an exposure until the film advance is turned. These systems are often mechanical and may unlock after only a small amount of winding, even without film.
So the two things to try are:
- Cock the shutter manually.
- Turn the film advance a little and see whether the release unlocks.
A lack of film may matter only if the camera uses an interlock tied to film advance, but many such mechanisms can still be reset by turning the advance knob slightly. The red dot likely indicates a shutter state or lock status, but based on the answers provided, the main causes are an uncocked shutter or an interlock that needs film advance movement.
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