AGFA Billy Record, 1933, Germany

Agfa was established in Germany in 1867. In 1873 it changed name in Aktien-Gesellschaft für Anilin-Fabrikation, which acronym is AGFA. The company started producing chemical products for photographic films.

The Agfa Billys are actually a series of cheap cameras made from 1927.

The Billy Record model is the most famous; produced from 1933 to 1942. It cost about 30 marks in Germany and 185 Francs in France.

It features film rolls type 120, 6x9 format, the lens is a 3-elements 100mm Alfa Anastigmat Jestar 1:7,7. The central shutter is a Pronto S, made by Alfred Gauthier and a 15-seconds self-timer. It weighs 560g and the dimensions are 165 x 88 x 37 (closed) or 165 x 108 x 131 (opened). The camera is simple and suitable for a wide range of people. Despite being cheap, the photo quality is decent.