Agfa Ansco Shur-Shot Regular B2

Specification

Art Deco Credentials

Acceptable: Modest and restricted

• Produced during the main Art Deco period;
• Geometric Art Deco front plate;
• Chrome surrounds to viewfinders;
• Chrome rear door latch;
• Chrome winder with concentric circles.

Description

The Agfa Ansco Shur Shot series began in 1932 and ended in 1940. Shur Shot cameras originally carried the name Agfa-Ansco in use at that time. Post-1941 models were branded as Ansco alone because of the German connection of Agfa. Although the Agfa Ansco Shur-Shot is a simple camera made from cardboard, wood and metal, it is particularly well made. It is capable of capturing eight 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 inch exposures or 16 1⅝ x 2¼ inch exposures on standard no. 120 roll film. This basic box construction hadn't changed much from when box cameras first appeared. The camera is made of a water resistant fiber body covered in black imitation leather, with a plain metal faceplate. The back is also made of metal. The shutter assembly is supported with a wooded block. There was a diagonal handle on the top.

The camera is fitted with a fixed focus lens for taking photos from about 8 feet to infinity. There are two apertures available but only one shutter speed. The glass single meniscus lens is located behind the shutter and aperture to obtain the optimal performance from a simple lens design. The shutter provides a snapshot speed of about 1/40 of a second.

Film advance is by the use of two ruby window labelled A and B on the back door. These ruby windows are used in connection with swinging wings inside the camera and two scribed lines on the ground glass viewfinders.

When the wings are open and clipped back, the image produced on the film is 2¼ x 3¼ inches. The whole of the viewfinder is used and only ruby window A is used to advance the film to the new frame.

When the wings are in place, the image is half that size. Only the area between the scribed lines is used to frame the picture. The film is advanced so that a number appears in ruby window A for the first frame and ruby window B for the next frame. This is repeated for all of the next 8 numbers giving 16 shots.

It has a metal winding knob. There are two viewfinders for landscape and portrait orientation.

Bulb exposures are achieved by pulling a small tab outwards. This model also includes another tab which allowes for the positioning of either a smaller aperture (approximately f/22) or a yellow filter, in front of the main lens. (The filter was intended for black & white photography, e.g. to deepen the tone of blue skies.)

For maintenance, the metal faceplate of the camera can be taken off by lifting tabs away from two small pegs which gives access to the shutter and viewfinders. As in many box cameras, highly polished steel plates were used for the interior reflective surfaces of the viewfinders instead of mirrors. These seem to stand the test of time better than mirrored glass surfaces.

There is no cable release socket and no tripod mount.

How to Use