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Description
Please pardon this redundant introduction to my auctions, but the eBay experience dictates that I include it.........
Folks, thanks to eBay, there is almost no such thing as rare anymore... except for the more esoteric stuff that was rare even when new 50 years ago!
99.9% of cameras you see on eBay are NOT rare ! WHAT IS RARE ...is a 50 to 80 year old camera that is functioning properly, not just as a decoration, or worse... a fleamarket orphan… but as a useable photographic tool !!
Please read the Description carefully and completely to fully understand what you are buying!!
Please note, I often use the same or similar descriptions for like camera models, changing only those points particular to the specific item in the auction ( and of course, photos of the actual camera on auction !!!! ), there is little need to reinvent ( or retype ) the wheel for each new listing !! Thanks for understanding.
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2026 Addendum........
For those who have followed my eBay auctions for renovated folders the past 28+ years..., I no longer offer a continuous stream of folders on eBay. I am now concentrating on repairing folders sent to me rather than buying and then reselling those same now renovated folders.
However, I still have a couple of Agfa Isolettes & Records on the shelf and will very occasionally still list one of these refurbished / serviced folders on eBay.... I ONLY sell SERVICED / REFURBISHED folders !!!
So basically, I now primarily service mostly Agfa, or a very few other classic folders that others have bought on eBay's market place and sent to me for service instead... like some Voigtlander, Zeiss, Certo Six folders.... that I may still
have parts for. _______________
The camera on offer is a model Record III in excellent+++ condition. Lens is is the top of the line superb Agfa f4.5 / 105mm SOLINAR set in an excellent Compur-Rapid shutter!! The Solinar is every bit as good as the vaunted Tessar by Zeiss... I just happen to think the Solinar is even better, even if just a smidgen... hey, we all have our prejudices !!
Obviously everything works ...or else why would I list it !
When talking about Agfa folders, it goes without saying that ALLLLLL original Agfa bellows have so many pinholes that they are best used today by astronomy students to study the constellations ( through the bellows that is ) !!
The original bellows on this Record III like the couple thousand Agfa Records and Agfa Isolettes that I've purchased on eBay during the past 28 years, has proven to me without a hesitationtion of a doubt, that 99.999% of the time there is .......
" no SUCH THING AS AN ORIGINAL AGFA BELLOWS THAT DOES NOT HAVE PINHOLES !!! "
.... ( exception being the SUPER ISOLETTE & Automatic 66 ... both of which were originally fitted w/ Leather bellows )
The only other exceptions are those minute scarce few that were retrofitted with LEATHER bellows some time between 1960 & 2000, ... 99.99% of original factory Agfa Bellows are NOW worn out crackly PLASTIC planetariums....no matter what an eBay description may tell you. Again... as an aside, I have bought 99.99 of my 4000+++ “pinholed” Agfa folders off eBay !!
Condition of this Record III is excellent . Nothing used and 60+ years old is ever mint ( like me ), but it is very NICE. Lens is superb...clean and clear.... It is worth mentioning here that one should NEVER EVER use, even commercial photo paper cleaning " wipes " to clean lenses... ONLY use cloth lens specific fabric cleaners / wipes !!
Compur-Rapid shutter speeds 1/sec to 1/400 plus B, hums like a champ... as does the self-timer !
The original leatherette and body are generally very excellent+++... a quick wipe down will of course
remove any dust particles.
However, as descriptions of cosmetic condition can be very subjective, please peruse the many photos above to determine cosmetic condition for yourself.
However, the point is, you are buying a serviced - CLA'd camera that is warranted to perform as it should... NO stuck/frozen focus rings! NO shutters with haphazard speeds! And especially NO Leaky BELLOWS
Should you have questions on this or other folder renovations, please email me through eBay's captive messaging service.
The following is for bidders new to my auctions and is my general discourse on folders and what you can expect from my folders. If you've read this before... please just skip it....
As many of you already know, I offer rehabilitated folders... like this one. Every folder I list on eBay is not just a flea market find, or an eBay “let's pass it on to the next sucker” item. Every folder had been cleaned , lubricated, and adjusted... and as often as not, had broken parts fixed or replaced.
You've probably had the same experience as I... the good looking folder on eBay arrives at least partially unusable. Either the focusing is frozen, the slow speeds are slow ( which means all the rest are ALSO!! ), rangefinders don't line up, are out of adjustment, or just not viewable.
In short, not a camera that's usable. Now on rare occasions you get lucky and the camera is pretty nice... but even then, at the very least, that fifty year old shutter does need a thorough cleaning.
I see my function as one who offers these venerable and well engineered old folders to a new ( and some times the same ) generation of photographers who enjoy the simple pleasures of photography that these old machines bring out in us. Yes they are slower than a digital P/S, but they give a whopping huge digital file ( scanned ) and with today's films, even what were THEN, medium rung lenses give astoundingly excellent results.
Often times people are disappointed with the results from their folder. However, that is almost universally the result of one or two ( or both ) factors: i.e., slow sticky shutters, focusing adjustment needed OR, USUALLY... a bad bellows.
Bellows are OFTEN advertised on eBay as being good and light-tight. Well, not to disparage anyone, but 25% of the folders ... and 99.999% of AGFA Isolettes & Records ... I have bought off eBay ( roughly 4000+ of them ) NEED NEW BELLOWS !!!
Needless to say, if your bellows has even the slightest pin hole, it will make your pictures look like it has a bad lens... or, on very rare ocassions, dependent on WHERE THE SUN IS, you may even get a really nice photo !!!
An overhaul and a new bellows, will make that Old camera take wonderful pictures again.
Thanks for looking and Have a Safe, Happy, & Healthy 2026 !!
Attention: All YOUR Questions should be answered below…
In my auctions, “ what you see is what you get “ ( EXCEPT FOR OBVIOUS PROPS ! ). I may sometimes err on descriptions, but I always post the pictures of the item up for auction. Also, please note 99.99% of the items I sell are used - and VERY OLD - that means they are not new, they will show signs of previous ownership and use. Anything that is not at least excellent ++ ( and that means "nice. I wouldn't mind having that!" ), I will either not sell or clearly state that it is not "pretty," shows scratches, etc. If your intent is to find a NEW item that is 20 - 40 years old, please don't hassle me about something so trivial as fingerprints or rub marks that naturally come from handling an item.
To cut to the chase, if you want a new 20 - 69 years old item for you to look at on your display shelf...DO NOT BID!!
I do warrant my folders with a repair or replace policy. As these cameras are almost all 50 years or more old, they of course cannot be guaranteed... they are old, used, and stuff goes wrong...its that simple. However, out of courtesy, if a folder I sell needs further service (within a reasonable time of course!), just send it back and I'll take care of it.
Unless REALLY unusual circumstances, like War, Pestilence, Nuclear Holocaust, or the like... I do not give refunds...it is replace or repair only! For all other types ( non folding ) of cameras / items (they are all used!), I can only take responsibility for my description while the item was in my hands, not their continued longevity.
My first and foremost mission is to renovate these old classic cameras for a new generation of USERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS.... NOT for "collectors" to salivate over a "NEW" 70 year old camera!
However, I too am not infallible and if there should be a problem with your camera, please contact me before you leave a malicious ( there are NO OTHER KINDS ) negative feedback.
People still email me to ask about fungus, mold, or what not on the lens... I throw such lenses away...I do NOT sell them on eBay! Some may question why my classic folding cameras cost more ( set reserve ) than the same ( Well, not really ) camera that sells on eBay or the local yard sale for $20! Basically, to repeat...
I don't just take the yard sale folder , rush home and put it on eBay. About 20% I will simply throw away ( most of those bought off eBay ) or just use for parts, because they are pure junk...and the rest are literally renovated and prepared for their next owner who can now use it to actually take pictures instead of moaning about being ripped off again. So, obviously, my reserve has to be higher than the "junkyard dog" that is the too often offering on eBay. About 90% of reserve reflects cost, labor, and materials to renovate or CLA a folder. It's really that simple.
For those who didn't know, eBay does not provide a free service... they make plenty of money from each of my, and millions of others, on this web site. My average listing costs are from $11. to $55. per item... depending of final sale price of course. But, just to list an item costs between $3. to $7 dollars, even if it doesn't sell! So, please, do not ask me for free shipping just because you did the Buy it Now thingy!!! eBay does not give me a break because you bought it "Now!" ( In fact every now and again I get a call from eBay telling me they'll give me special rates if I offer free shipping... when I tell them what my real shipping costs are, they are dumbfounded... they must think everybody on eBay sells baseball cards that ship for .44cents to Podunk, Alaska !!!
Please note, contrary to eBay’s wishes, I simply can’t afford to offer free shipping on all my offerings. However, as it turns out, I subsidize most of my shipping costs by about 10 to 20% out of pocket anyway!!
… and 95% of the time I ship within one day as payment is received.
