Karat Karat 12/6.3 lens 5cm f3.5 Agfa Anastigmat Jgestar shutter 3-speed Agfa's first venture into miniature camera production was the Karat - a simple, inexpensive folding model that was to develop into a high precision camera. All the early Karats were loaded with a cassette holding enough film for 12 36 x 24 exposures. The transport was simplified by not having a take up spool, the film transported by the sprockets alone into another empty cassette. This method of film transport was revived by Agfa in the 1960's as the Rapid easy loading system. Karat 12/3.5 lens 5cm f3.5 Agfa Solinar shutter 9-speed Compur-Rapid This example dating from the late-thirties shows how the Karat design was adapted. It has a four-glass Solinar lens and Compur-Rapid shutter. It appears to have been made for the French market as it carries the legend 'IMPORTÉ D'ALLEMAGNE' on the lens plate. Karat 12/2.8 lens 5cm f2.8 Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar shutter 8-speed Compur Although outwardly similar to the later Karat 36 (which used standard 35mm cassettes), this late-forties model retains the 12-frame Karat cassette. The idea of a non-standard cassette may seem strange to modern readers but until Kodak produced the 135 cassette for its Retina cameras, all manufacturers had their own (notably Leica, Contax, and Robot). The 'knob' on the upper right of the picture is not - as it appears - a rewind knob but a depth-of-field dial similar to that fitted to the Agfa Isolette. The descriptions above are necessarily brief - for additonal information on any model, or if I've made an error feel free to contact chrome age admin