Agfa Billy-Clack No. 51

This camera is a strut folding camera dating from c.1938. Agfa Billy Clacks were made from c.1934 onwards, but earlier models have a simple leatherette covering. We know this is a later model because of the herringbone texture on its leatherette.

It has attractive art deco styling on glossy black enamel and it shoots 16 frames of 6x4.5 on 120 film. The lens is an 70mm f/8.8 Igenar and is a periscopic doublet (a symmetrical lens with two meniscus elements with the aperture between them). This reduces chromatic aberrations. The lever on the face plate allows you to switch between three fixed size apertures: f/8.8, f/11, and f/16. It also has a built in yellow filter that can be pulled in place when desired with the tab below the aperture lever.  There is one shutter speed of 1/30 and a bulb mode, which is activated using the lever on top of the face plate.

Composition takes place in either of the two brilliant finders, which allow for portrait or landscape shots. The camera is naturally set up to take portraits. You need to turn it on its side to take landscapes, and there is a pull out tab next to the bellows that lets the camera stand unassisted. This is handy if you want to use it in bulb mode when you don't have a tripod. The remote shutter socket beneath the shutter release is also handy for this.  

The two ruby windows on the back of the camera are protected from the light by a swivelling cover. There is also a neat locking mechanism that prevents accidental shutter release. For a simple snapshot camera there are a lot of nice features.

One of the best looking cameras in the collection. It's almost as happy as the Ferrania Zeta Duplex.