Popular Agfa Ansco Box Cameras of the 1930s

Agfa Ansco Made Nine Cameras in Five Models During the Thirties

Apr 28, 2009
Marie Brannon

The Agfa Pioneer Box Camera With Flash Unit - Willard D. Morgan

Box cameras on the market in the 1930s were rugged, inexpensive, and easy to use. Some had built-in accessories, others had attachments, but consumers liked them all.

Box cameras got their name from their rigid boxy shape, most often rectangular but sometimes a cube. They often had fixed focus, fixed lens opening and limited speeds. They gave the beginner an opportunity to learn the basics of photography such as composition and subject choice, without too much emphasis on complicated technical details. Here is a summary of the box cameras produced by Agfa Ansco during the 1930s.

Agfa Ansco Company Manufactured Nine Popular Box Cameras

Agfa Ansco was located in Binghamton, New York and produced box cameras from 1928 until it was seized by the United States government in 1941. According to Willard D. Morgan, editor of The Complete Photographer, they made nine cameras in five models, as follows:

Shur-Shot Box Cameras

B-2 Shur-Shot took either eight or sixteen photos on a roll of B2 Agfa film (120 Eastman film). It had built-in wings allowing full or half-size pictures, two diaphragm openings, built-in yellow filters, and a waist-level viewfinder.
D-6 Shur-Shot took either eight or sixteen photos and used D6 Agfa film (116 Eastman). It also had built-in wings and the other features mentioned for the B2.

Cadet Box Cameras

B-2 Cadet took eight photos with a roll of B2 Agfa or 120 Eastman film. It had a one-way shutter release and two large viewfinders.
D-6 Cadet also took eight photos with a roll of film, but it took D6 Agfa or 116 Eastman film. It had the same shutter release and viewfinders as the B-2 Cadet

Cadet Flash Box Cameras

A-8 Cadet Flash took eight photographs with a roll of A8 Agfa or 127 Eastman film. It had a detachable flash unit and an eye-level view finder.

Pioneer Box Cameras

PB20 Pioneer made eight photos per roll of film. It had a built-in shutter release, eye-level viewfinder, synchronized flash and two exposure settings. It took Agfa PB20 or Eastman 620 film.
PD16 Pioneer also made eight photos per roll, using Agfa PD16 or Eastman 616 film and it had the same features as the PB20 Pioneer.

Agfa Chief Box Cameras

PB20 Agfa Chief made eight photos per roll. It had a built-in shutter, a tubular eyelevel view finder, two exposure settings, a flash unit, two-position focusing and a built-in yellow filter. It used the same film as the Pioneer PB20.
PD16 Agfa Chief also made eight photos per roll and had all the features of the PB20, above. It used PD16 or Eastman 616 film.

The most common problem with these Agfa Ansco box cameras was difficulty in loading the film. It was hard to keep light from hitting the film and causing fogginess on the edges of the finished print. In spite of this drawback, box cameras were surprisingly easy to use for outdoor and indoor portraits, action shots, landscapes, and silhouettes.

Agfa Ansco had only one major competitor during the 1930s. The Eastman Kodak Company was located in Rochester, New York and had developed its line of box cameras earlier. Both brands laid the foundation for millions of Americans who enjoy taking their own photographs.

Marie Brannon - Experienced writer Marie Brannon hails from Texas. She is a detail-oriented writer who approaches article research with meticulous care.