Agriculture and electricity

Agfa Isopan


Film: Agfa Isopan

Picture format: 6×6 cm

Camera: Rolleiflex




Agfa Isopan has been a quite successful film in the amateur market and has been commercialized in different versions and format since the early ’40s and up to ’70s. This found film is a 21/10 DIN sensitivity film, expired in 1970, and shot with a Rolleiflex camera.

All of the frames are well exposed and apparently they are depicting a short journey in the countryside; the first eight frames show what probably is some maintenance job on the electricity pole (look at the big tool in the hand of the technician). Frame by frame the man is climbing up the pole.

The remaining shots are in my opinion the most interesting: at a certain moment, the shooter lost interest in the electricity technician and pointed the lens to something completely different:

The location is the same, just the opposite corner (look at the pole showing behind) but, these three final shots remind of a completely different world and lifestyle: that’s the most interesting aspect of this Agfa Isopan roll.

Technically speaking, it is to be underlined how well the emulsion resist to its age, keeping a very good dynamic  range: some shots were printed in grade 2 paper with minimal adjustments.