Agfa Agomar 85/2.8 [V3]

Reviews

1. 

   16:9 – May 7, 2022

   This is a confusing lens: apparently just another flimsy plastic-barrel triplet; no serial numbers; not reassuringly heavy or iridescently multicoated – not even important enough to specify the (f2.8) aperture: the V2 is just marked f=85mm. And yet, somehow, against all expectations, it’s brilliant. It’s peculiar because the AgfaColor 50 projector it was fitted to wasn’t a high-end model, or especially well regarded in the market. And yet it’s considerably sharper than the V1 Agomar 85/2.8 and the Tessar Color-Agolon 90.

   My only defence against your inevitable incredulity is to plead irrationality by virtue of Delta’s wilful prejudice. We’ve no more interest in the performance of this lens on a projector than we are the behaviour of an enlarger lens on an enlarger. And because we’re shooting in 2022, within the norms of digital post-production, we’re not concerned about high contrast: in fact, we’re more included to view it as a disadvantage. Indeed, the Agfa Agomar 85 [V2] isn’t a modern-looking lens: it renders with low contrast and at least a hint of spherical aberration. Nonetheless, for a projector lens, it resolves very well: peaking at 8.3 in Zone 1 (long range).