Agfa Karat

The Karat came with a new film cartridge that was later to be used in the Ansco Memo (Ansco had been producing items under Agfa license since 1928). Compared to the Memo cassette, the Karat cassette was physically smaller, holding less film (12 full frames vs. 24), and had a modified shape. The camera has to be loaded with a cartridge in which the film is provided and an empty cartridge of the same type. The film advance mechanism of the camera transfers the film step by step out of the one into the other cartridge. The piece of film lying inside the camera between the cartridges will always be fixed perfectly in the focal plane. The Karat cartridges are a light-tight version of a an older cartridge type of Agfa. 27 years later the Karat cartridges were revived as Agfa’s Rapid film system. In 1948 the Karat 36 appeared that broke the tradition and used the standard 35mm film cassette.