Rollei shooters?

[Gary R. Smith]

Part of me feels like I ought to own a Rollei. Last week I took an un-used in years Lumix 100-400 zoom and sent it off to MPB for $600. My local Blue Moon happens to have several Rolleiflex cameras (one for $600). I don't think the $600 one is going to be one that I want. UsedPhotoPro also has a few. My copy of McKeown's has quite a bit of info on various models but I picked up a copy of John Phillips "The Classic Rollei" which I just rec'd. I'd be interested to hear comments from any Rollei shooters!

 

[Pete Askew]

I am a Rollei TLR owner (3), but have not used them for some years. They handle very well though and can be surprisingly discreet.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Thanks for your reply Pete! Which versions do you have and of the three is one favored more over the others?

Unless you have three of these (in which case...)

 

[Tony Warren]

I don't need to repeat how much I like the TLR and of course Rollei were the first to manufacture and market this type, much copied since. It will be interesting to see how you get on with one. As to which one to go for, it depends what you want. For the ultimate in every respect I would have thought the final iterations would be the choice. From my experience any of the "f" models are reallygood performers with super lenses, the f2.8s probably the best. I had an Automat with a 3.5 Tessar which gave me god results and didn't break the bank so I would say any post WWII model could suffice at whatever price level you want to stretch to.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Thanks Tony. I also have a copy of The Collector's Guide by Arthur G. Evans on the way. The Phillips book has a very interesting section discussing lenses. The differences between the designs used and the situation at Zeiss before the war and after the war. Depending on how old and the specific s/n you can get a good idea of the lens provenance. I guess I'll have to decide how important a meter would be as it is likely that it won't be accurate if it works at all. So far I have been lucky with my purchases of old film cameras - they've all worked. Should I factor in a $500 CLA? I don't think I need a 2.8 if that's going to bump the cost by a lot when I finally get around to looking at specific available cameras.

 

[Wes Hall]

I’ve acquired a Rolleicord 2a and although only shot one roll through it, have become aware of the charm these cameras are capable of rendering.

I’m a TLR fan, shooting a Maniya C3 as well, and each is unique in use and style of rendering from their lenses. My friend got me curious as he bought a Rolleicord Va and then a Rolleicord Model 1. They’ve all got their own look we’ve discovered, and that’s just the cords.

Like Pete and Tony said, lots to consider, and I’ll share a couple of pics too.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Thanks Wes! I've been captivated by the discussion of the lens evolution as described in Phillips' book.

 

[Wes Hall]

Rolleicord 2a:







Rolleicord Model 1:

 

[Pete Askew]

This is a link to one of them. I quickly took some snaps of it and the 80th Anniversary version earlier today. I’ll post them later. The third is also a 2,8 FX, but earlier. That’s the one that gets used. However, it is in the imaging suite at work at the moment and the wrong country!

 

[Gary R. Smith]

This is a link

Did you mean to include a link Pete?

 

[Gary R. Smith]

What color film were you using Wes?

I don't remember if you process your own film or if you send out to a lab. Also curious if you fiddle with the lab scans of your film shots?

 

[Wes Hall]

What color film were you using Wes?

I don't remember if you process your own film or if you send out to a lab. Also curious if you fiddle with the lab scans of your film shots?

I send colour to lab Gary and process BW at home in pyro 510.

I do adjust my scans, usually for some contrast and shadow/highlight adjustments. Rarely WB.

Film scans I don’t touch sharpness or other settings.

The colour is Ektar 100, the BW is Shanghai GP3

 

[Pete Askew]

Did you mean to include a link Pete?

I did. Here it is:

Thread 'Rolleiflex 2,8 FX'

Sep 10, 2013

I have often been tempted by this classic camera and I have known of the specific example shown below for some time. A while back I asked Paul at Commercial Cameras to keep an eye out for a nice 2.8F. A few came up and some were very nice. The price was always high and all really needed servicing. He then said that there might be 2.8FX for sale. He had sold it new to someone some years ago and knew it had only had one roll of film put through it. I was interested but wavered (after all what did I need another camera for?!). Anyway, a year later and the camera was up for sale through...

• Pete Askew
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Equipment & Media

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[Gary R. Smith]

I think I did OK, I should have it next week. It looks really clean and it was just CLA'd. 3.5B MX-EVS Type 2 with Zeiss Tessar. Should be "paid for" by the m43 lens I just sold.

 

[Pete Askew]

It certainly looks nice and clean. Looking forward to further reports!

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Impulse purchase with no investigation of the seller. Seller says they do camera repair and did the CLA themselves. Here is what he said about the work done:

SHUTTER
The Shutter works and is accurate at all speeds. I recently performed a full CLA on the shutter. By "full CLA" I mean that I fully disassemble the shutter, then each individual component is washed and cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner (except for the shutter and aperture blades which are soaked in solvent to dissolve and remove all contaminants). Once everything is clean I reassemble the shutter using Moebius lubricants where instructed to by the service manual. The self timer works as it should. All speeds are within spec except the 1/500 which is closer to 1/300 but that is the norm for all of these smaller Copal/Compur style shutters. My understanding is that even brand new from the factory you would be lucky to find a shutter that came close to the 1/500 rated speed.

OPTICS
The Lens is in good condition. There are no major scratches, or separation but it does have some light scratches that others would call "cleaning marks" These wont have any effect on your pictures except maybe if you are shooting into direct bright sunlight it may cause a slight flare. There is also a small spot of coating damage that is hard to see unless you really look for it. The ground glass and mirror were both thoroughly cleaned. The flip up magnifier is clean, clear and functions perfectly (I've had some that won't stay up while in use and it's very annoying).

FOCUS/WINDING
The film advance and focus systems were also broken down and cleaned. For the focus cams and bar I use a damping grease from Nye Lubricants. It gives the camera a really smooth precise feel when focusing. After reassembly the camera was checked for accurate focus between the ground glass and the film plane. Focusing at infinity was also checked. The winding/cocking mechanism works as it should.

 

[Pete Askew]

Sounds good.

 

[Wes Hall]

Nice Gary, and if that description is as honest as it sounds, I suspect you’ll be very happy with your new Rolleiflex- look forward to seeing your first set of scans.