6x4.5 Rolleicord and others- non-SLR daily cameras

[Dan Daniel]

I recently got a Rolleicord Vb for a very good price. On Ebay, it was listed as 6x4.5, had the 16 counter disk, and so I guess this threw off a lot of people. Little did they know that there are people like me who have had a great time using a Rolleicord 6x4.5 as a daily carry camera. The seller not mentioning that the camera had a Maxwell screen installed was an added bonus.

In the decade or more since I sold my Rolleicord Va set up as a 6x4.5, I have gone through a bunch of 6x4.5 folders to find something that would be smaller and easier to use. This type of discussion comes up around here, so I thought I'd show some of these cameras and give brief thoughts on them. Shown in the photos are-

Rolleicord Vb with 6x4.5 inserts
Fujica-Six with 6x4.5 mask
Baby Bessa 46 (well, actually that's a Baby Bessa 66 but exact same body in most ways)
Dailichi Zenobia (specific model not known, but fairly early I think)

NOT INCLUDED: Zeiss 531/16 Super Ikonta; Mamiya 6 folder with integrated 6x4.5 mask and frame counter

Weights: Rolleicord 1035 g // Fujica-Six 670g // Zenobia 555g // Baby Bessa 545g
Zeiss is listed at 590g, Mamiya at 810g. Specific models will vary, but good ballpark numbers

The biggest reason I kept abandoning folders was alignment. Many also lack automatic frame spacing and I find red windows annoying and tedious.

SO, some thoughts on each camera (scale focus, although listed as bad, is actually perfectly fine in most situations)-

Rolleicord: GOOD: Focus screen is nice. Auto frame spacing. I like the Xenar lens very much. Stable alignment of lens and focusing. BAD: portrait shots are slow (focus, then engage sports finder and reframe- no candid shooting here!). Bulkiest camera of the group, and heaviest. Shutter release lever is bad design and annoying. Reversed iamge on focus screen will bother some. OVERALL: well, it works, it is smooth to use in the field. Requires a larger bag to carry, NO pockets hold this thing. For me, I already carry a messenger bag or knapsack most places, and I am willing to take the weight and size hit for consistent results that I like.

Fujica-Six: GOOD: Very nice lens. Helical unit focusing, not front element focusing. Viewfinder works smoothly in either orientation. BAD: Scale focus. Red window film advancement. Somewhat bulky design compared to some other folders. OVERALL: If Fuji had made a 6x4.5 version of the Super Six with rangefinder and auto frame spacing, that would be my carry camera most likely. Good lens alignment, great lens.

Baby Bessa: GOOD: Might be the smallest 6x4.5 folder out there? Automatic frame counter!! Viewfinder is actually workable. Lens can be very nice (though not as nice as a Xenar or the Fujica lens). BAD: Lens alignment. Scale focus. OVERALL: If you can get an aligned one, a great fun pocket camera. IF you can get it and keep it aligned.

Zenobia: GOOD: Small. Nice lens. Nice peephole viewfinder that is usable. BAD: Scale focus. Red window film advancement. OVERALL: I have used this camera for one test roll and then the Rolleicord came along so I can't say miuch about it as a daily carry camera. Seems like it would be exactly what it is, and it certainly has a good reputation.

Zeiss 531/16 Super Ikonta: GOOD: Solid build, probably best of this whole group. Uncoated pre-WWII Tessars are wonderful lenses. Rangefinder is good once set up properly. Nice viewfinder, nice shutter release. Alignment seems to hold up well. BAD: Double exposure system can lock you out at times and require sneaking a finger around shutter itself to fire. Somewhat clunky with the rangefinder stalk needing to be pushed around, etc. Red window film advancement. OK, yes, I do not like red windows so maybe you won't be as bothered as me. OVERALL: Small, quality camera with a great lens. Rangefinder makes focusing more secure. Slow to use between red window and stalk.

Mamiya 6 w/6x4.5 mask: GOOD: Nice camera with nice lenses. Decent viewfinder. Rangefinder. Auto frame spacing. Masks for 6x4.5 built in(!! very smart system). That funky focus system has its own brilliance. BAD: Bulky. Almost as heavy as the Rolleicord. OVERALL: I've only worked on one, not shot it for any length of time. Most likely the bulk and weight would make me go with the Rolleicord, but that's me. No opinion on the lens alignment with this folder.

Again, for me, the Rolleicord setup is something I Can trust, and I can deal with the bulk and the weight in exchange. Others will obviously have different priorities.

Photos to give you an idea of the basic sizes and comparisons. The Zeiss SI will be similar to the Bessa or the Zenobia. The Mamiya is bigger than the Fujica.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I have a Zenobia, carry it every day (fits in a jacket pocket, and scale focus doesn't bother me, used it since 1972) -- that said, I'd love to get either a Super Zenobia or a Konica Pearl III. I have a Mamiya 6, but rarely set it for 6x4.5; it's such a good 6x6, better lens than my Zeiss 532/16, better viewfinder, and lighter (and though mine doesn't have a frame counter, red window doesn't bother me -- used it since 1968). I've got a Wirgin Auta 4.5 with the format masks (it's a lightweight 6x9 folder, becomes 6x4.5 with the masks in) but the masks won't stay corrosion free; I may need to strip them and reblue the spring steel.

I've also got a Mamiya 6x4.5 back for my RB67 -- pretty bulky, heavy camera for this format, but sometimes I like 4:3 aspect ratio and SLR focusing/framing, and it's a lot cheaper than buying a Mamiya 645 as well.

 

[Paul Howell]

Although I don't have one, the multi back for the Mamiya Press and Universal, 6X4.5, 6X6, and 6X9, some what difficult to find with the needed masks.

 

[BAC1967]

I have a 1937 Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 530 with an un-coated Tessar that is smaller and lighter than the 531/16. Camera Wiki has the 530 listed at 540 grams and 113x78x42 mm (folded). They have the 531/16 listed at 660 grams and 138x103x43 mm (folded). The 530 doesn't have the double exposure compensation so there's no worry about having to override it. The 530 is one of my favorite cameras.

Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 530 by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

 

[Down Under]

Rolleicords and Rolleiflexes with 16 exposure kits are wonderful cameras. I've used a 'cord on and off since 1982 when I bought one complete with a 16 kit, like Dan's, for A$85 and travelled across North America with it that same year. I shot hundreds or even thousands of good images with it, from deserts in Nevada to Indian cliff dwellings in New Mexico to beaches along the Atlantic coast and lobster fishing in Maine, also hundreds of color slides of old buildings and other scenics in my home town in eastern Canada which I've recently donated to the town archives for their historical records. The fixed lens was never a problem to me as I tended to shoot 'static' scenes anyway, as an architect would. So the Rolleicord served me well.

I had to sell my first 'cord in the late '80s when my architectural practice ran into money problems (also my two Leica M kits which I've greatly missed, but that's another story) but I bought Rolleiflex Ts in the 1990s and in 2017 a Vb kit came my way from a deceased estate, so after 30+ years I became a happy Rolleicord user again.

Like Dan, I often use my 'cord Vb with the '16' (not so much the '24' which is also available if somewhat more difficult to find) on bush walks and day trips to country destinations in Australia. With creative cranking you can easily get one additional image on a roll of 120, so it becomes a '17/120' and even more useful.

Many may not realise that the Rolleiflex T from the late 1950s and 1960s can also be easily modified (with an accessory kit which includes a removable 'wheel' to adjust the inbuilt counter) to do 16-17 on a roll. If anything the T is better than the Vb as it has a crank for fast winding on. Both cameras are light and usually in good condition for their age as they were made for amateurs and not the pros who often as not worked their Rolleiflexes into the ground.

Both the T and Vb take Rollei bayonet I accessories, which are usually much cheaper than the larger sizes which were basically produced for professional photographers anyway.

In my time I've also owned a few 645 folding cameras, mostly Zeiss Nettars equipped with Novar lenses, Compur shutters with a good range of speeds, and the (for me) less usable albada direct finders. These had the advantage of being smaller and more portable, but I found didn't quite give me the image quality I look for in my negatives.

6x45 (in fact 4x55) negatives from a Rollei are easy to work with and can print to 8x10 without any visible loss in quality.

So yes, a Rollei cord Vb r a Rollei'flex T) is a win-win.

 

[gone]

I guess everyone's experiences are different, but I never had a folder w/ alignment issues. They all took tack sharp photos as long as you remembered to snug up the film slack before shooting. I prefer the Triotar to a Xenar on a TLR too, much nicer for portraits. Heliars were always my favorite lenses, and the Planars too. Actually, a bottom tier Voigtar lens on my old Voigtlander Brillant TLR took great shots.

 

[ic-racer]

6x4.5 Rollei, nice!!

 

[Auer]

The size and shape of my Bessa 46 makes it a perfect pocket camera, even fits in the front pocket of a pair of Levi's 501's.
Frame counter and stop is great too. Wonderful P&S really.

Much better shape than my Konishiroku Pearl II.

Also take my two Bessa 6x9's out frequently, a 1929 first year model and a 1937(or 36, cant remember)

 

[mgb74]

I have a Nettar 515. A nice little pocket camera. But had to learn about winding the film the hard way. I couldn't understand why 2 red windows until I did a bit of research.

 

[Javier González]

My only 6x4.5 camera is a Kodak duo six. Good quality camera, but I don't use it much because of the 620 roll. The lens has to be closed quite a bit for good sharpness.

 

[wjlapier]

Same here. I have the Super Ikonta 530 with the Tessar lens. One of my favorites too. Tiniest 645 camera I’ve ever owned. Nice lens too.

I have a 1937 Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 530 with an un-coated Tessar that is smaller and lighter than the 531/16. Camera Wiki has the 530 listed at 540 grams and 113x78x42 mm (folded). They have the 531/16 listed at 660 grams and 138x103x43 mm (folded). The 530 doesn't have the double exposure compensation so there's no worry about having to override it. The 530 is one of my favorite cameras.

Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 530 by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

 

[Dan Daniel]

I know that there are many users of folders here who enjoy them. Hearing about this will keep me trying them. Part of this for me is that I use TLRs at 6x6 for so much of my shooting that using a TLR at 6x4.5 is very natural. And ground glass viewing works well for me. 4x5, 6x9, and smaller, there's something about ground glass (or molded plastic more likely) that I like. I figured I'd get the TLR on the radar for people looking for an everyday carry camera.

Like Dan, I often use my 'cord Vb with the '16' (not so much the '24' which is also available if somewhat more difficult to find) on bush walks and day trips to country destinations in Australia.

This whole post sums up the TLR 6x4.5 world nicely. Like ozmoose, I find the Rolleicord 6x4.5 a great hiking camera, slung over a shoulder with little weight and easy access. I use it like a sketchbook in a way, a chance to take shots I might pass over when I am out purely to be photographing. I've used the 6x4.5 folders in this manner, also, with many nice results.

I wasn't aware of the Zeiss 530 without the shutter lock system. Looks very nice! And I don't know what it is but those pre-WWII uncoated Tessars are very special lenses to me. As long as I watched for flaring, I got some very nice renderings with ones I have had.

I doubt I would ever take an image like this, walking from placing a takeout order to the grocery store, with another camera. The TLR comes out of the bag and is simply ready to shoot. Gloves and folders can be a bumbling process for me. And it's the kind of sort of off kilter 'moody but not' thing that I doubt I would try with a Rolleiflex or Medalist for some reason, but a sketch at 6x4.5 is fine to play with...