• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up

DIY TLR Camera

seabee1999

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
33
Location
Norman, OK
Format
Multi Format
Good day all, a few months back it got a pretty beat up Rolleicord camera that simply cannot be salvaged nor repaired. I decided to remove a few things from the body for a project pano camera I'm drafting up in CAD. After removing what I wanted to, pretty much all I have left is the Rollei body, WLF, mirror and lens set (w/ shutter). Well, I did a quick Google search for DIY TLR cameras and found Recesky and Gakkenflex 35mm cameras. It got me thinking a bit about trying to fit the Rollei lens set to that camera. I was wondering if anyone out that may have tried fitting actual lenses to one of these cameras or made a modification to do so. Either way, I'll have a lens set that I don't know quite what to do with. I'd like to be creative with this and have a little fun.

R/
Dave
 

jimmelcher

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
22
Format
35mm
I never heard of those (Recesky, Gakkenflex).

Did you ever finish that project?
 

Donald Qualls

Subscriber
Allowing Ads
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Messages
12,544
Location
North Carolina
Format
Multi Format
I've got a Recesky that I finished. The film advance indicator is a little iffy (probably a minor reassembly) but it works well enough I bought two or three more of the kits, thinking I might at some point be able to engineer a 3D printed frame counter and/or advance stop and selectable B shutter setting to make it easier to use (not to mention trying to install a finer actual ground glass instead of the textured plastic focusing screen).

I have not, however, finished the first film roll, so I can't comment on the image quality -- should be pretty Holga-esque, with a plastic meniscus and fairly haphazard focus synchronization between taking and viewing lens.