Have you abandoned a 'system' kit in favor or a Rollei TLR?

Phillip P. Dimor · Jul 21, 2008

I'm just wondering as I like TLR's. The leaf shutter, ground glass viewing and relatively light weight work well for me.

I've also come to the conclusion that I only need one lens. I've had a pentax 645 and hasselblad. I've never wanted another lens for the pentax and I can never afford another lens for the hasselblad.

It seems that a lot of people end up 'returning' to the rollei at some point. Is this the case for you?

Jerevan · Jul 21, 2008

In one word: yes. Whenever I sell a Rollei TLR, I always, always end up with another, shortly afterwards. It was my first real medium format camera. Silent, portable and just... magical.

df cardwell · Jul 21, 2008

If I had to possess only ONE camera,
no doubt it would be my *Rollei.

Add the Durst 606 enlarger for the perfect minimalist outfit.

And, yes, I shot a large Hassie system for a long time.

* ANY post WW2 Rolleiflex. A Minolta Autocord would be fine as well.

.

david b · Jul 21, 2008

I normally go around with just one lens on my Hasselblad and right now it is the 60mm CFi lens.

I think the TLR is a great idea and makes everything very simple.

dpurdy · Jul 21, 2008

Judging by the number of TLR/Rollei threads on APUG and the amount of constant buyers on ebay I would say working with the TLR/Rollei is very popular and wide spread these days. Being able to follow your whim in photography is mostly an artist/amateur's luxury. I love the Rollei and pretty obviously have a cumpulsive obsessive sort of addiction to it but really it sometimes seems a bit of a curse and really I need to put it away and stick with the bigger camera. When I absolutely can't manage an 8x10 or 4x5 due to old age or whatever, then I will be guilt free in working with the Rollei.. unless of course I need to use a wide or long lens and there is the Pentax 67
Dennis

Slixtiesix · Jul 21, 2008

Yes, these TLRs are just magic, but in my opinion they can´t replace a real system-camera. On the other hand most of my pictures are taken with the T-Model
The SL is so more versatile and suited for nearly all purposes, but it hasn´t
the spontaneous charakter of a TLR and is much more in weight.
My personal conclusion is that both cameras never could replace each other,
but if I had to choose only one camera for the rest of my life it would be an 3,5F

Steve Smith · Jul 21, 2008

I have both (o.k. lots of both) but if I could just keep one it would be my Rolleicord.

Steve.

Ian Grant · Jul 21, 2008

Very recently, in the last two weeks I have, however I'm not using the Rolleiflex - I've left that in the UK to use when there and I'm using my Yashicamat 124 instead here in Turkey.

For many years despite a large K mount 35mm outfit I preferred the simplicity of using an M3 and a 50mm Summicron, (I have no more Leica M lenses), so using a TLR with a fixed lens is quite similar, particularly as I have Mamiya 645 kit.

Ian

2F/2F · Jul 21, 2008

No way. Not for me. I had a beautiful old Rollei w/ 2.8 lens. It was good, but I always wanted the Mamiya C system instead. Well, I got my chance when my Rollei got ripped off from the car! I have a C33 now and I have not ever looked back. To me, it is far superior to the Rollei in every way.

Ian Grant · Jul 21, 2008

Gimme the serial no of that C33 its surely the one that was stolen from my studio in 83/4, please return it .

Great cameras very sturdy seemed better built than the C330. Well in the spirit of things it is a TLR.

Ian

Rolleiflexible · Jul 21, 2008

I sold the Hasselblad years ago.

dpurdy · Jul 21, 2008

2F/2F said:
No way. Not for me. I have a C33 now and I have not ever looked back. To me, it is far superior to the Rollei in every way.

I believe this syndrome is called Habromania..

Ragtime Clown · Jul 21, 2008

I must admit that for years I took my Rollei T everywhere. I bought a few Rollei 3,5f's and mamiya C330s in my day but I thought they were always heavier than the 'T'. The 'T' also had a very simple exposure value scale that was fool proof. Sadly, I haven't used it for a few years or more - I thought I could have made a comeback to film recently but its just way too expensive nowadays.

Dave Miller · Jul 22, 2008

Steve Smith said:
I have both (o.k. lots of both) but if I could just keep one it would be my Rolleicord.

Steve.

I must side with Steve here as I too have gone through just about every "system camera" known to man, and still have a cupboard full of most of them. I've settled on a Rollei and use my legs if I want a wide angle shot.

Note to self: don't buy a house with cupboards.

Steve Smith · Jul 22, 2008

Dave Miller said:
Note to self: don't buy a house with cupboards.

If I could build my ideal house it would have no flat horizontal surfaces. It seems that every surface in my house becomes a shelf to put something on.
Sometimes we need a major tidying up session just to find the dining room table.

I think we need more cupboards!

Steve.

Antje · Jul 22, 2008

No... Ever since I got my Hasselblad, the Rolleicord sits on the shelf. I just love how the Hasselblad handles.

pgomena · Jul 22, 2008

My Rollei does a lot of shelf time these days. Hasselblad is much more versatile for my needs and has become my primary camera system. I won't sell the Rollei, though. My kids need to have the Rollei experience (and it will keep their hands off my 'Blad.)

Peter Gomena

2F/2F · Jul 22, 2008

Sorry to hear about your stolen camera, Ian.

My serial is nowhere that I can see, actually. Perhaps if I unscrew the bottom plate?

If it is yours, you can have it...that would just be *too* weird.

But mine is 220 capable, which not all were, and has the 220 back.

markbb · Jul 22, 2008

Phillip P. Dimor said:
I've also come to the conclusion that I only need one lens.

A popular and well-proven stance; whether with a Rollei, a crown graphic or a 35mm with a fixed lens I can't think of an occasion that such a limitation has stopped me from taking a photo. The camera I most use is a fuji GW690 with a fixed 90mm lens, usually the mantra 'less is more' is true. However, there are times when the ability to swap lenses is required. For me that's shooting landscapes on LF, it is not always possible to move and re-setup.

Ian Grant · Jul 22, 2008

2F/2F - not after your camera - my insurance company paid out years ago - I went Mamiya 645 instead, took an awful lot of arguing, but after they realised the premiums our family paid per annum dwarfed their pay-out they just made an ex-gratia payment That meant they didn't accept liability but would pay up anyway........

My C33 was a great camera, I had a 55mm lens as well as the 80mm, they are usually very reliable, but I had a body fail at a wedding, I can't remember now if it was the C3 or C33 but it was the wind mechanism. This was the most common repair to C series Mamiya's.

Ian

2F/2F · Jul 22, 2008

Yeah, I know. But stranger things have happened!

On my fourth roll through the C33, my wind mechanism failed to stop at the right point. The repair person from whom I had bought it fixed it free of charge. There had been a missing screw or something.

benjiboy · Jul 24, 2008

No, I had a Rollei ,sold it and bought a Mamiya TLR system ( poor man's Hasselblad) more than twenty years ago and have never regretted it, I shoot mainly portraits,I needed a short telephoto to give the right perspective for head and shoulder, and tight head shots the 135mm and 180 lenses I find are ideal.

Rolleiflexible · Jul 24, 2008

benjiboy said:
No, I had a Rollei ,sold it and bought a Mamiya TLR system ( poor man's Hasselblad) more than twenty years ago and have never regretted it, I shoot mainly portraits,I needed a short telephoto to give the right perspective for head and shoulder, and tight head shots the 135mm and 180 lenses I find are ideal.

Which is why the Almighty
gave us the Tele Rolleiflex
and its 135/4 Zeiss Sonnar.

2F/2F · Jul 24, 2008

"Which is why the Almighty
gave us the Tele Rolleiflex
and its 135/4 Zeiss Sonnar."

...which is why whatever the Japanese call the Almighty(s) gave us Mamiya: so we could still afford to eat after shooting with a telephoto lens...and then put the normal back on...or a wide...or a wider wide...or two longer telephotos...or a slightly shorter telephoto...or that same slightly shorter telephoto with depth of field preview

dpurdy · Jul 24, 2008

Depth of field preview? Does the Mamiya TLR have a lens with depth of field preview? I have a depth of field preview gadget I carry with my Rollei... it is a soft plastic lens cap I found to fit the viewing lens and I carved a f8.5 size hole in it. It works great.

The Rolleiflex has a sharp enough lens that you can crop down enough to give a portrait telephoto affect. Amazing how the older Rollei Teles have kept their nearly affordable value on ebay. I have seen a couple go for around a thousand and one for 800 that had me biting my nails.

Have you abandoned a 'system' kit in favor or a Rollei TLR?

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