i just impulse bought a sl66 mount zeiss 80mm f/4 lense, what should i do?

[bicycletricycle]

i just purchased a rollei sl66 mount 80mm f/4 lense with leaf shutter. now i have to ,a. buy a camera or, b. sell the lense. does anybody know how much these lenses sell for, this one is mint+, i looked on the net but only found the f2.8 w/o leaf shutter version. Does anybody want this lense/ Are the sl66 cameras reliable, they certainly have a lot of parts for the rise 8 degree rise built in, which is pretty cool. any experience or sugestions or comments would be helpful in figuring out what i should do, thanks.

 

[Guillaume Zuili]

SL66 is a fantastic camera with huge possibilities, close up, tilt, etc.
I sold mine years ago to get some cash. It was a big mistake.
The 80mm with shutter is quite rear. In case you want to sell it should be no bargain.
But get an SL66 !

 

[Claire Senft]

The SL55 in all of its varieties is a very reliable camera. The lens that you have bought is an 80mm Distagon with a larger than normal image circle. It is offered by Rollei to allow the full use of lens tilt w/o compromising quality as well as to allow a full set of flash sync speeds.

I have not been following Rollei prices but due to rarity I imagine that the lens is worth more than the fine 80mm Planar.

 

[skillian]

The SL66 is a fine, and often overlooked, camera. Not only does it have front tilt, it also has a bellows allowing you get much closer to subjects than other cameras including the H.blad, yet it's only slightly larger and heavier. You can also reverse mount the lenses. Although I most often shoot 8x10 and make contact prints, I also use an SL66 and it's a fabulous camera. I've got a few photographs made with it on my Website, if you're interested.

 

[Helen B]

The 80 mm Distagons sell for between $230 and $360 on eBay, most going for around $300.

The SL 66 is a fine camera - I have a pair of SL 66SE's - but certain lenses are hard to find, and if those lenses are the ones you want, you are probably better off going for Hasselblad gear - it seems cheaper anyway.

The rare lenses are the 40 mm FLE (which isn't as sharp in the corners as the current FLE IF - the CFE 40 IF - or any of the Biogons on the SWC, but it is still a very fine lens), the 60 mm and the 500 mm. Oh, and the 75 mm PC lens. Of those, I've seen more of the 500 mm than the others, but they are all difficult to find.

There's a non-FLE (floating lens element) 40 mm Distagon that's quite common. The only 50 mm for the SL 66 doesn't have an FLE.

The other side of the lens availability coin is that you can fit all kinds of lenses to an SL 66 because of the bellows and focal-plane shutter. Old barrel lenses, enlarging lenses, LF lenses, all sorts.

There's a bunch of snaps of greenery (with the grandiose title of 'Garden Notebooks') and dead flowers ('The Nature of Beauty' series) taken with an SL 66 in my Usefilm portfolio (Why? I don't know.) which is linked to below. I'll get a proper website one day.

For more about the SL 66 go to www.sl66.com
If you do decide to buy one, I'd be happy to give you a run-down on what I see as the pros and cons of the three different models.

Best,
Helen
PS Claire might have the highly collectible SL 55, but I have the SL 666.

 

[Claire Senft]

Well Helen, what can I say? I wanted a camera 10 years younger than am i and you are a devilish good photographer. Why have you not posted any of your nude self portraits?

 

[Helen B]

"Why have you not posted any of your nude self portraits?'

Metaphorically speaking, I have: the dead, faded, dusty roses.

 

[Earl Dunbar]

bicycletricycle: Funny you should bring this up. I had 2 SL66 bodies, 3 backs and 3 lenses. Just today I came across some Ektachromes shot with the SL66. Some were with the 80mm Planar, some with the 50mm Distagon. I was blown away. I too sold my kit to raise some cash, and now wish I still had it.

I can highly recommend the SL66, though the backs sometimes need CLA as they have a tendency to get a bit out of whack.

I LOVED the bellows extension, tilting stage and reversible lenses. I don't know if the lenses in shutter can be reversed for macro (I doubt it), but for me that feature was invaluable for a lot of the work I did with them.

Earl

 

[Claire Senft]

Metaphors be damned. What I wish to view is the body of work by Bach. Until I see it I will be in a fugue.

 

[Mike Kovacs]

A late reply, "The Rolleiflex SL66/SLX Way" by Mannheim says all lenses with Bay VI front filter mountings can be retro mounted. The maximum magnification is less with the 80/4 Distagon retro mounted than the 80/2.8 Planar.

It really makes no sense to retro mount the 150/4 or 250/5.6 lenses. Normally you retro mount either of the two 80's or the 50. The 40mm Distagon is not Bay VI.

 

[David H. Bebbington]

PS Claire might have the highly collectible SL 55, but I have the SL 666.

I bet your pictures are a revelation!

Regards,

David