Identifying my Rollei

kaygee

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Hey everybody, I'm trying to identify just which Rollei I managed to get my hands on at an outstanding price. Works beautifully and what a deal! It's been a dream shooting with it.

Any advise would be wonderful, I've checked rolleiclub.com and I can't seem to find something that corresponds to the number on mine.

The manual it came with denoted it as being a 3.5. It seems to have all the earmarkings of a 3.5 E2 according to what I've read (no built in light metre), but the serial is WAY out of whack.

The serial, above the name plate is 1726127, and I can't seem to find a corresponding serial anywhere to that camera.

If anybody can be of any guidance, I would greatly appreciate it. I'd love to nail this down!
 

tjaded

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You have a 3.5 Rolleiflex MX-EVS (type 2), made between 1955-1956. I have one, too. Absolutely phenomenal camera!
 

Anscojohn

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Just for info, which 3.5s do your cameras have?
 

Tamas

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I have two of those 3.5 Rolleiflex MX-EVS cameras (no light meter). And in some application I like them better then my Hassy. Here is some site for Rollei technical info, I hope it will be helpful: http://www.siufai.dds.nl/Rollei_History.htm
 

tjaded

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For this model the finder lens is a 75mm f/2.8 Heidosmat and the taking lens is either a 75mm f/3.5 Zeiss Tessar or a 75mm f/3.5 Schneider Xenar
 

tjaded

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Tamas said:
I have two of those 3.5 Rolleiflex MX-EVS cameras (no light meter). And in some application I like them better then my Hassy. Here is some site for Rollei technical info, I hope it will be helpful: http://www.siufai.dds.nl/Rollei_History.htm
Click to expand...

I agree. I'd say 95% of the time I go with the Hasselblad only because you can switch lenses, but that 5% of the time I use the Rollei, WOW. Such a great camera.
 

Tamas

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Bayonet I is the filter size for the Rolleiflex MX-EVS 3.5/75 ...
 

Vaughn

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Congrats on a fine camera. I learned photography on the exact same model, just about a 15,000 lower serial number than yours. I lent it to someone and the tripod fell over and the Rollei fell on its face...oh well. I have a 2.8F now.

I just got two Rolleicords (well, the photo dept at the university got them from another dept). One is a Vb type 2 and the other is a Vb type 3 (called a "White Face"). According to all the published serial numbers, the type 2 should also be a "white face" type 3, but it obviously is not...yet it is a couple hundred into the range of serial numbers for the type 3.

So the Rollei serial numbers are not 100% dependable. But I suppose when the serial numbers get to 2.6 million and it is off by 200, that is only a 0.008% descrepency!

vaughn
 

tjaded

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Yep, Bay 1. There is a decent amount of stuff out there...as with everything else analog, people seem to be dumping a lot of it.
 

Brac

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kaygee said:
Thanks again everybody, loads of help!

Does anybody know if this camera will take 220 film? Or if it can be jiggered somehow TO take 220 film if need be?
Click to expand...

I think the answer to that is probably no. Your camera dates from the 50's and wasn't designed for this size film which didn't get introduced until about 10 years later. For cameras to be able to use 220 film they need to have an appropriate frame counter and usually the pressure plate has to be adjustable because there is no backing paper over the film itself (only a paper leader and trailer).

One of the great enthusiasts for the Rolleiflex was Alec Pearlman who wrote the many editions of the Rollei Manual for the Fountain Press. From the 5th edition in 1971 he says of the 3.5F and 2.8F "With these models it is possible to accommodate the new 24 exp 220 roll film by having a small modification carried out in the official Rollei Repair Works in each country". He goes on to explain how this allows a second series of 12 exposures without reloading the camera. Later on these models were available with the option of the 220 facility already installed as were later models of the Tele Rolleiflex. Interestingly the recent Rolleiflex GX, FX & FW models don't take 220 film and no factory conversion is/was offered.
 

JPD

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Just for the record: The real name for the "MX-EVS" is "3,5B".
 
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