Original Rolleiflex - Any users?

Fixcinater · May 25, 2015

I just picked up an original model Rolleiflex (thrift store find), seems to be a model 614 due to the film back being hinged and the taking lens being an f/3.8 Tessar.

Anybody using one of these regularly? Sample images are pretty hard to find in my searching so far. I've got an Ikonta 532/16 with the uncoated f/2.8 Tessar...are the results going to look pretty similar?

Here's a photo of it as it sits right now after 50 cotton swabs worth of grime removal.

Ian Grant · May 25, 2015

The results will be very similar. I had an early Rolleicord in the 1970s with the Triotar and it was quite a good lens, the Tessar of course is better.

Ian

summicron1 · May 25, 2015

i have an original that even still has the unhinged back and was converted at one point to use 120. The pics are what you expect for a very old uncoated Tessar, which is to say quite good. it's an easy camera to use.

Richard S. (rich815) · May 25, 2015

Very nice Original! I have the next one, the early 30's Standard. Came with an original hood and yellow filter too. Tessar lens but I forget which, I'll check later, maybe upload a photo too. I don't shoot it much. The lens is slightly cloudy. I do have plans to use on lower contrast cloudy or foggy days as less likely get to flare or get foggy highlight points and might have a nice vintage look. Paid around $100 USD I think....

gone · May 25, 2015

These are from the Rolleiflex Standard that I owned w/ the 3.5 Tessar and Tri-X. Yours should image similarly. Expect very low contrast and the usual Tessar signature. Mine also had quite a bit of light falloff in the corners. I had to bump the contrast up quite a bit, even though these were shot w/ a yellow filter in contrasty, noon New Mexico sun, so there's Before and After shown below. The 2 shots in the middle are w/ no contrast bump. Fun little cameras!

I actually prefer the Triotar lenses to the Tessars. They're very sharp in the center (sharper than the Tessar), softish in the corners until you get to f16, and in my opinion, one of the best portrait lenses you can buy.

Richard S. (rich815) · May 25, 2015

Just dug mine out for a fast look-see. It's a 7,5cm, f/3,5 Tessar version. Pix later.

whlogan · May 25, 2015

Yes, yes, and yes.... these old Rolleiflexes will keep on taking excellent photographs long after most of us are dead and gone a long ways off. The Triotars and Tessars are simply very good lenses and the Rollei bodies were very well made and are still holding up. That simple it is. I have a collection of about 40 Rolleiflexes and the old guys do signal work for me all the time and the 6000 series can be counted on to fail in some strange way one or two two times every now and again but not that often. Often they are all good shooters and I love the lot of them and take a walk around Santa Fe with one or Biltmore Estate and some interesting comments are sure to follow and some fine photographs are also sure to follow. Keep the Rolleis clean and they will serve you well for years and years to come....

Logan

Fixcinater · May 26, 2015

Excellent, thanks all for chiming in. The shutter will need a cleaning. I got the front lens element off to get at the shutter blades and they are clean and dry so it's an internal shutter issue slowing things down. Looks like the leather(ette?) doesn't need to come off to get inside there, less to fuss with and more to keep original.

That being said, I'll likely put new mirrors in it to brighten things up as I'd like to use it a bit but will see after I get the ground glass cleaned up if that needs replacing as well.

Compared to my girlfriend's Rolleicord Va, I'm surprised how very light the metal parts are...no wonder the hood was all bent up on it when I found it, super thin gauge through and through.

JPD · May 27, 2015

I have a film in my original Rolleiflex 3,8 that has been sitting there for over 10 years now. I use a 620 as the feed spool and a 117 as the take-up spool. I must unload it in the darkroom. Can't say I'm using it, but it's a nice camera.

Fixcinater said:
Looks like the leather(ette?) doesn't need to come off to get inside there, less to fuss with and more to keep original.

Just be careful with the spindle gear so you don't mismatch the cogs.

My camera:

Andy38 · May 28, 2015

Hello,
I have some 620 films spooled off 120 (it's impossible to use too big 120 reel with the Original). I only used one film because the results were not perfect...
However lenses are coated (blue) on the camera I used ; I suppose they were after ww II.
I have 10 working Original's and some others to repair : I think it is not the best camera to take pictures...
Here are one from this camera and others of it (it's a 614) ; it was also modified with a flash sync :

Vaughn · May 28, 2015

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
Very nice Original! I have the next one, the early 30's Standard. Came with an original hood and yellow filter too. Tessar lens but I forget which, I'll check later, maybe upload a photo too. I don't shoot it much. The lens is slightly cloudy. I do have plans to use on lower contrast cloudy or foggy days as less likely get to flare or get foggy highlight points and might have a nice vintage look. Paid around $100 USD I think....

You might find that cloudy/foggy days might increase the flare. The incoming light is diffused (coming in at all different angles). The lens hood will be your best friend!

These cameras started production (Model 614 - Aug.1929 to Feb.1932) just as the Great Depression was hitting Germany (the USA cut off loans to Germany and other European countries in 1929). It is amazing that they were made at all!

Fixcinater · May 28, 2015

I've noticed that some have the Rolleiflex and other markings on the front name plate filled in with white paint while the one I have now does not.

Is that user-added or another variable that happened at the factory?

Richard S. (rich815) · May 28, 2015

Fixcinater said:
I've noticed that some have the Rolleiflex and other markings on the front name plate filled in with white paint while the one I have now does not.

Is that user-added or another variable that happened at the factory?

I think originally yours did.

Andy38 · May 28, 2015

On my Original's, only one has not white paint ; it's the older, with 2 numbers in 19XXX on the front plate and the inside is different.
So I don't know if the all black paint of yours is factory made...

hamradio · May 29, 2015

My k1/614 has no white paint, and you can tell the script is hand-engraved. Lovely camera, I just wish I had a spare compur shutter to cannibalize parts from. The slow speed escapement on mine is beyond service.

Fixcinater · Jul 13, 2015

So finally got around to opening up the Compur on this one. Bit of cleaning and (very light) lubing later, she runs on all speeds and happily. The lenses cleaned up easily and have a few light cleaning swirls but no haze stuck around and no fungus damage.

The mirror is clearly due for replacement, I may also replace the mirror in the hood while I'm at it but it's unlikely I will ever use the sports finder so I may pass on that replacement. Ground glass cleaned up nicely, still pretty dim but better and mirror should help that as well. The built-in level is a neat little feature! Focus is now lubed and much smoother.

I also spent some time straightening up and fixing the mechanisms in the hood/magnifier so that all works properly and snaps open/shut smoothly. The only portion of the hood that was too damaged to completely fix was the magnifier panel which seems to have some sort of latch to hold it into vertical position but this doesn't latch and so can rotate into/out of place depending on the position of the camera.

Similar jobs were done on the rear door which didn't latch properly at all, after some work it closes properly so really the only thing left now is to try a test roll of 620 and see what it looks like.

GRHazelton · Jul 13, 2015

Good to hear of these old warriors still working!

I have a Retina I f3.5 uncoated Ektar, the Compur shutter sounds good at all speeds. Also a Vitessa L f2.0 Ultron and a Contessa 35mm f2.8 Tessar, both fully functional. Later soldiers include a YashicaMat, two Retina IIIc's, and my latest sweetie, a Bronica S2a. From the feel of these relative youngsters they might serve my daughter and grandchildren should they wish to follow the True Path. I wonder, how many of our current digital demons will work at all in 30 or 40 years??

Fixcinater · Jul 18, 2015

Here's a pictorial update to go with what I previously posted in text. Still some basic cleaning to do but I'm not interested in refinishing anything on it. Been a fun process to go through, enough that I bought a cheap slightly later model 'Flex on the 'Bay to do it again.

Fixcinater · Jan 19, 2016

Got the 620 roll put through it, now to throw it into some HC110 and see if anything stuck.

Fixcinater · May 12, 2016

Something stuck alright...got some images back. Need to run some fresh film through for more workable results, but glad to see it works!

Original Rolleiflex - Any users?

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