PC cover for a Rolleiflex?

[dirkfletcher]

I have an E model Rollei and I'm looking for a PC cap. I've tried all the ones I have and nothing is working? Looking at pictures of other Rolleis with the similar locking PC port and none of then seem to have covers. Does anyone know of anything that might work, I'm thinking maybe the M4 Leica ones with the longer tip?

Thanks for any help or thoughts!
Dirk

 

[ic-racer]

My brochures from the early 1970s don't show anything was available for the TLRs, however the SL35 of the same time period was supplied with a cap over each (non-locking) PC outlet.

 

[JPD]

I have seen them being sold from China on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/394543302188

 

[dirkfletcher]

Thanks ic-racer and JDM,
I just ordered one one of the Chinese covers.
Dirk

 

[dirkfletcher]

It wasn't available in black so I hit it with some black epoxy 'appliance paint'.

 

[JPD]

Looks good. And nice camera.

 

[hiroh]

That's a nice cover!

A bit offtopic, but still related to the PC slot — I've purchased this cable recently, and it works, but it's quite loose, and I have to hold it with my hand so it doesn't come off. I couldn't find a way to snap it, or screw it.

Is there any other cable that will work better with 2.8F?

 

[MattKing]

That's a nice cover!

A bit offtopic, but still related to the PC slot — I've purchased this cable recently, and it works, but it's quite loose, and I have to hold it with my hand so it doesn't come off. I couldn't find a way to snap it, or screw it.

Is there any other cable that will work better with 2.8F?

You probably need a PC tip conditioner.
https://paramountcords.com/product/pcc-pc-tip-conditioner/
I'd check to see if Paramount is actually still in business - I have some doubts.
And I paid a lot less than this for mine.

 

[hiroh]

You probably need a PC tip conditioner.
https://paramountcords.com/product/pcc-pc-tip-conditioner/
I'd check to see if Paramount is actually still in business - I have some doubts.
And I paid a lot less than this for mine.

Thanks Matt, what does tip conditioner do?

This is how the flash socket looks like on my camera. It looks quite bad zoomed in this much and under the harsh light, but on the eye, it looks good overall. I'm not sure if this is ok, and if the conditioner would help.

 

[MattKing]

Thanks Matt, what does tip conditioner do?

It shapes the tip by bending it into the correct position, so as to ensure a consistent and positve connection.
The tips tend to deform with use, so the conditioner brings them back into shape.

 

[hiroh]

I found this signifficantly cheaper on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2254161762...W34qsADruE6MkLq9dRWwIiHRkfKY|tkp:BFBMuunZhoNi

Is this the same thing?

 

[MattKing]

I found this signifficantly cheaper on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225416176271?hash=item347bd9e28f:g:d84AAOSwIvFif0z2&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA4NEnSD6OWn9oWhusJOM12uaC0IrzFWsg4ooO6tiBYLxRNVM1hhlgZBY9RU/wVKOkaweBk2o2jdn+UVYsGElXcSMyi8IPf0CmDYqMAW1uAjm9xw4shErNyCfWyyGZAajeqKFcHplfiaJrkrJjOu5NRYMJrJ6LwK9UPMvbBOpJvpUeOANhRzfgCP10FTweLQRiafWY3tl/GKwpm8LwmMuaanmmcwd0+7qWsTZS1yP4qlz/cIybKjIdjWhd/nbpgPWhuny9UZhN9JH8jGN9W34qsADruE6MkLq9dRWwIiHRkfKY|tkp:BFBMuunZhoNi

Is this the same thing?

Yes.

 

[hiroh]

Yes.

Thanks! Will try that.

 

[MattKing]

Thanks! Will try that.

I'd buy it quick - that is a great deal!
I probably paid about that for mine. It was an add-on to an order that I had placed with Paramount for a few other things. Since then, their prices and offering have changed substantially.

 

[hiroh]

I'd buy it quick - that is a great deal!
I probably paid about that for mine. It was an add-on to an order that I had placed with Paramount for a few other things. Since then, their prices and offering have changed substantially.

Demand for this has probably dropped significantly, so they must be selling whatever they have in stock for 5x the price. I understand that, but this is the kind of the tool that I’ll probably use once or twice, given how often I attach the flash to my Rolleiflex.

 

[hiroh]

I'd buy it quick - that is a great deal!
I probably paid about that for mine. It was an add-on to an order that I had placed with Paramount for a few other things. Since then, their prices and offering have changed substantially.

I received the tool, but I'm not sure what is this supposed to do? Do I condition the cable or the slot in the camera?

It's too wide for the slot on the camera, and I can put it on the cable, but it does nothing. The cable still comes off easily as before. I don't think this will fix the issue, looks like I need different cable, although this works, it's just too loose.

Btw, this is the new cable, i don't think it need conditioning due to use and wear.

 

[MattKing]

Do I condition the cable or the slot in the camera?

The contact on the cable.

 

[hiroh]

The contact on the cable.

Yeah, tried that, but it does nothing in my case. I think because it's a new cable, it doesn't need conditioning.

Can you confirm the cable that proven works?

 

[rulnacco]

You probably need a PC tip conditioner.
https://paramountcords.com/product/pcc-pc-tip-conditioner/
I'd check to see if Paramount is actually still in business - I have some doubts.
And I paid a lot less than this for mine.

I'm not sure that's actually available, unless they are clearing out the last few bits left in stock--I e-mailed Paramount back in December of 2020, and got a message back saying "Thank you for your inquiry. However, Paramount's operations are permanently closed."

A PC tip conditioner is nice to have in general--but it's *not* what you need for a Rolleiflex. Rollei had a special proprietary male PC tip that locked into the socket on the camera--that's why a regular PC sync cord will fall out, the tip conditioner really won't help with that. Paramount used to make flash cords with the Rolleiflex locking tip--and in fact, I have one to use with my 2.8F connected to my Speedotron power pack that I ordered from them. If you look here (or at the photo below, which is larger), you can see what the Rollei locking tip looked like. Notice, it's a lot larger in diameter than a regular PC tip and right near the very end it had a ring around it--that's what locked it into the socket, and why the socket has the spring-loaded lever surrounding it so that you can insert and remove the tip. (It's a shame Paramount has closed down; they made excellent-quality cords, and you could custom order them with whatever tips you wanted at either end. I ordered one with the Rollei locking tip at one end and a standard phono plug at the other, so I could easily directly connect my Rolleiflex to my Speedotron gear. I still use it.)

There are adapters you can occasionally find that will convert a regular PC tip to a Rollei locking tip. There is one currently available on eBay, which appears to convert the screw-collar locking type PC tip to a Rollei locking tip. (By the way, I have bought from that seller, who is located in Israel. I can vouch for them!) My adapter (I also have one I used before I ordered a custom Paramount cord) is a lot simpler, it looks like this, and will work with pretty much any standard PC tip:



On the left, there is a regular PC female socket you plug your standard cord into, then you plug the Rollei locking male tip into the socket on the camera. It's not as nice as a proper cord, as most PC tips (the plastic bit surrounding the electronics) are too big to slide fully into the receptacle on the left, and so they also tend to fall out in use--although not as much as trying to use a standard PC cord in a Rolleiflex socket, so they work well enough. That one on eBay looks kind of nice, if your PC cord has the locking screw collar. If not, I'm not sure it will work. If you've got an old camera shop around your way, the adapters like mine should be relatively easy to find.

Edit: there are also Chinese eBay sellers offering sync cords with a variety of tips for plugging into flash gear, and a Rollei locking tip at the other end: here is one. They seem the cheapest, but there are several other sellers also offering Rolleiflex-style sync cords, if you search.

 

[hiroh]

Reading your message half-way though I went to eBay and found the one that you suggested later in the post. I’m ordering one right now and I’m quite sure it will work! Thanks for the explanation. I checked all Rolleiflex manuals that I found, and I never saw they mentioned their PC socket is proprietary.

 

[BrianShaw]

That's a nice cover!

A bit offtopic, but still related to the PC slot — I've purchased this cable recently, and it works, but it's quite loose, and I have to hold it with my hand so it doesn't come off. I couldn't find a way to snap it, or screw it.

Is there any other cable that will work better with 2.8F?

A bit late (I stopped reading the thread after Dirk got his really expensive PC port cover) but...

the cable you bought has a male PC with screw-lock end. Works best on a Nikon or other with screw lock PC port. For the Rollei, and actually for a Nikon also, in lieu of hte Rollei spring-lock get a standard male-to-female PC cord WITHOUT locks. It won't pull out unless you are really stretching and moving the cable around a lot. If necessary, you can "crimp" the PC end a tiny bit to tighten its connectionto the camera PC port. Back in the olden days photograhers would bite the end a bit, as the conditioner packaging suggests... and it worked well.

PC tip conditioners are like "protection filters"... relatively useless things camera salesmen sell to make a few more dollars. Since you already bought it, don't lose the conditioner... some day you might need it.

 

[MattKing]

PC tip conditioners are like "protection filters"... relatively useless things camera salesmen sell to make a few more dollars. Since you already bought it, don't lose the conditioner... some day you might need it.

I beg to differ
If you do a lot of on location flash work, and use a variety of flashes with PC cords, you will really benefit from regularly using a conditioner, because the tips do get out of shape.
I used mine the most when I was photographing weddings, and using Mamiya TLRs with Vivitar and Metz and Bowens flashes.

 

[rulnacco]

I beg to differ
If you do a lot of on location flash work, and use a variety of flashes with PC cords, you will really benefit from regularly using a conditioner, because the tips do get out of shape.
I used mine the most when I was photographing weddings, and using Mamiya TLRs with Vivitar and Metz and Bowens flashes.

I will second Matt's advice 100%. PC cords are one of the most *aggravating* bits of photo technology ever invented. Which is why, back when they were in business, I purchased two custom sync cords from Paramount to use with my Speedotron studio flash gear: one was with the Rollei locking tip mentioned above, and the other had a standard (but slightly longer) PC tip with the locking screw collar, which I could use for my Nikon cameras. Both prevent the problem of the sync cord falling out of the socket on the camera, and the Rollei in particular ensured a good, consistent electronic connection.

If you use plain ol' PC tips, it will not take long at all for the tip to get out of shape and become loose--leading to more frequent instances of the cord falling out of the socket, and/or failing to make good electrical contact with the socket. Simple gravity pulling down the weight of the cord, and strain from moving around with the camera with the cord in place, will quickly take a nice tip and distort it just enough that it becomes really annoying.

And most methods of trying to tighten it--biting it, squeezing it, using needle-tip pliers--actually over time make the problem worse. A good flash tip conditioner, applied every time you get ready to use your gear or right afterward in preparation for the next session, and available for emergencies while shooting, will make your life a lot less stressful.