Rolleifix - A question I haven't seen asked

As I wait for my new to me Rolleiflex 3.5F to arrive I've been reading about mounting the 'Flex to a tripod and all the cautions associated with doing that. To be honest, though, I've used my Rolleicord Vb on a tripod for quite awhile with a simple Arca-style plate just screwed to the tripod mount of the camera; never gave it a second thought. Now I'm reading about stress on the back, bending the back, etc, and knowing that the 'Flex is a little heavier than the 'Cord I thought I'd ask...

First, I should mention that I don't carry my 'Cord mounted to the tripod when moving locations. My procedure is: 1) mount camera on tripod, 2) take picture(s), 3) remove camera from tripod and move to new location. In other words, I never have the camera mounted to a tripod when moving it anywhere, including in the car going to a new location.

My question is...and please excuse if this is a dumb question (remember, I have no experience with a 'Flex): If I use a normal Arca-style plate and follow the steps outlined above when using a tripod, is there any risk of damaging the back simply from winding on the film? I certainly wouldn't believe that the 'Flex back is that prone to damage. Any other thoughts regarding the procedure outlined above would be most appreciated.

Thank you all for your help.

The flex is a bit heavier than a cord. Just be careful and don't carry the tripod with camera attached over your shoulder, etc.

I cannot imagine that winding the film will damage the camera, but I agree with Frank, take it off when you carry the tripod more than a couple of feet.

You sound like a cautious kind of guy Alan. You should be fine. The only bent back I've ever seen was when someone tried opening the back to load film while still screwed to the tripod. I like the Rolleifix for convenience but id probably like many other quick release devices just as much.

frank said:

The flex is a bit heavier than a cord. Just be careful and don't carry the tripod with camera attached over your shoulder, etc.

Click to expand...

Yep, that's about it. Recognize the potential and don't stress the back.

Remember something else the Rolleifix gives you- the ability to quickly remove the camera from the tripod head, hand it to an assistant for reloading, and installing a body with fresh film onto the tripod. You probably aren't going to do that very often, but in the '50s and '60s this was probably common practice for many users, the people Rollei built its cameras for.

You can also find a Rolleifix and attach it to an Arca plate. The Rollei handle grip thing has a Rolleifix built in that can be broken out, and they are often half the price of isolated Rolleifixes.

If you carry your camera on the tripod over your shoulder like a knack sack or if you aim it straight down on the tripod and lean on the camera you can bend the bottom a bit. If you know not to do that sort of thing you will be ok.

For a camera that nice, I would invest a few dollars in a Rolleifix. Why take any chances?

As Dan said, you can often find a Rollei handle for less than a Rolleifix, but the handle has a Rolleifix as part of it which you can easily separate.

Thank you all for your replies. I think, at least initially, I'll just go along with the way I've been handling my 'Cord on a tripod and see how it goes.