The first step is always to RTFM:
Rolleiflex 3.5 instruction manual, rolleiflex 3.5 Planar Xenotar instruction manual, user manual, PDF manual, Rolleiflex 3.5 In Der Praxis, Rolleiflex 3.5 dans la pratique
Rolleiflex 3.5 instruction manual, rolleiflex 3.5 Planar Xenotar instruction manual, rolleiflex 3.5 dans la pratique, Rolleiflex 3.5 In Der Praxiswww.butkus.org
BTW, that is a very fine gift.
Yes, read the manual. But to make it easier quicker, note that the center of the aperture wheel has an inner wheel that also turns. Align its slot with the lines on the wheel’s face, and the two dials (speed and aperture) lock. Move them out of alignment, and the two may be set independent of each other. I am attaching a photo of the aperture dial on my 2.8E for ease of reference.
BTW, welcome to the site. And yes, that is a very fine gift. My first Rolleiflex was a 3.5E and I still shoot it all these years later.
Be careful. It may look clunky and strange, but after a while you'll be hooked on precision mechanisms designed for use, not marketing, and you'll never be able to use a Sony menu system again without cringing and silently cursing what is called 'progress.'
That's a really nice gift. It's called 3,5 C in Europe, and 3.5 E in America (It was the model after the 3,5 B, but produced at the same time as the 2,8 E)
The Light Value/Exposure Value System is hated by some, some don't mind it, and a few love it. I don't mind it, but it's good when it can be uncoupled. I have an early 3,5 B on which I have to press the button every time I change the speed or aperture, since the lock can't be disengaged. But I'm used to that.
I think that is 3.5e because the serial number I leave some photos of her.
The OP’s camera is clearly a 3.5E. The European 3,5C was sold in the US as the MX-EVS. The MX-EVS lacked the integrated light meter and had a Tessar taking lens. The 3.5E had the meter (or a black rubber strip in lieu of the meter for meterless variants) and a Planar taking lens.
To dive deeper into the weeds: The OP’s camera is an early 3.5E. F&H revised the camera to add a removable finder and called it a 3,5E2, and 3.5E3, and added those designations as prefixes to the serial numbers. I am attaching a photo of the serial number from one of mine to illustrate.
The Light Value/Exposure Value System is hated by some, some don't mind it, and a few love it.
The manuals called them "Rolleiflex 3.5" except the T and F.I could be wrong. You could be right. I did not live in Europe in the 1950s so I cannot say from observation that The 3.5E was never marketed as a 3.5C in Europe. But I have never seen any user manual or other literature from Franke & Heidecke that refers to a Rolleiflex 3,5C. Compare, e.g., the F&H manual for the 2.8C:
Can you point to any contemporary product literature that supports your view?
The manuals called them "Rolleiflex 3.5" except the T and F.
Here are the 3,5 A, B and C from the Franke & Heidecke engineer Claus Prochnow's book. The letters also match the F&H internal names, K4A, K4B and K4C.
Ah, Herr Prochnow. He wrote the book. But books make mistakes and the Rollei list members (most of them much older and wiser than I) have picked apart a number of Herr Prochnow's mistakes in that volume. (One other example that comes readily to mind was Prochnow's claim that the Xenotar lens was derived from the Xenar lens, when the design appeared instead to be a close derivation of a Planar lens.)
It is true that the 3.5E had an internal designation at Braunschweig of K4C. And it is also true, as you have shown, that Prochnow's taxonomy translates "K4C" to "3,5C." But Prochnow is not a primary source, nor is he an infallible one. (Far from it.)
You said that the 3.5E was sold in Europe as a 3,5C. If that is so, then there should be plenty of records from Franke and Heidecke to support such a claim. Or even advertisements from the the 1950s camera magazines. I have seen claims, like yours, that the 3.5E was sold in Europe as a 3.5C. But I have never seen any contemporary usage from a primary source that supports the claim. If you know of any, please share.
FWIW, calling K4C a "3.5C" makes little sense. It is in all respects identical to the 2.8E, except that it has an f/3.5 taking lens. The letters, as you know, designate design generations. The C generation, exemplified by the 2.8C (link to the manual in my previous post), had a ten-blade iris; had plastic rings for shutter lock and flash attachment; and lacked an internal lightmeter. The E generation moved to a five-blade iris; replaced the plastic fittings for shutter lock and flash attachment with metal fittings; and redesigned the exterior to accommodate an internal lightmeter. The K4C has all of the characteristics of the E generation of cameras, none of the C.
As I said, I was not living in Europe in the 1950s (being born in the US in 1958) so I cannot say how camera sellers marketed the camera. But it makes little taxonomic sense to call a 3.5E a C-model in light of the cameras' design history.
[PS: Apologies for beating a dead horse.]
Hi here Joaco
Recently, my mother gifted me a Rolleiflex 3.5E that once belonged to my grandparents. Upon inspecting the camera, I noticed that the shutter speed and aperture buttons moved simultaneously, preventing me from adjusting them individually. The maximum speed of the camera is 1/60th of a second with an aperture of f/3.5. Is this correct or maybe I need to visit a service?
thanks
Nice pictures. You have put your "new" camera to good use and produced interesting pictures.
Also thank you for the information about the magicflex screens; interesting as I would not pay for a Beattie or Maxwell screen.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?