Rolleiflex at the races

[jp498]

It'll be a couple days till I have photos to show for it....

I went to the grand-am races at Limerock CT this weekend. It's kind of a high end motorsports event. Like show up and park your car past the Lotus, around the corner from the Mercedes, and between the Maserati and Porsche, and that's just the parking lot.

Wore the orange vest and lugged the requisite DSLR with BFL like most every other photographer with a purpose. Also had on my rolleiflex automat tessar.

Talked to MANY people who either used to have one or were pleased to see someone shooting film. Along with 16GB of digital photos, I shot 5 rolls of 120.

Some of the more interesting conversations...

The Continental Tire booth babes were very interested in the rolleiflex when I posed with them. Proves prior discussions on the topic on social aspects of TLRs.

Was in the bathroom at the row of urinals (ladies; guys aren't supposed to check each other out in these situations). Another photographer looked my way and said, "Oh My! Impressive!" Then after an awkward moment said I was brave to be shooting some film.

 

[Hatchetman]

Looking forward to the photos.....

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Looking forward to the photos.....

Me too. Ever seen Louis Klemantaski's auto sport Rolleiflex photos? Great stuff:

http://www.klemcoll.com/TheGallery.aspx

 

[jp498]

Me too. Ever seen Louis Klemantaski's auto sport Rolleiflex photos? Great stuff:

http://www.klemcoll.com/TheGallery.aspx

What a cool website; thanks for the link.

 

[SafetyBob]

Richard, thank you so much for that website too!! I sure recongize many of Klemantaski's photos from books I have from the "early" days of Ferrari racing. That alone is worth breaking out the old TLR and taking some photos. Have forgotten just what amazing photos those TLRs are capable of.

Bob E.

 

[gone]

Oh man, for a racing buff, the photos on that website are almost impossible to resist! I want everything on there. The prices are reasonable too. I'd better not bookmark it, or the bank account could (would) take a serious and terminal hit. No roll bars on the cars, and it looks like no seat belts either! I guess the idea was if you were lucky you would get thrown from the car or you were a deader. Those early F-1 cars make today's cars look very ugly by comparison.

 

[Hatchetman]

Is top shutter speed 1/500? Does that stop a car going 100MPH?

 

[jp498]

My rolleiflex has a top speed of 1/250! With my dslr, I like to get 1/1000 or better for stopping action, and 1/160 or so for panning. I've used a speed graphic at 1/400 for action, and it helped to have it straight on rather than panning.

 

[Jeff L]

My rolleiflex has a top speed of 1/250!

Which Rolleiflex do you have?

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Which Rolleiflex do you have?

I'm wondering the same. Some of the early types were top speed 1/300 but all others 1/500 as far as I know:

http://www.rolleiclub.com/cameras/tlr/info/automat.shtml

 

[jp498]

K4B2 is what I used. The shutter speed doesn't go up as far as 500, so I think the website could be incomplete or wrong. I also have a k4b which does not go to 500.

 

[02Pilot]

Nice to see someone else shooting film at LRP. I was up there shooting with my Canon P for the Vintage Festival over Labor Day - I saw another guy using an M3 with Summicron that day as well. I was focusing on primarily detail shots rather than on-track action this time (I have a lot of track shots from years past). I've never taken my Rolleiflex up there, but I probably should - I think there's a VSCCA in a couple weekends.

Look forward to seeing the photos. Here's a couple of mine from the Vintage Fest (hope you don't mind; I'll happily remove them if you prefer - just let me know).

 

[jp498]

Don't mind a bit.

I mostly shot tmy2 B&W in the camera. I did shoot a roll of portra 160 as well. Here's one from that roll:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13759696@N02/10052132026/

The tessar lens and the timeless driving suit style make the driver look like he could step into a 917 just as easily as his newer daytona prototype car. This is Alex Popow, who's team chose me to be a photographer for that weekend.

I didnt' make it to the historics/vintage this year I went last year and had a blast; I think I like the historics better than contemporary stuff. It's stuff legends and posters are made of.
Here's from that:

 

[02Pilot]

I agree completely about the vintage stuff being more compelling. It's always amazing to me to see how hard they race those cars. The fact that LRP is largely unchanged over the years makes it easy to feel like you're back 50 years ago when they were racing the first time around.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

K4B2 is what I used. The shutter speed doesn't go up as far as 500, so I think the website could be incomplete or wrong. I also have a k4b which does not go to 500.

Try to set the speed to 1/500 before you wind the film advance crank. My 2.8C Xenotar will not go to 1/500 after I've advanced the film crank if already set to a different speed...my others do but not that one.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Nice ones guys! Here's a couple I took at the Half Moon Bay show a few years back:


Dream Machines Rolleiflex2-8C Tmax100 HC-110dilB 04-2009 by rich8155 (Richard Sintchak), on Flickr


Dream Machines HMB, Ca Rolleiflex2-8C Xenotar Tmax100 HC-110dilB 4min30sec 20C 30secAg 04-2009 by rich8155 (Richard Sintchak), on Flickr

 

[Jeff L]

Try to set the speed to 1/500 before you wind the film advance crank. My 2.8C Xenotar will not go to 1/500 after I've advanced the film crank if already set to a different speed...my others do but not that one.

My Automat type 1 is the same. Set shutter to 1/500 sec before winding.

 

[jp498]

Try to set the speed to 1/500 before you wind the film advance crank. My 2.8C Xenotar will not go to 1/500 after I've advanced the film crank if already set to a different speed...my others do but not that one.

I'll try that. It'll be tough as that's an involuntary motion for me to wind the camera after taking a photo.

 

[Dkirk]

I think that with a lot of the older Compur shutters, whatever the format (later MF ones may be different) generally it is best practice, and more gentle on the mechanism to set the shutter speed first then cock the shutter, as different springs/gears engage at different speeds.

 

[02Pilot]

I think that with a lot of the older Compur shutters, whatever the format (later MF ones may be different) generally it is best practice, and more gentle on the mechanism to set the shutter speed first then cock the shutter, as different springs/gears engage at different speeds.

It is best to set first, then charge, but from what I've seen taking a bunch of Compurs apart, the fastest speed appears to be the only one that engages a separate spring (you can often feel resistance as the cam engages when you turn to the fastest speed). Based on my understanding of the shutter, changing between standard speeds (anything from 1/25 to 1/250) with the shutter charged shouldn't place undue stress on a properly-functioning mechanism. Of course if you've got an Old Standard like mine, advancing the film and charging the shutter are two separate actions, so it's a bit of a non-issue for me.

 

[jp498]

Getting a few more developed and scanned in..

Flickr Set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13759696@N02/sets/72157636114126046/with/10092506055/

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Terrific set Phil!

 

[02Pilot]

Love that tilted shot of the front straight. I'm always looking for new perspectives on how to shoot that place; I like this one a lot.

 

[Hatchetman]

Image quality is stunning!

 

[mhcfires]

My Automat only goes to 1/250. According to the serial # it is a 1939 model.


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