Rolleiflex in E.U.

[arigram]

One thing: how do you get to the battery compartment?
The manual says to unscrew the metallic lid with a coin, but
before I get there, there is the plastic cap on top which I can't get off.
How do you get that cap off?

 

[keeds]

Don't know about the battery compartment, but I'm glad you've finally got your camera. I hope the wait and troubles was worth it. Welcome to the Rollei* club. I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

Rolleiflex 3.5f and Rolleicord Vb owner.

 

[dpurdy]

Hey Ari congratulations I am glad you like if finally. To put in the battery you must unscrew the black end of the focus knob and under that you must turn the focus to the point that the battery door shows up to unscrew with a coin. Mine shows when the focus is near minimum.

Tell me when you have the battery in place if you can feel it in the focus. When I turn my focus knob past the spot where the battery matches up with the hole for it I feel a little click in my focus. That alarmed me till I figured it out.

Also I wonder if when you focus to infinite you must rack the lenses out just a tiny bit or does it focus to infinite with the lenses all the way in. I have had two and on both the lens could come in too close for infinite. I sent it to a repair man and he said the lens "focused through infinite" so he adjusted it so that now with the lens all the way in it is in focus.

Dennis

 

[arigram]

Ok, I managed to open the cap, the lid and get the bugger in.
I am not sure what you mean about the infinity focus Dennis.
One thing I've noticed through is that when changing the shutter speed
from 1/30 to 1/60, it gets stuck and need more effort to get past
the midway point. I might need to find someone to take a look at.
I don't know where I can find that someone but its a bit unsettling for a brand new camera.

 

[dpurdy]

Ok, I managed to open the cap, the lid and get the bugger in.
I am not sure what you mean about the infinity focus Dennis.
One thing I've noticed through is that when changing the shutter speed
from 1/30 to 1/60, it gets stuck and need more effort to get past
the midway point. I might need to find someone to take a look at.
I don't know where I can find that someone but its a bit unsettling for a brand new camera.

I just checked mine and sure enough it drags a bit between 30 and 60 so I think it must be part of changing from slow speed drive to high speed drive in the shutter. Don't get unsettled yet
D

 

[arigram]

Right on D.
Thanks for the heads up, you have been most supportive so far
and I am happy to be a member of the club Rollei as well now.
I mean, Hasselblad, Rollei, I aught to drive a Mercedes next and
speak with a high class accent. Come to think of it, I think a Mercedes
would be cheaper than all the camera stuff I have.
There is hope for luxury still in the proletariat!

Now, I need to get a bag for Nafsika, so she can travel in comfort.
She fits tighly into a cheap 35mm top-down and a small one I got for
the Zero Image, but none of them are a good fit. Maybe I can scare up
something in the airport or in Brussels.
Maybe a Gucci bag.

 

[dpurdy]

Cosmetically I find mine is holding up well and though I have used it for a rainy day wedding and in the studio for portraits and carried on a tripod over my shoulder through the woods as well as taking it for hikes and pulling out of the bag and hand holding many times without ever owning a Rollei case, the camera is still pristine except for a couple very small marks in the leather that could be fixed with polish.

The one wear mark I left is on the bandaid thing on the steel spool tensioner inside the camera on the bottom. It is so tight putting in a roll of film that I wore a hole in the little bandaid after about 10 rolls. I took out the tensioner with a small screw drive and removed that bandaid and put it back together and everything is perfect now. I don't know what that bandaid does for you, it did nothing for me. In fact if I was to get another new FX, the first thing I would do is take that bandaid off so as not to spoil it so I could put it back on the camera if I needed to sell it.
Dennis

 

[arigram]

Love, bags and the evil eye

I am really loving the Rolleiflex 2.8FX, also known as Nafsika!
I took her for strolls in Brussels and in Athens and it took me
only a couple rolls to get used to its mechanics even though I
am still trying to get the most out of its shooting style.
First thing I need is to get less shy about photographing people
and use the camera in more sneaky and bold ways.

I haven't had any trouble with it, not even with the "band aid" you say Dennis.
It looks like the teflon feet computer mice have to make movements
faster and smoother and it might be there to help with the insert of the film,
but as you mention it might work against it. We'll see.

I went yesterday to a store in Athens called Geramas, which is mostly for
professional photographers. It still has plenty of film, paper and chemicals on display, as a couple other stores in the capital and they owners are as much in love with photography as we are. They reassured me that even though the film market has shrunk, they have steady and loyal customers and seemed satisfied. I overheard one of the owners talking to another customer about MF cameras with a passion.

I came to the store mostly to buy a bag for the Rolleiflex and I ended up with a Billingham VG 400 in "Storm/Black" colors. I never seen this bag before and it doesn't appear on their website or another online photo store, but its gorgeous and perfect fit for the Rolleiflex, accessories and film. The smaller size also fits the camera like a glove but doesn't have room for the bulky 120 roll film, but enough for thin accessories like release cord and PC cable. The one I got has room for everything: the camera with a shade attached, a mini Mafrotto tripod, the SCA adaptor, cables, cleaning accessories, film, IDs and papers and even a small thin book, yet is small enough to carry everywhere with you. Perfect size. The bag has a more sport appearance with a glossy fabric and was twice as expensive as the equivalent Lowepro bag (got the Billingham for a hundred euros). Well worth it!

The owner was really excited to see the camera and was amazed to hear that I bought it new
and in a good price. He couldn't stop admiring and talking about it and did the mock spiting a few
times to ward against the evil eye. And that got ideas in my mind and decided that I need a protection
for my Nafsika and the Hassy girls!

 

[Toffle]

Congratulations, Ari. That is one beautiful camera. I've been watching this saga unfold over the last few months, and I must say, if I wasn't so deliriously happy with my vintage Rollei, I'd be be looking for one just like yours. Let's see some shots with it now.

Cheers,

 

[argus]

I can confirm that Ari now owns a genuine AND working Rolleiflex, since I saw him and the camera in Brussels last week.
Lovely machine. We compared it to mine (date 1950s) and basically there's not that much that chanced..., apart from the evil eye

Ari, yesterday I made contact prints from the films of our Brussels visit. Looks fine, some great, others less, I'll send you some prints by mail.

G

 

[arigram]

I can confirm that Ari now owns a genuine AND working Rolleiflex, since I saw him and the camera in Brussels last week.
Lovely machine. We compared it to mine (date 1950s) and basically there's not that much that chanced..., apart from the evil eye

Ari, yesterday I made contact prints from the films of our Brussels visit. Looks fine, some great, others less, I'll send you some prints by mail.

G

I was going to add to the Brussels thread when I had mine processed.
It was great meeting you Geert.
Toffle, thank you and as Geert said, if you are happy with your Rolleiflex, don't be jealous of the new one, unless you want to add it to your collection.

 

[ooze]

Ari, I love that evil eye thingy (nazarlik in turkish). Let's hope it works!

And congrats on your new FX. I've been a happy GX user myself for several years (alongside a Hasselblad and Bronica RF645 in MF). My only gripe is that the shutter release is a bit stiff and I'm having trouble getting pin-sharp results when handholding at 1/60th and below. How smooth is the shutter release of your FX? Talking about stiff, the film winding on mine is also quite stiff I guess it's about time I should have a technician look at it.

Also, nice bag, that one. I just throw it in a good old regular backpack (Eastpack), together with the Gitzo Traveller tripod and I'm set.

With regard to the B&W film market in Turkey, the optimism is similar to that in Athens, with a healthy flow of goods.

Cheers,
omar

 

[ooze]

By the way, something about being shy and photographing people...There is a line that I read somewhere in the British Journal of Photography a few years ago and which was something students remembered from a journalism course: "Get close until you feel uncomfortable, then take another step forward." Easier said then done, but well worth remembering

 

[arigram]

Nice to hear from you again Omar.
Next time I'll take Nafsika for a trip to Istanbul.

Somewhere in this thread, someone mentioned that the GX has a stiffer shutter release that was smoothed out on the FX. I can't make a comparison, but I find the button pretty smooth and much more sensitive than the Hasselblad one which feels much heavier now. As a matter of fact, I have a few times accidentally tripped the shutter when only wanting a meter reading and a couple times even when just moving my hands about the camera. The film winding is very light and fast, so you might need to take a look at it.
Oh, btw, as far as reading the light is concerned, I use the Sekonic L-208 to give me a base reading and then read the lights inside the FX to get a better estimate when framing. Often though I don't pay much attention to half or even a stop of over or underexposing. This is black and white street shooting after all.

And about the timidity, you are right Omar, that's a great quote. I always keep in mind the classic "if your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough". I am working on it and I am sure the compact size and quiet operation is going to help a lot.

 

[dpurdy]

Maybe someone should start a thread about tricks to photographing people. I have found sometimes acting like a bumbling idiot with my camera and pretending there must be something wrong with it that I can't figure out and generally acting like I am far more concerned with figuring my camera out than taking a photo of someone puts the person at ease. then if they ask if you took their picture you can say no I think my camera is broken.

I am looking forward to seeing some new work or tests or something Ari.
A new camera case you love is like a new pair of shoes you love.
Dennis

 

[dpurdy]

On the stiff shutter release issue I think there are differences between versions of the GX. I did run into a (seemingly) mint condition Expression down at the local photo shop and it was definitely stiffer than my FX. But I think it is really a matter of getting to know your shutter release and knowing where is the spot that it is just about to trip the shutter. Also for some reason I find it easier and smoother after taking off the soft touch thing.

The film advance is remarkably easy on both my old and new Rollei though easier on the new one. After you feel how tight the film is held by the tensioner it is hard to believe that the film advance is so effortless. The focus is very effortless as well and much easier than on my older Rollei.
dennis

 

[arigram]

I would like to inform Rolleiflex owners of my latest accessory:
a bayonet Bay III to 49mm screw-in filter adapter.
I got it from http://www.photogearfinder.com/ through EBay for a total of 42.25 US dollars (37 US dollars without shipping).
The adapter is made by some Indian company called Nisha, but at least its made of metal.
Looks to be just fine, but now I have to find some filters in that size.
Maybe a red and an orange or yellow.

 

[Mark Antony]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Rolleiflex purchase, hopefully I'll be the owner of a 1960's T soon....
Mark

 

[arigram]

... and the required mirror self portrait...

... and a change of profile avatar...

 

[Soeren]

Nice gogles Ari. Now you just need the WWII BMW with sidecar
Kind regards

 

[arigram]

Nice gogles Ari. Now you just need the WWII BMW with sidecar
Kind regards

I always wanted one, you know Soeren.
With a machine gun on the sidecar of course, to help with the traffic.

completely off topic, but this would be a dream come true:

 

[arigram]

As a reference, the screen of the Rolleiflex 2.8FX is slightly, but very slightly dimmer than the screen of the Hasselblad 501CM, which appears a bit "glossier". You have to really study them side by side and in normal working conditions you would not notice a difference.

 

[arigram]

Last night I had a Rolleiflex-nightmare.
I was with my brother and maybe my parents, but I am not sure.
We were traveling in Europe. At first we were in some small central european country and decided to go to Germany by train. Berlin was supposedly too far, Baden-Baden was our only option. I travelled there with them when I was a little kid.
So, anyway.
I've found myself in the train station, but in a room that looked like showers or lockers.
Inside was a whole bunch of immigrants, gypsies, poor people. Probably influenced by recent european and italian anti-immigration laws, I felt they were put there and not by choice.
I had my Rolleiflex with me so I decided to take some photos.
I see a very interesting scene and press the release but it doesn't go in. I check and I had forgotten to rewind the film and cock the shutter, something that has happened to me more than once.
I get upset but I continue and decide to aim at a kid that was standing next to me.
I take a few snaps and then the kid turns to me and asks about the camera.
Then I realize that the leather covering has been peeling off like cheap, dried-up paint.
I am shocked and saddened to see my lovely new camera losing its good looks.
It gets worse though because I get anxious and nervous.
The release starts to crumble in my hand (the top covering falling off is something that happens often in real life).
Now, I've panicked.
Then I notice that the top of the camera, WLF and all is quite bent and distorted.
I wake up in agony for my camera and when I come to, I give thanks it was just a dream...

 

[André E.C.]

You should dream more about photography, you greek camera junkie!:confused:

Wake up Grammatikakis, go make photographs.


André

 

[vic vic]

dream on and write them ... those can turn into damn good photographs one day (without rollei distorting - hey, there is a planar lens on it - hahah).