Rolleiflex SL66 User Group

[Mike Kovacs]

To all:

I'm toying with the idea of setting up a website about the SL66 and forming a user group.

Anybody interested should drop me a PM or email. If I can get enough interest, maybe we can get a small community together. I think the demise of SL66.com has left a bit of a hole.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Mark Layne]

To all:

I'm toying with the idea of setting up a website about the SL66 and forming a user group.

Anybody interested should drop me a PM or email. If I can get enough interest, maybe we can get a small community together. I think the demise of SL66.com has left a bit of a hole.

Cheers

Mike

That might encourage me to go look for one
Mark

 

[RJS]

sl 66

A good sounding idea. Any information regarding the 40mm Distagon would be welcome!

 

[hal9000]

count me in too!

 

[hal9000]

most of the content of sl66.com can be found by visiting www.archive.org, it is a database of old web content.

 

[jonathanbennett120]

I'm very interested. I should recieve my sl66 on Monday[I've been shooting with a Yashica Mat in the meantime], and I never even got to see SL66.com. Just all the dead links!

(sorry for my messy posts, new here.)

I recieved a ZEISS lenscap for my Planar, and a Konika accessory shoe today from other auctions. I should get my sl66 tommorrow. Awesome.

The konica Shoe is for my Voigtlander VC II meter. To lift it up to clear the lens tilt knob.

 

[PRB]

I'd be up for an SL66 forum.

Onward,
Paul

 

[Greg_E]

Would this cover it:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rolleiusers/

There is also a Rolleiflex Yahoo group, but it seems to be pretty much defunct right now. The Rolleiusers group is very much an active group, and I'm sure that anything about the SL66 would be welcome.

 

[ljsegil]

go for it
lj

 

[Mike Kovacs]

Personally I am not a fan of YAHOO groups. I find the interface terrible. I think we would end up with a Rollei group of 25 people who rarely/never post IMO.

What I hope to do is to get some base content up about the camera, showcase some of my own photography, of course other's SL66 photography, and a forum of some kind.

 

[Greg_E]

Oh I have to agree, the Yahoo interface is one of the worst, it's really just a Usenet group with a web interface.

 

[Slixtiesix]

Hello Mike,

I´m also a very interested SL66 user and find the website/forum about
it a great idea.

please do it!

 

[Mike Kovacs]

In the meantime, does anybody have some images to share with the group? The tilt helped here big time - try handholding Velvia with a 'Blad and maintain that depth of field

 

[jonathanbennett120]

So, I just recieved my SL66 in the mail two days ago. I shot my first test roll with 800 kodak NC. It worked well. I under exposed a bit, but overall got some decent shots.

I had terrible luck with my one Macro shot. WAY underexposed. I'm afraid I have a lot to learn about this camera and the macro exposure factors. I can't make heads or tails of the charts in my users guide. I know, I'm an ignorant amateur, but I want to learn! Could anyone please give me the basics on Macro exposures, in laymans terms?

Also, I'm using a Voigtlander VC meter II attached to my accessory shoe, and it seems consitent, though as I said my pictures leaned toward the under exposed. I'm new to the VC meter too.

Anyway, I'm very excited to have this camera, I used a Yashica Mat for about a year and wanted something more versatile/professional, and now that I've got it I'm in a bit over my head. Any tips/help would be appreciated.

I'll share pictures once I take some that are half decent.

Thanks.

J

 

[Mike Kovacs]

Do you have the older SL66 body with the 80-150-250-80R lens scale or the later one with the 80-150-120-80R scale? The latter scale has bellows extension factors written on it that tell you how much exposure to add at various levels of extension. You can calculate it for any lens using the millimetre scale if you can do math in your head easily.

Mine is the older scale, but what I did was look at the newer type scale in the Rollei manual I have in scanned form (pm if you want), then penciled in the bellows extension factors for the 80, 80 reversed, and 150. Now I only have to think if I'm shooting macro with the 50mm lens.

There are also tables in Mannheim's "The Rolleiflex SL66/SLX Way" if you can find a copy. I may be able to help you out there too if you PM.

 

[jonathanbennett120]

I have the newer scale, 80/150/120/80r

So, when the scale says –1 that means to stop up one step/or a longer exposure by one step? I'm assuming that's what it means.

I'm going to order up a 30 dollar photocopy of the Mannheim book soon. It's a very exciting camera to hold, I hope I get the hang of it soon. The Yashica Mat was so simple [due in part to it's limitations] but I'm excited to learn every feature on this camera [after I get macro under controll, I'll get into it with the tilted back] and in general more about photography.

What film do you guys like the best for color and b/w? I'm really new to all this so forgive my basic questioning.

 

[Mike Kovacs]

The SL66 is more than capable of filfilling the needs of even seasoned professionals. Its more than enough camera for me. I still keep a few Rolleiflex TLRs around - they are a lot easier to manage and I can handhold them at slower speeds.

Indeed, if you see -1 you open the diaphragm one stop or slow down your exposure by one stop. You'll note when you reverse the 80mm, you can have up to -2.5 stops of exposure to add. Don't forget and expect LONG exposures if you are shooting subjects in the field with slow film. Some of my most used films:

Colour: Velvia 50, Velvia 100F, Reala 100, NPS160, NPH400 (note all Fuji)
B&W: Efke 25, Fuji Acros 100, Kodak T-Max 100, Ilford FP4+, Ilford HP5+, Kodak Tri-X

IMO, film choice is very personal and application specific. I like slide films but they are very contrasty for some types of lighting, especially Velvia 50.

My advice regarding macro - its not easy. I cut my teeth for many years with a 35mm Nikon F3 shooting macro. Let me tell you this - doing macro in MF increases the level of difficulty significantly. Typical mistakes beginners make are not stopping down enough, not learning to pay critical attention to what's in the background, not finding the best camera position.

Check out Shaw's book "Closeups in Nature" for a general overview in well-written, simple language.

 

[ljsegil]

So will this happen?

nt
LJ

 

[PRB]

Hi,

You can by a photocopied version of the Rollei SL66 Way by Manheim from Hadley Chamberlain at www.hecphoto.com. He is a good source for lens, backs and other things SL66.

Onward,
Paul

 

[jonathanbennett120]

Okay, so they aren't much, but I've just uploaded 6 photos from my second roll of film through my sl66.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanbennett120/

I've gotten a few okay macro shots, and I'm happy with the exposures. These are scan from 6x6" prints, so the clarity suffers a bit. Mostly due to my weak scanner and the matte paper texure. I need a film scanner when the prices drop a bit.

 

[argentic]

Count me in for an SL66 users group.

 

[jonathanbennett120]

Mike, thanks for the tip on the John Shaw "Closeup's in Nature" book. I found a used copy the other day and it's a really great book. So many amazing pictures and I've read about half of it and there is a lot of helpful info there. He explains it all in a very clear style.

I think it will be a big help in general, not just for nature close-ups. Too bad it's so focused on 35mm, but most of the info translates easily to Medium Format SLR.

 

[Rollei fan]

Happy with Rollei

I have had a SL66E for more than a year now, and I have been really satisfied with it. I have 5 lenses for it, 40,50,80,150 and 250. I have shot exclusively slide film with it, Fuji Astia to be more precise.

For any new (and perhaps old) users a couple of small things, which may be good to know:

1) the original Rollei strap has clips, which make it easy to take the strap off. The springs of these clips are not (at least mine) very stiff, so it is quite possible that they may be accidentally opened, and then the camera may fall. Fortunately mine did not, but a couple of close calls happened.
I took off these clips, and I seriously recommend this to everyone. How often do you need to take the strap off in a hurry, anyway?!

2) the lever at the back of the magazine for changing between 120 and 220 film counter is easily moved unintentionally when carrying the camera around on your belly. If you have 120 film loaded, it doesn't cause any big problem because you will notice when the film ends, anyway. BUT if you have a 220 film in the magazine and have pushed the lever accidentally to the 120 position, the rewind knob will pop out after 12 exposures, and you may not be alert enough to look at the counter. I have lost half a roll of 220 at least once this way.
My hint is to put a piece of black electrical tape over the lever so it won't be accidentally moved.

3) I have 2-3 times opened the magazine right after the rewind knob popped out after last exposure (forgetting to wind my 220 film to the end). I thought that I would loose almost the whole roll due to this, as 220 film does not have any backing paper. To my relief I only lost the 2 last shots due to this "light leak", because undeveloped slide film is rather untransparent. May be good to know some day. :rolleyes:

well, that's it for now... happy shooting!

 

[jonathanbennett120]

Thanks for the tips.

I actually experienced the film indicator slip this week. I was shooting 120, and I think the switch was flipped by the foam on my pelican case (shooting out on a kayak, so I needed something watertight incase I tipped!) as I lifted it out of the foam.

Anyway, it must have happened a few shots ago because when I put it back into it's position for 120 film it is now between numbers! I assume I'll either have an overlapping frame or two, or extra space between a frame or two. We'll see. I'll be using electrical tape from now on and checking up on the switch.

I found that I can get an extra shot on 120 film by pushing the film back wheel back into place and giving it a half turn. You just have to be careful that you wind it far enough without going too far or you expose that shot accidentally or overlap your 12th frame. I think it is exactly a half wheel turn.

Has anyone else done this? Is it a bad idea? It seems to be harmless to the camera/back. The only real risk is the last frame, or the "bonus" frame.

 

[jonathanbennett120]

I've also uploaded a few new photos from last weekend. All sl66 shots. Some taken from a kayak and some closeup wanna be John Shaw shots of bugs on flowers.

No touching frames in my last two rolls through the same film back. I think I just hadn't tightened the film tight enough on the take up reel.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanbennett120/