Selling my beloved Rolleiflex. What budget replacement will mend my heart?

f/stopblues · Jun 13, 2015

I'm wearing many hats of family man, grown up student guy, and want to buy a house in the next year guy. Thus, since I'm not using medium format as much as I used to, my Fleenor-ized 3.5f must go. I shoot mostly 4x5 now but I'm not ready to give up MF yet.

So, the big question is what camera out there won't leave me totally disappointed compared to the ol' Planar lens? I'm not terribly picky except for lens performance. Compact is a great thing, though (no RB67!) I do love the square format, I don't need interchangeable lenses, I don't need a meter, any viewfinder system is fine except for scale focus. Folders are great, maybe just a Rolleicord, or something totally different?

Thanks for any ideas you have! Sub $200 is great.

pschwart · Jun 13, 2015

You will be sorry if you sell the 3.5F, and the price you get will be offset by the hundreds you spend for a replacement.

Sirius Glass · Jun 13, 2015

Selling your MF camera and buy another MF camera at a lower cost will probably increase your on hand cash by as much as ones of dollars if you do not have to pay for a CLA for the replacement camera. Including the CLA and shipping the replacement camera back and forth for the CLA will leave you with negative many tens of dollars. Keep your camera and enjoy it.

Paul Verizzo · Jun 13, 2015

Sell one of your kids.

Seriously, the economics just don't make sense. I've been poking around on eBay looking at some TLR alternatives along the likes of Yashica. Yes, a clean Rollei will sell for several times that, but after subtracting the cost of a Yashica, where are you?

Unless the wolf is at the door, don't sell it.

f/stopblues · Jun 13, 2015

Thanks for the insightful commentary. I'm just trying to free up a bit of cash by moving a camera that I don't use much. I'm not one to have gear around that I'm not actively using, but having the option of roll film would be nice on occasion.

In any case, suggestions for a solid folder or something else fun?

Thanks!

f/stopblues · Jun 13, 2015

Just to clarify, Paul, my bit of snark wasn't directed at you!

gone · Jun 13, 2015

I'm a big fan of 3 element lenses, so a Rolleicord w/ a Triotar, or even a little Argoflex E TLR make very nice images for me. They image differently than 4 and 5 element lenses, but are plenty sharp in the center (where my subject tends to be). But if you want that Planar type of sharpness across the, well, plane, get a Minolta Autocord. It should fit your budget. I was looking at some negs from one I owned about 10 years ago, and that Rokkor lens rocks! I owned several Rolleiflex cameras w/ the Planars and they are good, but I'm not that gaga over them.

Or, just lurk around the auction sites a year or two and maybe you can find a Voigtlander Focusing Brillant w/ a Heliar lens. I stupidly sold mine, then bought another one (they are not easy to find) and sold that one here too! The member that bought it said that he preferred the images that it made to any medium format camera he had ever owned, including Hasselblad, Rolleiflex, etc.

Alan Gales · Jun 13, 2015

I shoot 4x5 and 8x10 and sold all my medium format gear. If you are not ready to give up medium format then follow everyone's advice and keep the Rolleiflex. If you later decide to give up medium format then sell it. Even then I guarantee that you will miss the Rolleiflex. I have never owned a Rolleiflex myself but I do sometimes miss the RZ67 and Hasselblad 500/cm cameras I sold.

summicron1 · Jun 13, 2015

there are many folding medium format cameras that do a wonderful job. I have a Welti Weltina that has a really nice Zeiss tessar and a coupled rangefinder, similar cameras go for the $200 to $400 range, the usual conditions applying.

Having said that, I tend to agree with the others -- in the huge finances world of buying a house, the $500 to $700 you will end up with after selling the Rollei -- and remember, sale prices tend to be less than buying prices -- and replacing it won't amount to much. Sort of like those folks you see selling family heirlooms when the price of gasoline goes up to $4 a gallon ... ur gonna need another tank full in a week, you already sold your last option, then what? Better to keep the heirloom -- or rollei -- and cut a cost somewhere else.

skip cable TV for 6 months, there you are.

LMNOP · Jun 13, 2015

Cheap 6x6? Get a Holga and call it a day. Bright side: It'll be lighter than the 3.5f!

ohnewton35 · Jun 14, 2015

If you have it still I wouldn't mind trading you my MXEVS + some cash for it? Then you'd still have a medium format shooter and pocket some extra money?

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Richard S. (rich815) · Jun 14, 2015

Nice clean Rolleicord, just close down a couple of stops.

MattKing · Jun 14, 2015

If the OP hadn't already figured out that people will pay good money for his camera, he sure has now.

If you have higher priorities for the money, and you aren't using the camera much, selling it makes sense.

A Rolleicord is a good alternative. If you don't mind the size, a Mamiya C220 with a 65mm, 80mm or 105mm lens is also a good choice.

piu58 · Jun 14, 2015

Don't sell it. You will regret very soon.

pbromaghin · Jun 14, 2015

i've "owned" a house for 30 years and will have this one paid off in 3 or 4. Just how much difference would a couple hundred dollars have made over that time?

baachitraka · Jun 14, 2015

Please keep it.

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Brett Rogers · Jun 14, 2015

I'd advise not to sell, but if you absolutely have to I'd point you squarely towards a Rolleicord V as the cheapest of the "modern" Rolleicords with flash synchronisation and a self timer. Honestly unless you are doing big prints and prefer to shoot wide open 90% of the time you'd be hard pressed to see the difference in the pics. A decent example of the Schneider Xenar used on the Rolleicords is a really, really nice lens. If the right side focusing is a deal breaker the next cheapest is the Va with left side focus.

After owning a Rollei, with the arguable exception of a Mamiya C (if interchangeable lenses are desired) anything else is, frankly, a step backwards in build quality if not in image quality. If considering a Mamiya the C220 offers the best bang for buck and is a little less weighty to boot. But the better solution is to sell something else instead of your Rolleiflex.
Cheers
Brett

R.Gould · Jun 14, 2015

I wouldn't sell it unless someone offered me a crazy amount for it, but if you really are set on selling it then a Rolleiflex old Automat, with the Tessar lens, stopped down a couple of stops it would be very difficult to tell the difference between it and a Planer, or, possibly even cheaper, a Rolleicord V or VA, with the Xener lens, even better than the Tessar, stopped down very close to the Planer, As far as Folders go, something like a Voigtlander with the wonderful Color Skoper lens, or maybe an English made Ensign with the Ross Xpres lens, even better than either the Tessar or Xenon lens, possibly the best Tessar type lens around, I have and use all of the above suggestions, My Favorite is a Rolleicord in Tlr,s or the Ensign in Folders, Whatever you decide good luck
Richard

Slixtiesix · Jun 14, 2015

As other said: please don´t sell it! Does not make sense. You could buy a Rolleicord or Rolleiflex T instead but these will cost you another 200-350 $. Then you don´t know the service history of these cameras, a CLA may be necessary. Additional 100-150 $. Your 3.5F may sell for 550-800 $, so your gain is around 300 $, at best 500 $ maybe. Please mind that a Rolleiflex (especially 3.5F) is a collectors item, it will never lose its value and may even grow in price.

Steve Bellayr · Jun 14, 2015

Keep the Rolliflex. If, in later years, you want another it will be much higher.

ic-racer · Jun 14, 2015

A Rolleiflex 3.5F is an ideal budget entry to medium format. Much less expensive than Hasselblad, 6008i, SL66E, etc. If you have some unused 'time capsule' camera with the original box and literature and want to liquidate it for a 'user' now might be a good time, because my impression is that Rolleiflex TLR cameras collector value has been going down in the last ten years and may continue to go down.

guangong · Jun 14, 2015

Build quality

Keep the 3.5f. Your cameras mechanical operation will still be going when the last minoltacord stops focusing. Rolleis are practically indestructable， this can not be said of any of the other cameras mentioned in this thread.Will the camera to your grandchildren！

Richard S. (rich815) · Jun 14, 2015

If this a 3.5F in good condition and has a Fleenor sticker dated within the last year or so plus the documentation of what was done it will go for $1000-1200+. Selling for that, buying a decent Rolleicord and pocketing the difference is not insignificant especially since the OP says he rarely if ever uses the 3.5F.

fotch · Jun 14, 2015

Do what you gotta do. However, selling & replacing is costly since the replacing price includes a certain amount of mark up over cost. If you don't use it that much now & don't anticipate using it more later, and don't need to replace, then makes more sense. The amount of money vs the price of a house probably won't be significant. Anyway, good luck.

antmar · Jun 14, 2015

Telling you once more that you will regret selling your 3.5F won't add a thing. You will never find a lens so good in any other camera of the price tag that you are looking for (not even in a camera more expensive than your Rolleiflex IMHO).
Anyway you know better and if I can help in a way I could say that it is better to find a camera that it is decent enough and with a price difference that worth the trouble.
So I suggest an Iskra folding 6x6 camera with a very good copy of tessar, coupled rangefinder and auto film advance similar to the Rolleiflex. I have both Rolleilex 3.5F and Iskra and I can say that I use the Iskra without hesitation over the Rolleiflex when I don't want to carry a bag. Maybe with a camera more compact like the Iskra you will have a reason to use roll film more often. You can find one in good working condition in a price around 150$.
Good luck.

Selling my beloved Rolleiflex. What budget replacement will mend my heart?

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