Smallest TLR? Autocord? Rolleicord?

bvy · Feb 21, 2016

The Lubitel is very capable in terms of image quality. Where it suffer is focusing. I've not found a reliable way to focus using the loupe and finder. Rather I did some controlled testing with the taking lens and marked off 3, 4 and 6 feet. So I zone focus, and that works. Sometimes.

Lately, I've been playing with an old Brownie Hawkeye, which might be the smallest and lightest of everything mentioned thus far. You trade control for portability. I flipped the lens in mine just to make things fun.

Sirius Glass · Feb 21, 2016

Smallest TLR? Tessina

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Tessina

k.hendrik · Feb 21, 2016

Oh man, do i suffer from GAS in this thread; Voigtlander Focusing Brillant / Nikon 35Ti /that Welta isn't bad either / this Tessina !! Would you please stop? Wasn't there a similar camera in "Spy who came in from the cold" ?? the cord is the distance meter? or......

yashima · Feb 22, 2016

The Autocord is really compact and nicely built, I think its much underrated.

davkt · Mar 11, 2017

momus said:
Voigtlander Focusing Brillant. Might take you a year or two to find one w/ a Heliar lens, and it will eat a Hasselblad for lunch. Should never have sold mine.

Oooh just found a Heliar lensed Brilliant on ebay for considerably less than the lens and shutter normally goes for. Something tells me the seller didn't know quite what they had (I suspect they may guess as I bought it under 5 min from they listed it ;-) )but I'm not complaining!

ic-racer · Mar 11, 2017

These take 120 film...all you have to do is cut the film into thin strips...

Trask · Mar 11, 2017

momus said:
Voigtlander Focusing Brillant. Might take you a year or two to find one w/ a Heliar lens, and it will eat a Hasselblad for lunch. Should never have sold mine.

I've been looking myself -- hope springs eternal!

Cholentpot · Mar 11, 2017

My vote for Lubitel or Richoflex VIIIXXXX or whatever. Capable cameras although the Richo tends to vignette a bit more than I'd like. The Lube is sharp stopped down, the focusing can be tough though.

trondsi · Mar 11, 2017

I am not going to claim "smallest" but I am constantly amazed at the small size and light weight of my superb Rolleiflex Automat. It is noticeably lighter than my other Rolleiflex and THAT is also considered light for a medium format camera.

Fixcinater · Mar 12, 2017

I just put a roll of Delta 100 through an Autocord that I was going to put up for sale to a friend. Now I've got seller's remorse before I even pack it up!

Beautiful negatives, by far the best I've seen out of any TLR besides a Planar Rollei.

R.Gould · Mar 12, 2017

Microcord 2, one of the smallest TLR's I own, and the Ross xpres lens is one of the best around, but do not get the early microcord, get the 2 with the prontor shutter

locutus · Mar 12, 2017

I dont know about absolutely the smallest, but in practical terms the Lubitel scores pretty well. Although its viewfinder is...peculiar and ackward it makes for a very decent scalefocus f/16-and-there camera.

bvy · Mar 12, 2017

locutus said:
I dont know about absolutely the smallest, but in practical terms the Lubitel scores pretty well. Although its viewfinder is...peculiar and ackward it makes for a very decent scalefocus f/16-and-there camera.

Yes, but the Lubitel shines when wide open -- or one stop off. When things work out, they work out beautifully, but it can be a frustrating little camera to work with.

locutus · Mar 12, 2017

My hit rate with focussing it at f/4.5 or f/5.6 has been so low that I don't bother, 120 is a bit too expensive per shot to waste on 90% misfocused shots...IMHO

bvy · Mar 12, 2017

locutus said:
My hit rate with focussing it at f/4.5 or f/5.6 has been so low that I don't bother, 120 is a bit too expensive per shot to waste on 90% misfocused shots...IMHO

You're right! I've lost a lot of shots too. I went as far as to put a piece of ground glass over the back of the camera (on the film plane), focus on a target, and mark off distances along the viewing lens barrel. This helps, but sometimes requires me to take along a tape measure when composing shots...

Harry Stevens · Mar 12, 2017

There as got to be a reason why so many makers incorporated the word "flex" in to their funny named offerings.

ME Super · Mar 12, 2017

Malinku said:
Super ricohflex is pretty small and can be found Cheap. when Im not shooting my big old mamiya out comes my ricohflex. A nice retangle of metal with a very nice lens imo

+1.
Super Ricohflexes are known for having nice lenses - even though they are triplet lenses. The issue with these is that the grease that Ricoh used to lube the focusing mechanism on the lenses has turned into something akin to loc-tite. The one I bought on the big auction site had a missing roller and the focus was seized up. Mark Hansen had one ready to go (he likes to use these cameras too), so I was able to send mine to him + what he would've charged to fix mine up, and he sent me the one he had ready to go.

For an example of what the Super Ricohflex can do, check out my (color) entry for the Jan-Feb 2017 Monthly Shooting Assignment. (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Huss · Mar 14, 2017

Paul Howell said:
Due to size of the negative (6X6) and the need for a 75 or 80mm all TLR are about the same size, the Rolleicords or Yashica D with the 4 element les are little lighter as they do have crank advance. A Mamyia 220 is lighter than a 330, but still in the same size range. To go lighter need to down size to a 127 format camera, but 127 film, what there is of it, is pricey.

Mamiya C220/330 are way bigger than Rolleiflexes/Yashicamats etc. Not a little bigger, a lot bigger.

OptiKen · Mar 14, 2017

Check out the Ikoflex cameras. Excellent lenses and very small

bvy · Mar 14, 2017

Huss said:
Mamiya C220/330 are way bigger than Rolleiflexes/Yashicamats etc. Not a little bigger, a lot bigger.

And heavier.

KeithM · Mar 14, 2017

When the urge to 'come back' to MF arose some six years ago, weight was very much a factor. Memories of the Mamiya C3 I lugged about in the mid '70s pointed me in the direction of something less brick-like. After quite a lot of research I settled on a Rolleicord and bought a '63 (or '64) Vb. Lightweight with excellent lens plus bright split-prism screen, it is a delight to use. And the results are not too bad either

flavio81 · Mar 14, 2017

Huss said:
Mamiya C220/330 are way bigger than Rolleiflexes/Yashicamats etc. Not a little bigger, a lot bigger.

But a C220 is light enough. And very versatile.

flavio81 · Mar 14, 2017

Harry Stevens said:
There as got to be a reason why so many makers incorporated the word "flex" in to their funny named offerings.

"Flex" because of the reFLEX finder, as opposed as cameras with rangefinders or cameras with regular (i.e. albada) viewfinders.

Sirius Glass · Mar 14, 2017

The smallest TLR is a Hasselblad SLR.

Huss · Mar 15, 2017

KeithM said:
When the urge to 'come back' to MF arose some six years ago, weight was very much a factor. Memories of the Mamiya C3 I lugged about in the mid '70s pointed me in the direction of something less brick-like. After quite a lot of research I settled on a Rolleicord and bought a '63 (or '64) Vb. Lightweight with excellent lens plus bright split-prism screen, it is a delight to use. And the results are not too bad either

Lovely photos.

Smallest TLR? Autocord? Rolleicord?

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