TLR recommendations

[mrisney]

I quite like the Mamiya TLR camera's. I have acquired and
added a Beattie split screen - which dramatically improved the light
from the waist level finder. Added the grip, and with the Voigtlander meter,
I have a fairly functional medium format camera. The nice thing about
Mamiya TLR's, are their bellows, eliminating the need for extension tubes
for close up or macro work. The C220 is smaller, lighter and more nimble than the C330.
Again with interchangeable lenses, bellows - affording macro work. And price -
these are jewels of the TLR line of cameras.

The Voigtlander VC meter II is a big help, as most TLR's (save the newer
Rolleiflex,Yashica 124G, or the Minolta Autocord) do not have meters.
I have never been able to do the sunny 16 rule, or guess.
I need a meter for available light.

This image was meter'ed at f/11 @ 1/30 of a sec with this meter - using
Kodak Portra 160VC and the 80mm Blue Dot Sekor - sharp lens, great film,
great camera, and you can probably get one with lens for around $200-$250 on EBay.
I realize there is a cult around Rolleiflex, much like Leica, but without
interchangeable lenses and bellows,the only Rolleiflex I would consider would be the
Schneider Kreuznach Xenotar 80mm lens on a Rolleiflex 2.8F over a
Mamiya C' series. And price wise ? it's a great deal.

 

[Darkroom317]

My vote would be for a Rolleicord too. I have a V with a Schneider lens.

I have a Va. The Schneider lenses on these cameras are amazing.

 

[avandesande]

I picked a Rolleicord Va on ebay for 50$- the auction had really poor pictures but I took a chance and the camera was great.

 

[Darkroom317]

I picked a Rolleicord Va on ebay for 50$- the auction had really poor pictures but I took a chance and the camera was great.

Lucky, I paid $275 for mine in May. However it came with a lens hood. I saw someone today selling that lens hood for $99. If focus is a problem with a Rollei then you may want to look into Rolleinars.

 

[Larry.Manuel]

Often, Rolleicords are spoken about as the lepers of the camera world. To paraphrase*: the cost of components left out of a design is surprisingly low, and their reliability surprisingly high.

*I cannot recall the source of this. A corollary to Ockham's Razor.