Whats your favorite Rollei shooter?

[goldenimage]

I have 3 and my favorite is my Automat, not sure why, there is just something about it. My mx-evs is probably the solid feeling.

 

[dpurdy]

Hi goldenimage. Who can resist joining a group called Rolleiflex TLR?
I have a 2.8F Whiteface, Xenotar.

 

[Laurent]

I have an MX/EVS, and it's becoming my all times favourite. I didn't try other Rolleis, but the TLR in general makes me happy, and the Rollei feeling is a wonder !

 

[goldenimage]

hey dpurdy it sounds like you have one heck of a kit, wow! I dont shoot my rollei as much as i used too, I shoot alot of large format now, i still use my rollei for portraits and such. laurant i really like my mx-evs also, my automat from 1939 is probably my favorite though even though it does not seem as solid as the mx. my beater rollei is my 1932 standard, it has the 3.8 tessar, it looks like hell but shoots like a dream. shutter is perfect as is the glass. I will post some images taken with it too. thanks for the responses

 

[Slixtiesix]

My first TLR was a Rolleiflex T which I acquired 4 years ago. (You see, I´m in the game for not so long by now ;-) ) I was immediately fascinated by medium format and the SL66 followed the T-model some months later. The T has not seen much use since I have the SL and now the shutterspeeds have slowed down. I will let it be repaired in the future and wish to add an 3,5F or 2,8F some time because in some situations the SL66 is simply too much to carry or too striking.

 

[Andy38]

Hello , I have several Rolleiflex TLR , old and less old : Original , Old Standard , Automat , 2,8D , T , 3,5E (with Xenotar) and 3,5E3 (with Planar) .
Don't tell me it's GAS , I love them all !
I use frequently some of them , only in B&W .
But I prefer 2,8D , because I think it takes the nicest pictures , incredibdly sharp , even when at full aperture .
Sometimes I use an old Original 614 , because lenses are coated and viewfinder is brighter than usually .
T Rolleiflex takes nice pictures , so , but I don't like use this camera : shutter button position is different from others , not in front ; that's stupid but I can't get used with that...

 

[goldenimage]

thanks everyone for joining the group

 

[arealitystudios]

I just bought my first Rollei TLR today!

I picked it up for $80 off of someone from craigslist. It's a 1950's Rolleiflex Automat with a Tessar lens. The leather is beat up plenty, but the shutter speeds seem accurate and the film advances smoothly. I just spent the last hour shooting a test roll through it and I'll develop it tonight to make sure all is well. No matter what I plan on sending it off to get some new leather on the body and a good CLA when funds permit.

For years now I've been using a Mamiya C330 as my main body and this camera seems downright TINY by comparison. It'll be great as a light weight street shooting machine.

 

[dpurdy]

Great find for 80 dollars
In case you don't already know about cameraleather.com....
http://www.cameraleather.com/rolleitlr/

 

[arealitystudios]

oh yes indeed. that is who I plan on going through.

There is a small part of me that wants to turn the camera into a hot rod with blue or red leather, but I'll probably just stick with the classic black.

 

[dpurdy]

I have always been tempted to get a beat up old Rollei so I could put some strange lizard or snake skin on it. Actually I am tempted to take the brown cowhide off my FX and replace it with black lizard skin.
Dennis

 

[analog.eye]

Hi, I've just joined this group. I'm happy to be in with a group that holds cameras like these in high regard. The Rolleiflex was truly the pinnacle of machine age precision.
My trusty TLR camera is a whiteface 2.8F as well. It has a serial number as high as any I've ever seen. It was special ordered in 1979 by a small town photographer, just a few years before his retirement. It then sat on a shelf in his closet until my dad bought it from him during a golf game. He knew I was looking for a late model, and pulled out his checkbook when the oldtimer said he'd have to get at least 500 bucks for it. That was in 2002. It has a very sharp single coated Schneider Xenotar, and a Maxwell viewing screen in it, and I keep a shade on always. I found an old, cracked strap in a second hand store and had a local saddle maker fabricate a strap using reins leather onto which he riveted the original scissors clips.
I'm a professional shooter concentrating on architecture, but the Rollei is for my Art. The business end is all about pixels, but it really has to be now.
I'll post some images soon.
Tim

 

[fatboy22]

I picked my mint 2.8F up in 1991 for $250. It worked flawlessly for almost 18 years. I recently had Harry Fleenor do a CLA and put a Maxwell screen in the camera. All I can say is wow that screen is really easy to focus with and extremely bright, major difference from the old screen.

 

[cblkdog]

Hi everyone, I've got a Rolleiflex T which I've had since high school, around '69 or '70. Other than a cla about 20 years ago, it shoots like a charm. I've got a bunch of 35's and a Mamiya Super 23 but the Rollei is probably my favorite. For years I wanted a prism but when I finally for one it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. Good for weddings but otherwise I stick with the waistlevel.

 

[bighilt]

Hi Everyone
I have a mint Rollei T with a Tessar 3.5 that produces spectacular images. I got in a trade with a dealer in Johannesburg. I returned a Nikon SB 600 speedlight that I bought from him two weeks before and absolutely hated. he gave me the Rollei and 15 rolls of FP4. i think I got the better end of the deal.

 

[mjs]

I always wanted a Rolleiflex but could never afford one until an estate auction a couple of years ago. My one and only Rolleiflex is a New Standard from March, 1939 according to the serial number. The shutter was jammed when I bought it (but I paid very little for it at the auction,) so I sent it out and had it fixed and adjusted. Although my most-used camera is my 4x5, the Rollei is a delightful lightweight, simple to use deal with a magnificent lens! The film advance screws up regularly and so I don't take it out much any more but every once in a while I run a roll of Tri-X or Portra 160 NC through it and figure that maybe half the frames won't be overlapped or completely bypassed. Did I mention that the lens is magnificent?

Mike

 

[Rolleijoe]

I have two as others here do as well. My 1st, which is from 1945 (purchased from the original owner in the '90s) w/Tessar. This was my main Rollei for a number of years, and has quite a history: The original owner was a Signal Corps photog attached to the 101st during the war. Traveled just about everywhere and took hundreds of outstanding images including Berchtesgaden, and of course, The Berghof.

Fortunately for me, he acquired his Rollei straight off the factory floor, trading 2 packs of smokes for it. He used it as his personal camera during his travels in post-war Germany. He still had all of his original negs, and allowed me to print a few, which have remained in my private collection. One image shows The Berghof still smoldering, another taken at the famous Zeppelin field in Nuremberg. There was also one he showed me taken inside the Große Halle looking through the famous gigantic picture window.

He has passed now, so until I locate his surviving family, I doubt there'll be another chance to print more of his fantastic negs.

I used this as my main camera for years, including a trip to Pearl Harbor while living on Maui for 3 years. Decided the history of it was too great to risk, so purchased a 3.5E with Planar, and it is an outstanding piece of kit. It's film advance is stuck at the moment, so have been forced to use the Mamiya M645Pro until I can send it off to Harry Fleenor for an overhaul.

Square is where it's at, and NOBODY does it better than Rolleiflex!

 

[Vaughn]

I learned photography with a MX/EVS. The front got bashed in a bit and now I use a 2.8F as my small camera for fun shots of the kids, when I need the mobility of a roll camera or when I want to do some color work (most of my work is 8x10 B&W). The 2.8F is a fine camera, though the meter went "Ping" and no longer works (probably just the linkage, but a Luna Pro SBC meter lives in the bag with the Rollei now).

I really enjoyed using the MX/EVS, and as my first camera, it is still my favorite -- unfortunately -- nonshooter. I have a Graflex TLR camera as a back-up.

Vaughn

 

[Ektagraphic]

I just got my first Rollei...an MX-EVS....A nice camera indeed!

 

[raulpc]

Hello all
Just joined this group... Lisbon, Portugal, here... a friend just gave me a Rollei Magic II, my first Rollei, and I can't wait to finish the first roll to see how it goes... from the serial number I can see it must have been made around 68... the light meter is still working, I am curious about how acurate it still is... I will let you know...
From what I have seen around, this is not one of the most praised models, and still looking for some information on how to use the exposure rings correctly... if someone can be of help... thank you very much!
Raul

 

[Rolleivic]

My first post here, after years of upgrading our digital equipment at the studio I work at, I snapped. Yes, I bought A nice Rolleicord VB, a Pilot light meter and a bunch of film. I have been happily shooting and printing in my darkroom and have re-discovered the reason I got into this field in the first place.

 

[MJFerron]

I have a VA and a VB. The VB is off for a CLA so the VA is my only shooter. Always have a good time when shooting that camera.

 

[R gould]

Got my Rollei late last year,it is the automat 4, and is my all time favorite camera,the photos it takes just seem to sort of "Glow",Richard

 

[Ektagraphic]

I have the Automat K4B. Awesome machine!

 

[whlogan]

I have over 22 Rolleis now beginning with the original model and ending with the 6008i with 4 lenses. I love 'em all and use 'em all. All of them do work. I do like th Rollei magic models which I got to entice my (digital) wife to come and join the fun. They do still work. One of the II's is having a counteer problem now. My favorite is the Rollei T with a Mutar .7. Works great. They ar all just beyond belief as examples of perfection in mechanical engineering. One can draw a crowd here in Western North Carolina with a Rollei around your neck. People have not seen them for a long time, but they still take the best photographs that can be had. I took a 3 week trip to Monument Valley this Spring with my 4 50ish children and my main shooter was my SL66, which performed perfectly. The results are something to see and can be on my web site. I would be pleased for any and all to have a look. www.loganphotographics.com. It was dusty, windy and cold, even in late May, but the SL66 kept going with the Zeiss 150mm the whole time. Thank God fof my stash of TriX 220!!!and the capable backs of the Rollei!!! Check out the site.
Logan