Who else here travels with their Rolleiflex?

Shootar401 · Sep 18, 2016

I recently came back from 10 days in Europe and I only say one person who was carrying a TLR besides me. Most people were carrying Digitals with a few film SLRs and Leicas thrown in the mix. I know I'm not the only one here who carries a Rolleiflex (or any other TLR) on vacation. I'd like to hear what you bring and why. Only a few times have I ever wanted a wider focal length than the 80mm has given me, but for some reason it all works out.

This is what I usually carry with me:

- Rolleiflex 2.8D
- Rollei filter case that includes: Red, Green, Yellow, UV, Softar 1, Pol, Rolleinar 1 & 3, Hood
- Sekonic light meter
- Gitzo Mountaineer 0 with Rollei quick release
- Film: Always Portra 400, my main film, backed up by Velvia and HP5, sometimes Acros.

Thats it, pretty basic and aside from the small accessories like cable release, lens cleaner etc. This is all I take on vacation. I seldom use the tripod, but it does come in handy. I didn't use it at all this last trip, but used it over half the time in Iceland so I take it even if I know I'm not going to need it.

Helinophoto · Sep 18, 2016

Took the old, beaten up Rolleiflex Automat of mine to Moscow a few years ago.
- Taped up the logo with black tape though, to make it look a little more "Lubitel'ish"

I have a 2.8F, but since it is so expensive, and also has been added a great deal of cost to (new focus-screen, cla at H. Fleenor, a complete filter set + Rolleinars), I usually just take that out on daytrips in-country.

Roger Thoms · Sep 18, 2016

I have been flying with my Rolleiflex lately, got the attention of airport security one time. The person who searched my bag thought it was a really cool camera. My setup is pretty simple. Rolleiflex with a 75mm Tessar, Gossen Luna Pro SBC light meter, cable release, sometimes a Bogen 3001 tripod and Slik ball head. Plus I have a Rollei 35S in the camera bag. Film is usually Portra and Tmax.

Roger

Frank53 · Sep 18, 2016

Depending on where I go, since the early 70's I travel a lot with my 3.5F, now accompanied by a Veriwide 100 for when wide angle is needed.
My other travel set is a Hasselblad with lenses and backs, but during my last trip I decided this is getting too heavy for me and this changing of lenses and backs is killing my creativity, so I got a Fuji GA645zi as my alternative travel camera.
Regards,
Frank

BrianShaw · Sep 18, 2016

Rolleicord Vb, lens hood, yellow filter, Manfrotto monopod with Rolleifix, and a bag of Portra 160 and FP-4. And the only thing attracting attention for me seems to be the monopod.

Edit: and a Weston III or LunaPro meter.

dpurdy · Sep 18, 2016

Definitely my travel camera, either 2.8F or FX. I have taken both individually on trips to mexico and the F to Jamaica. To the coast or mountains or Canada or several times to the midwest. It is for me the perfect travel camera with a lowepro case that has a pocket for airline stuff and passport and room for 8 rolls of film, pentax spot meter, filter case with filters and rolleinars. I generally take along my bogen tripod with gitzo ball head. The case full of stuff is light on my shoulder and I can walk all day with it and it fits under the seat in front of me for flying.
Dennis

Vaughn · Sep 18, 2016

I also have a Rolleicord -- just got back from a trip to the eastside of the the Sierras with it. Unfortunately the frame counter has gone haywire -- I had to guess how far I have wound it for the next shot.

I normally carry it with a SBC Luna Pro, a couple of cable releases and a lens hood. I'll have to send my Rolleicord 2.8 off for repair, now that the Rolleicord is acting up. (The cord is a lot lighter!) I also tend to toss the Rollei in with my 8x10 when I travel.

I use an old small Gitzo and ballhead for the Rolleis. With the waist-level finder, not much need for a tall pod! A couple images from a backpack trip awhile back (platinum/palladium prints).

Paul Howell · Sep 18, 2016

Not recently, but when I carry a MF camera it is a Yashica 124 or D, lens hood, I use silicon sealant to attach a S VI hood so I can use a lens hood and a 2 filters, small flash, and Weston Master V meter. Light weight, works well with a monopod, not as versatile my Kowa or Mamiya press, but for travel when I don't have a car it is either the Yahsica or original Mamiya 6.

R.Gould · Sep 18, 2016

I take one of 4 cameras when on my travels, either my microcord, Rolleiflex Automat or Rolleicord IIIa 2, or, depending what I am planning, I might take my Werramatic and lenses, but for 90% it is one of my 3 Tlr's

piu58 · Sep 18, 2016

> got the attention of airport security one time.
Same thing for me. I often have my 3,5F as my only camera when traveling. The meter of my Flex is still working, so all I need ist a hood and film.

Theo Sulphate · Sep 18, 2016

Vaughn said:
... A couple images from a backpack trip awhile back (platinum/palladium prints).

I really like that shadow self-portrait - it's a thoughtful image.

Pioneer · Sep 18, 2016

If I do travel with a medium format camera, and I have many times, it is almost always the Agfa Super Isolette with that great little Solinar lens.

mooseontheloose · Sep 18, 2016

Although I have a Rolleiflex, I almost always travel with my Minolta Autocord. It's the first TLR I ever bought, and honestly, after buying and using at least 10 other brands and models, it still remains my favourite. I did semi-retire it for 5 or 6 years as I thought the lens selections and multiple backs of my Bronica SQAi would cover me for all lens and film situations, but the weight and space it took meant that I kept paring it back until I was basically left with the 80mm and just one or two backs. As the TLR is much lighter and more compact, I've gone back to using that. I also always pack my Gossen LunaPro light meter as well.

I've bought many Bay 1 filters over the years, but I keep losing them, so I just use my regular 52mm filters with a Bay 1 adapter, since I also always travel with my Nikon FE with a couple of wide angles, to make up for situations when I just can't back up anymore with the Autocord. And although I keep meaning to buy a better tripod, my Slik tripod has been with me all over the world so I'll probably stick with it for a while longer.

Pioneer · Sep 18, 2016

mooseontheloose said:
...although I keep meaning to buy a better tripod, my Slik tripod has been with me all over the world so I'll probably stick with it for a while longer.

Those little Slik tripods are great values. Though quite light as a rule they are pretty sturdy and hold up a Rolleiflex quite well.

etn · Sep 19, 2016

I used to take my Rolleiflex FX wherever I went in the last >10 years, when I didn't own any other camera. Great, versatile, relatively lightweight device.
The built-in light meter makes it even easier to use and carry compared to older Rollies or other non-metered cameras.
However, over the last years I acquired a Hassy kit (including an SWC) to complement the Rollie with different focal lengths.
As an experiment I took only the SWC for a few week-end trips this summer. I do not want to start an SWC vs Rolleiflex debate (apples to oranges in my opinion),
but I was amazed at how much the SWC is a very viable "one-and-only" camera, as the Rolleiflex is for that matter.
For dedicated photo trips I now take the Hasselblad with 60, 100, 180 (and the SWC if I feel like carrying even more weight).
Very far away from my original "travel with Rolleiflex only" philosophy! I still travel with my Rollei on some trips, though.
But before each trip I have the big problem of having to chose the camera for the trip. Too much gear is fun but comes with its own set of problems.

As for film and accessories:
TriX, Velvia 50 or (more rarely) Portra 400 / Ektar
UV filter (to protect the lens!), or orange filter if shooting BW
Flexible lens hood
Built-in light meter
No other accessories

TheFlyingCamera · Sep 19, 2016

A 2.8E, and a Tele. If I could find a Wide I could afford, I'd probably bring that instead of the Tele, since I have Rolleinars for the 2.8E. But if I need to go light, just the 2.8E. I'd rather haul around more film than an extra camera, since 120 is hard to find on the road these days. I took my 2.8E with me to Paris a couple years ago as the only camera, and it was a real learning experience - I was able to get so many images with that camera, and the simplicity of one lens, one camera, one film format made making good images easier because I wasn't always hunting back and forth and thinking "what if?". I just had to see through the lens of the camera I had. I did essentially the same thing on my more recent Italy trip, although I did bring the Lomo Belair because I knew I wanted to make panoramic images of certain things and places (like the Colosseum). At least I confined my variation to a single film format (120).

hashtagquack · Sep 19, 2016

2.8E, always the first camera in the bag along with whatever else is the flavor of the month. Inevitably it's the Rollei that gets the most keepers.

Every time I travel I find myself saying: "just the Rollei next time". Never happens

frank · Sep 19, 2016

I'm going to try a Rolleiflex and an SWC as a travel kit. Hopefully not too heavy since travel will not involve backpacking for me.

DWThomas · Sep 19, 2016

If I had a Rolleiflex I would travel with it! Being retired and frugal, I've been settling for my Yashica 124G, but to me there's no question that a TLR can be a useful travel camera. There's a few shots scattered through my APUG galleries taken with the 124G. (I was glad to see TheFlyingCamera chime in, as he has posted some very fine shots here done with his.)

pthornto · Sep 19, 2016

The Rollei, or most any other TLR is a great medium format machine for travel. I bring a light meter and a yellow filter/hood and am set! I find it pretty compact and lightweight for what it delivers in negative size and it is amazing how well it does for a variety of subject matter...I've taken mine on road trips and on flights with the family and it does a good job with a lot of landscape and scenic photos and is especially great for candids of people.

TLR way of doing things is a switch for anyone who has done most of their photography with a 35mm SLR, but after getting used to the left-right switch of the WL finder I find working with it remarkably fast (important for a lot of people photos).

TheFlyingCamera · Sep 19, 2016

DWThomas said:
If I had a Rolleiflex I would travel with it! Being retired and frugal, I've been settling for my Yashica 124G, but to me there's no question that a TLR can be a useful travel camera. There's a few shots scattered through my APUG galleries taken with the 124G. (I was glad to see TheFlyingCamera chime in, as he has posted some very fine shots here done with his.)

To me, the Rollei is just about the perfect travel camera. Nice big negatives that are easy to print (or scan), all-mechanical so no batteries to worry about, and ergonomics that are very conducive to quiet, discreet street work. I remember when I was deciding about what camera to take with me to France, and going back and forth between the Contax G2 with its multiple lenses and the Rollei, I asked a question about finding the one lens limiting, here on APUG. Someone (I forget who, but I owe them a tremendous debt!) posted some images made by an English woman photographer who used a Rollei exclusively. After seeing her work, I decided that taking the Rollei was a no-brainer. So it hit the road with me and I've not regretted it for a second.

As far as other gear:

while I do bring a meter with me (usually a Sekonic 408 which has incident, reflected and spot metering capability), when shooting travel photography, almost all your shots will be Sunny 16. I break out the meter when I'm working in say the confines of a narrow Italian street where there's extreme contrast, or on heavy overcast days, or for building interiors. Shooting inside museums is really challenging because your eyes adjust and the light levels in the Louvre, for example, are different than in the Uffizi, and the prints and drawings rooms will be lit differently than the sculpture galleries. That's when a hand-held meter comes in handy.
Lens hoods are an absolute must for any Rollei other than the newest FX models (and maybe the GX, which had more modern multi-coated glass).
Rolleinar 1 and Rolleinar 2 - the close-up capability of the Rolleinars is vital, I think, when traveling. Being able to get in tight for a detail of a building or a flower makes a big difference.
Tripod with a ball head, and a Rolleifix quick-release plate. The Rolleifix is essential for putting your Rollei on and off a tripod. It is too easy to bend the door if you attach the camera directly via the tripod socket. And it makes it hard to open and close the door to change film. Get a Rolleifix and mount it to your tripod. You'll be glad you did!

BAC1967 · Sep 19, 2016

I have traveled a bit with my Rolleiflex Automat K4A but it depends on the type of traveling I'm doing. Sometimes I'll take a 35mm camera just to be a bit more compact or to allow for more lens options. The Rolleiflex is my favorite camera though. In the last few years I've taken it to the South Pacific Island of Saipan:

Managaha Pier by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

The Nevada Desert:

Diamond Valley Wind Mill by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Alaska:

Anchorage Beach by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

And the Palouse:

Hillside building by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

piu58 · Sep 19, 2016

With a TLR the most important thing is to find a optimal taking position. That is what we give up using zoom lenses, and what we give up partially with lens changing.

macfred · Sep 19, 2016

BAC1967 said:
I have traveled a bit with my Rolleiflex Automat K4A but it depends on the type of traveling I'm doing. Sometimes I'll take a 35mm camera just to be a bit more compact or to allow for more lens options. The Rolleiflex is my favorite camera though. In the last few years I've taken it to the South Pacific Island of Saipan:

Managaha Pier by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

The Nevada Desert:

Diamond Valley Wind Mill by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Alaska:

Anchorage Beach by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

And the Palouse:

Hillside building by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

---

Bryan, those photographs are beautiful - the pier and the wind mill are my favourites !!

OptiKen · Sep 19, 2016

Alas, no Rolliflex but I often go out with a TLR. Mostly, I'm using my C330 but on occasion I use my Autoflex or Flexaret or...or...or...depends upon my mood, mostly.
I admit, the TLRs get the most attention when I take them out.

Who else here travels with their Rolleiflex?

Shootar401

Helinophoto

Roger Thoms

Frank53

BrianShaw

dpurdy

Vaughn

Attachments

Paul Howell

R.Gould

piu58

Theo Sulphate

Pioneer

mooseontheloose

Pioneer

etn

TheFlyingCamera

Membership Council

hashtagquack

frank

DWThomas

pthornto

TheFlyingCamera

Membership Council

BAC1967

piu58

macfred

OptiKen

Who else here travels with their Rolleiflex?

Attachments

Membership Council

Membership Council

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency