Shots with the Ricohflex

<p>A while ago I bought a Ricohflex at a car boot sale. It's a bit of a mixed bag, focussing is easy via levers either side of the lens board, the viewing screen is nice and bright, and the body has good internal baffling. But the shutter cocking is manual with no interlock, and the winding mechanism seems a little Heath Robinson although it works well enough.</p><div></div>

<p>This little bridge is in the middle of a field near my home.</p><div></div>

<p>This building is called the Guildhall, it was once Leicester's town hall.</p><div></div>

<p>Sunlight coming through the windows of the Guildhall.</p><div></div>

<p>Last one - workmen at the Town Hall Square fountain.<br>

I love work - I can sit watching it for hours. Thanks for looking.</p><div></div>

<p>Whatever the mechanical <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=idiosyncrasies" >idiosyncrasies</a> are of that camera it has a really brilliant lens! Nice contrast and acutance.The bridge photo looks great. You'll have to fill us yanks in on " Heath Robinson".</p>

<p>Very nice shots; the lens seems to be quite sharp too while raising very good tones. Regards,sp.</p>

<p>Ah! I wasn't thinking. Two nations divided by a common language again.<br />There was an artist called Heath Robinson in the 1900's to 1930's who drew pictures of really complicated imaginary machines. Since then any kind of rather dodgy or improvised contraption has been referred to as "Heath Robinson" at least here in the UK. For example one of the codebreaking machines at Bletchley Park in the Second World War was called Heath Robinson.<br>

The Ricoh winding mechanism does have the air of being "tacked on" and a roll of scrap film was needed to learn how to use it.<br />I don't know whether the lens is a triplet or Tessar type but sharpness is certainly not a problem.</p>

<p>That is a very nice looking camera you got there. One of these days I would like to a TLR for myself (and a Bronica ETRSi, a Spotmatic w 50mm f/1.4 etc etc).<br>

Looking at the pictures, the lens seems to be clean and good, and with excellent sharpness. I really like the "Sunlight" shot. Which film was used for this?</p>

<p>Thanks for the clarification on "Heath Robinson". We had a similar fellow here in the states by the name of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg">"Rube Goldberg".</a> That image of the workman is fantastic! The fountain really sets off the figure. I bet that lens is a Tessar clone, and a good one at that. I'm a fan of Triplets, but none are as sharp as this. Great post on an obscure camera and English folk hero.</p>

Heath Robinson must be Rube Goldberg's cousin.

<p>Excellent lens and well worth using , I had to look up this Heath fellow here is a sketch.</p><div></div>

<p>Fantastic sharpness. Congrats on finding a Ricohflex in such good condition.</p>

<p>Ricohflexes are fine cameras and their lenses starting with these series are believed to tessar clones. I have a similar TLR which together with this one belong to the generation right before the Diacord series.</p>

<p>Another beautiful Twin and photos! Thanks for the post...</p>

<p>Very nice pics and specimen, John. That Ricohflex is more handsome than my Model VI - a rather Spartan affair resembling a piggy-bank you used to get when you opened up an Christmas Club account at the local Savings & Loan. Mine is hopelessly stuck focus-wise, but takes a decent shot at f/11 and has the 35mm insert.<br>

I'd love to see some more local shots around town. Thanks for the post!</p>

<p>Really nice set of pictures you have here, these Japanese TLR's do a really good job for the price that they sold for. Yours looks to be in really nice condition too, definitely a keeper!</p>

<p>Makes me want to go out and get one of these things.<br>

Very sharp.<br>

must have had 'er stopped down pretty good<br>

for the DOF as show.<br>

Thanks for sharing the pics.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Superb shots!..really nice compostion and subject matter. Ricohs are often underrated, but in the hands of the right photographer, can turn out exquisite results..<br>

Well done!..keep up the good work!</p>

<p>Very nice....lovely tonalities. I'd like to think there's a certain Tessar-esque look you can detect there, although this might be my imagination.</p>

<p>Thanks for the comments, the film was TMax TMY. I can't remember the speed but it was a very bright day so the aperture was probably f16. I use an oldish Epson Perfection 2450 scanner at 2400dpi, set levels in Photoshop, then resize the images to 700 pixels wide. I also apply a very low unsharp mask (something like 60% strength, 0.6 radius) after resizing, obviously there is no chance of reproducing the full detail in a 6x6 negative at 700 pixels.<br>

I've just abour run out of TLR's to use...</p>

<p>That lens is the equal of any Tessar. Very nice. You seem to have one of the more rare Ricohflex models because yours has higher shutter speeds than the usual garden variety camera. It's a keeper for sure.</p>

<p>You just gave a sterling demonstration of why, in the good old film days, photography students would have been better served by learning and beginning their B&W work with a 2-1/4 TLR. Yet, school after school, they start with 35mm b&w, which is actually much harder to master.</p>

<p>Your Ricohflex appears to be a model called a "New Dia" dating from 1955. It was one of the first of the Ricoh TLRs with a cast body as opposed to the stamped metal "Super Ricohflex" type.<br>

The year before your camera was made, Ricoh introduced a camera named the "Million" because that's how many of that style of TLR they had sold!<br>

At one point in the 1950s half the cameras sold in Japan were Ricohs.</p>

<p>Beautiful!</p>

<p>And by the picture it looks like the glass is in great condition. Congrats on a great find.</p>