New Rolleiflex 2.8 Xenotar owner.

<p>Any advice or tips on this beautiful Rollei much appreciated, I've just bought one and can't wait to run some film through it.<br>

John.</p>

<p>Which 2.8 model? The Xenotar is a really great lens. No slouch, doesn't take a back seat to the Planar in performance at all. The best thing to do is go out and use your camera. Advice would be to get a lens shade and maybe a #2 Rolleinar.</p>

<p>Dennis</p>

<p>Congratulations. My most used camera, by far, is the Rolleiflex 2.8E (Xenotar), that I bought used in the early '60s.</p>

Lens shade, yes. Fotodiox sells a nice metal one if you can't find a decent price on a Rollei one.

 

Be gentle cleaning it. Xenotars are known for softer coatings.... well, many lenses from that time period are known for that.

 

The Xenotar on my 2.8C can render things far better than I can see, it seems.

<p>Dan Daniel, l wonder if you could link a document about the soft Xenotar coating. I can't find anything. </p>

<p>Actually I heard it the other way, that the yellowish coating of the Planar is softer than the blueish coating of the Xenotar. <br>

I have owned several Rolleis in my quest for the best. In order of my owning them, a T with tessar, two 3.5Fs with xentoar, a 2.8 E2 with Xenotar, a 2.8F Planar, another 2.8F Planar, a 3.5F Planar, a 2.8F Xenotar and a 2.8FX HFT coated Planar. I still have the last two. The only coating problem I had was with the first 2.8F planar. It had a mark on the front element. I have cleaned the lenses on all these cameras the same, soft cloth, cleaning fluid, q tips. I didn't clean the coating off any of the lenses or even scratch them. So I am going to conclude that the soft coating of the Xenotar as you claim is false. And as I said, I first heard that said about the planar.<br>

Dennis</p>

<p>To prevent damage from excess force when mounting/dismounting from a tripod, get a Rolleifix. Parts for the earlier cameras are becoming scarce.</p>

<p>I second the recommendation for a Rolleifix, if you intend to use a tripod. As to the "softness" of the Schneider lens coating, my Rollei did indeed have a mark in the coating when I bought it used 50 years ago. This never had any effect on my photographs and the lens hasn't picked up any more marks in the last half century.</p>

I just started using mine (got it on eBay a few years ago) and the Rolleifix is great. I would be nervous about attaching directly to the

tripod without it, for fear of bending the metal body. The Rolleifix is well designed and solid. You can get them on eBay- keep watching

there is a wide range of prices so you don't have to go for the first one you see. I would also recommend a cable to trigger the shutter.

If you get the pistol grip you can disassemble it (there are screws) and use the Rolleifix from that, as well.

My advice is to shoot it as much as possible. I generally shoot 35mm Leica gear, but the latest and greatest which

Leica makes simply doesn't come close to what a Rolleiflex does. I simply love the negatives and prints I get from my

Rollei. If I could carry it as easily or unobtrusively as a Leica, I would use my Rollei even more.