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OT (Totally) Rolleiflex? Someone stop me doing this again!


terry_rory

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I should be banned from buying photography books.

 

I have just spent an hour or so looking through Lee Miller and Bill

Brandt books and got the old TLR 'itch' again. I have done this 3

times in the last 8 years (Two Rolleicord VB's and a Yashicamat 124G)

 

Each time it was a real blast for a month or two and then I would

find it a bit cumbersome or limiting (or expensive for good D&P etc)

so I would end up selling the thing. For the same money (or more)

than I spent on them which is a good point to TLR ownership.

 

So this time I am thinking along the lines of a proper Rolleifex

TLR in very good shape (2.8f Zeiss Planar) with Maxwell screen or

similar.

 

However, there is no point unless I can find an affordable and good

way of scanning 6x6 (especially B&W) negs. I could have the scans

done at the lab onto CD but would like the option to do my own.

 

Just to get a bit on topic, I blame my new Bessa R3a/Summicron for

my renewed interest in working manually again. (Nice contrast to

using the D70) I blame Miller & Brandt for the TLR lust! They both

did much of their best work with a Rolleiflex as did so many others.

 

I am a fool and believe I should give myself just one more chance

to try and do the same(!) whilst 120 can still be bought easily and

processed for reasonable cost at a good local lab and while good

Rolleiflex prices are quite low.

 

Plus I am a sucker for good quality user 'retro' that can on

occasion blast digital and 35mm into the ditch when done right.

 

Moderator remove if I have gone too OT but I know there a few

closet TLR users around here.

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Insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

 

A TLR is a PATA unless you don`t want close up work or different lenses. Then you are talking Hassy. You can do anything you want with a Hassy if you have the money. And the back to carry it. These two don`t normally come are the same stage of life so you are still out of luck.

 

Can I recommend Delta 100 or T max 100 in full strength D76 for 6.5 min. Delta agitation is 10 sec per min and t-max is 5 sec twice per min. Forty years of chasing the holy grain of film developer has come down to this. Save yourself a lot of work. The 2 1/4 fever will disappear for good.

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When I get an itch like this, I usually wait a couple of weeks or months, depending on what it is and how much it costs. After that time has elapsed, I take the idea up again. If I still think it is a good idea, I take to plunge, otherwise it is easy to pass. This way I seldom end up with stupid things I do not need, though it happens, and I still buy a lot of stuff...

 

Try it, wait two months and see what you think then.

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Trevor, you are not alone! I have a fifty year old Rolleiflex TLR sitting on the shelf which I

enjoy using several times a year. I even partially flip down the top viewfinder so that I can

shoot in the pseudo-rangefinder style. It has a great lens. I grab a few rolls of Iford and

have a good time. I may have some of my 6 by 6 negatives scanned by the lab. I don't

have enough to justify a new scanner.

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Trevor,

 

I'm a (not so closet) Rollei fan. I bought an old MX-EVS with Tessar 75 3.5 around 20 years ago for around $75. Had it CLA'ed several times but otherwise its served me well. I don't shoot a lot of colour film due to the cost, but I shoot lots of HP5+ and FP4 and develop it myself in either Sprint developer or HC-110. HC-110 lasts a long time and I use it as a one shot, so it ends up not costing me much. For a scanner I've been using a crappy Epson 3170 which I got dirt cheap. Its not the greatest for 35mm negs (although it seems to work okay for the web), but for 2 1/4, it is just fine, and I can certainly print nice 8 inch by 8 inch prints with a little bit of work. And there really isn't anything that looks as nice as one of those big negs shot through Zeiss glass (well, maybe Leica glass!!!!)

 

Sounds like you've always been able to sell your Rolleis for the same or more as you bought them for (if I read correctly), so it sounds like a no brainer to me, as long as that is what you want to do. If you find it isn't really what you wanted, just sell it for the same or more (or you could sell it for less to me).

 

I know you asked us to talk you out of it...so I apologize if I'm pushing you in the wrong direction, but then why would you post that question if you didn't really want us to tell you that its okay!

 

Happy shooting with your Rollei...you know you want it!

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<i><<a href="http://4020.net/">4020.net</a>></i><p>

 

With good quality flat-top scanners available cheaply now (eg Epson 4870), it's very easy

to get into MF if you want to scan your own images.<p>

 

You'll have your work cut out for you though if you want to buy the Rolleiflex you say you

do. Think $US 1400 plus $hundreds more for a proper CLA. Also, from personal

experience I will never by a Rollei online/mail-order again. Got dudded twice, from

supposedly reputable dealers too.<p>

 

So if you do go down the Rollei route, make sure you have a chance to personally inspect

the camera. And bring your money with you... :?)<p>

 

In November of last year I instead bought a Hasselblad 501c/m from KEH. A bit on the

expensive side, but I don't regret it. With a bit of modification I can use it for outdoor

candid stills work and of course the 6x6 neg blows away anything I ever did with the

Leicas.<p>

 

I now mainly use the Leicas for indoor work (or my commercial VR work). The outdoor

stuff is now all Hasselblad and Kodak Portra 160VC. Lovin' every minute of it :?)

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The Rolleiflex is a different beast from the Rolleicord but getting a really nice 2.8F that works properly isn't very easy. I know, I have been trying to replace a 3.5F type 5 that I sold ten years ago, and have basically given up looking after three years of trying.

 

I currently use an Automat type 4 in well used condition. I find it difficult to differentiate between images from this and the very nice 3.5F I used to own.

 

Lee Miller and Bill Brandt used Automats. Why not go for one of these? The optics are great and it is much cheaper to get a nice one.

A really nice 2.8F will still cost aprox ?600 in the UK and will need a service.

 

I use a simple Epson flatbed for 6x6- easily good enough for the web. I do the prints optically and they surpass anything I can do on any 35mm gear- you can see this as soon as the image starts to develop on the paper- it is remarkable.

 

Check out Robert Doisneau's work too (you probably have already)- he?s my favorite. He used a Rolleiflex Automat for most of his very famous images.

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Trevor,

 

I bought a 3.5E3 (Xenotar) recently for B&W, using my M5 for colour.

 

Based on my research, there is little point in getting a 2.8 - the 3.5 is said to be at least as good if not better. Don't get hung up on a Planar - the Xenotar is just as good and usually cheaper. A Maxwell would be nice - my TLR has the original screen and it is a bit dim but I can live with it. It is probably not worth getting a TLR with built-in meter since it is unlikely that it will be accurate after so many years. I'm thinking seriously of getting a true spot meter.

 

Can't advise on scanning since I am a Luddite (why else would I buy a cumbersome Rolleiflex?).

 

Have you read Barry Thornton's Edge of Darkness? A revelation. His developers are now sold by Peter Hogan in the UK(www.monochromephotography.com) who also sells his own, similar developers. Thornton also wrote a book (Elements of Transition) on optimising B&W development for digital printing (available from the same source).

 

Good luck.

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Trevor,

 

The Rolleiflex gestalt complements the Leica gestalt nicely, so I'd say go for it :-).

 

I've had several Rollei's for 7 or 8 years, and at least back then getting a clean 2.8F was no great challenge. It may be that the auction site has has changed that or that most of those that were gathering dust in closets have already found new homes. But I think if you look long enough you'll find a good one.

 

FWIW, I'm using mine more now that it is fitted with one of the 45 degree eye level prisms adapted from the Kiev. I realize that strictly speaking this might be a violation of the Rollei gestalt, but what the heck. The Maxwell screen is also a worthwhile upgrade, IMHO.

 

As others have commented, the new Epson flatbeds do a very reasonable job with medium format.

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I say get a TLR. I think a 2.8F or similar camera would fit nicely in your bag with the bessa. As you already have experience with TLRs, you know the quietness will also let you shoot discreetly in the 'leica' style. Process the film in your bathroom, and when you get a pic you really like have it printed by a pro. I scan my 6X6 negs with an epson 3170 that I think was around $140. Not very high quality but I mainly just use the scanner rather than making contact sheetsfrom each roll. Or just for posting here. Since I never scan to print this works OK for me. I have a Hassy outfit already, but still would like a TLR for the smaller size, lighter weight and quietness. Here's an example of a pic I scanned recently with the 3170.<div>00B3In-21752784.jpg.6c776e354ac2b2e3f38b0e618cdd077d.jpg</div>
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Trevor: It sounds like you need/want a Rollei in your life, even though you may use it only occasionally. You have your sights on nice one this time. If you get it, I think you should hang on to it this time. It's OK to have something you don't use all the time.<div>00B3K6-21753284.jpg.72a1bd84e456caa70b4ee1e2983c028a.jpg</div>
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Trevor,<p>I went the MF route with a Zeiss Ikoflex TLR and a Zeiss Super Ikonta B with coated lens. I know you're not asking about these, but I found the TLR to be too delicate, and the left-right reversal was a bit much to get used to for fast shooting. I had both cameras CLA'd and made money on them when I sold them BY ORDER OF THE SUPREME BOSS! She got fed up with my "camera worshipping", so she decreed that all these MF things had to go.<p>Anyway, the one that I really, really do miss is the Zeiss Super Ikonta B. Darn, it was fast, it was a rangefinder, and it was really, really, really sharp! When folded, it fit very nicely into an overcoat pocket. Gosh, how I do miss that little beauty. Anyway, since you've demonstrated that TLRs and you don't always get along, why not consider a rangefinder MF camera such as the Zeiss SIB?
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" scan my 6X6 negs with an epson 3170 that I think was around $140. Not very high quality but "<br><br>

 

You know, I always thought my 3170 was just passable as a 35mm scanner until I started shooting Neopan 100 Acros. <br><br>

 

<center>

<img src="http://www.1point4photography.com/images/00710002.jpg"><br>

<i>hexar af, neopan 100 Acros @ 200, diafine</i> | <a href="http://www.1pt4.com" target="_blank">www.1pt4.com</a>

</center>

<br>

<br>

Now I think it's pretty damn good. I'm kinda of curious how well it will do with 6x6. So get that TLR and a 3170 and do my research for me. Please? Don't make go find a bargain TLR of my own.

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Matt,

If you like your 3170 for 35mm, you'll love it for 6x6. I've made a 12x12 enlargement from Epson 3170 scan from a 2.8C Xenotar Rolleiflex for friends (a hosipital room scene a few hours after the birth of their baby girl). The prints came out lovely, I wouldn't hesitate to use that scanner for a 12x12 enlargement. Don't know how much larger it would go, however.

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The Rolleiflex 2.8F is a superb instrument - I have one, with the Planar, virtually as new, and build-wise it is as close to a MF Leica as you'll get. I fitted a Beattie screen as it was reputedly more contrasty than the Maxwell - and it transformed it. I use an Epson flatbed with decent results. Download the Vuescan software, which is worth the money. Here's a little drooly picture of the Rollei...<div>00B3Ls-21753684.jpg.38bf4adfa6cec7664c366f7ece4cdaaa.jpg</div>
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For amateurs who have some extra money to spend, purchasing cameras based on photographs/books by masters instead of their needs or photographic skills is a dangeous disease (not only "itch"). Having a camera that masters use doesn't mean you can be a master.
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S.Lui. Thanks for the tip. I know the Rollei won't make me a master.

 

My phrase "to try and do the same" meant "to try to achieve some of my best efforts" rather than actually BE like Bill Brandt just because I use the same camera.

 

Oh, and I forgot another great photographer (and Rolleiflex user). Edward Chambre Hardman.

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Case study:

<p>

If you can read Chinese, on <a href="http://www.xitek.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=255784">this web site</a>, this poor guy heard about the great Rolleiflex is great camera and bought <b>eightRolleiflex at once </b>, although he even didn't know what 120 film is.

<p>

And he also has PENTAX67,PENTAX645,CONTAX645,HASSELBALD50OCM,501CM.ROLLEI6008,ROLLEIFLEX,BRONICA645,MAMIYA7 II,FUJI GW69,GA645,PENTACON 6,KEIV88,GRAPHIC45, LINHOF45,TOYO810.135 ...

<p>

Have a nice dream ;-)

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