Rolleiflex featured on Masterpiece

If you get a chance to see "The Collection on Masterpiece" on PBS(in the US) it shows a young fashion photographer in Paris named Billy who uses a post war Rolleiflex...it is actually featured a lot and Billy, for the most part actually uses it properly. It does not reverse the image for the TV viewer but otherise it is accurate, although he does shoot, wind, and shoot again at a pretty fast clip. A few times they even show him changing the film. It's not often photographers depicted in film or television use vintage equipment properly.

He doesn't wind the crank properly, turning it in a circle, like a Hasselblad, rather than a back and forth motion. Also the groundglass shown has a diagonal split image rangefinder. Rolleis didn't get a central RF until the eafrly '60s, and it was split horizontally, rather that diagonally. Also, the photographer uses some strange darkroom techniques. ThAt being said, the series is pretty good.

Good eye Robert. Forgot about the backward stroke to cock. Haven't touched my old Rolleiflex in several years ...using my Rolleicord mostly for medium format. As for darkroom techniques I can't think of any TV or movie that addressed that properly.

I didn't see the show, but if he was spinning the crank in full turns, the camera wasn't loaded with film.

 

Admittedly I wouldn't expect a "live" camera for a TV series. Still, the reverse turn is necessary if you want the camera to go "click" since cocks the shutter.