Dilemma: buy camera or sell film?

[john_graham3]

Here's my situation. I sold all of my medium-format (Hasselblad)last

year, and kept one lonely Rolleiflex 2.8F Xenotar for sentimental

reasons, and to shoot some home-developed B&W now and then. Last

night I went through the deepfreeze and to my shock, counted 70 rolls

of 120 film I hadn't remembered I had. Most of it is Portra 160VC and

400NC with a little 400VC, UC and 800 and a few rolls of TCN400. All

of it expired anywhere from 2001 to 2005 but as I said, it's been

deep-frozen since the day I got it home. I was first thinking to cut

my losses and just offer it on ebay but probably nobody will believe

it's been frozen and I'll be lucky to get 50 cents a roll, so for $35

it isn't worth the time of going to the PO to send it. If I shoot it,

it'll cost me about $7/roll just to get the negs ($490 for all the

film). Then I can scan it but all I have is an Epson 4990 so I'm

wondering if the results will be even as good as a Canon 20D let alone

my 1DS-II. Another thing is the Rollei obviously has only the one

lens, and I'd like to do some landscapes and would rather a WA. So I

thought about getting a cheap used MF camera and a 28 or

35mm-equivalent lens, then sell it once the film is shot. What say

you? And if I do the latter, what would be my best bet to buy? I was

thinking of a Fuji 6x9 rangefinder with the 65 or 90mm (I really don't

want a 645, it's just not enough bigger than 35 given the scanner)but

I understand that parts and service is no longer available for them.

[bueh]

I had a hard time scanning the various portrait films with a Canoscan 9950F (very similar to your Epson). The colors never did look right and I am not digital post-processing whizz enough to correct this with image editing software. So like you have lots of portrait films in the freezer, but almost shoot none of it, prefering slide, cross-processed slide or black-n-white film.

 

 

then I shoot

[stephen hazelton]

I wouldn't buy a camera just to use up expired film. If you're happy with the digital set-up, just unload the film in whatever way seems good and go from there.

[jeff_drew4]

A compromise suggestion: shoot all the film; send it to a good lab to process negs and hi-res scan to media. You get fine digital ready files and the negs as "backups." It'll cost more but you'll be compensated by recovering your film investment and no labor on the scans. It also sounds like you are missing all the pluses that rollfilm offers! If you bought back into rollfilm you could add a digital back . . . but I prefer film & 'Blad/Pentax/Rollei!

[brian_walton]

John I'm a noted soul for helping people who have a dilemma. Send the film to me and look forward to sound sleep in the future.

 

Brian

[cpj]

John,

 

I'll bet you have a job in the corporate world some place. Ask the guy who runs the

company or who owns the company. He may not know anything about film, but I'll tell you

one thing--he doesn't hesitate to make a decision and then live with it. Remember,

whatever the consequences, the Earth will still continue to revolve around the sun for AT

LEAST another million years. And after that, you'll have forgotten all about what you did

with that film.

 

Ooops, I think we're back to square one. You already had forgotten about this film in the

deep freeze in the first place and that's how you got yourself into this dilemma. Tell you

what, just put it back in the freezer and in a few weeks you'll forget about it all over again

and the problem will be solved without any cash outlay or mental stress!

[john_graham3]

Your mamas were just being kind when they told you two you were witty and clever boys.

[john_graham3]

As I'm looking at used MF cameras, it suddenly struck me that Bronica, Mamiya, Contax and Fuji are out of the MF biz, so that leaves Hasselblad and Pentax as the two last major players standing. At least, officially they're standing. Are they really still in production, and is anyone actually buying them new anymore?

[bueh]

John, I don't think you need to buy a camera new if you just want to shoot your 70 rolls of film and then abandon "analog" photography forever. So in your case I wouldn't worry which manufaturer is still in business. And Mamiya seems to undergo some kind of tranformation, but is hardly gone and forgotten.

[aaron_lind]

Wow, thats alot of film.

 

I would give it away and get a tax credit or something. Surely you can figure each roll to be

worth more than 50 cents that way. Also, your not cutting your losses buying another

camera and spending that money plus the money to develop it and get a scanner.

 

But

 

If you do get another camera i'd get a 6x9. Then you'd use up your film faster. Preferably a

6x9 that holds its value well when you finally go through all that film and have to sell

another camera.

[erik scanhancer]

"...that leaves Hasselblad and Pentax as the two last major players standing. At least,

officially they're standing. Are they really still in production, and is anyone actually buying

them new anymore?"

 

Franke & Heidecke, maker of the Rolleiflex MF (TLR's and SLR's) cameras produces and

sells some 2000 cameras and 1500 projectors each year. This according to a recent press

release. These high end products are made in the best mechanical quality tradition in

Brunswick, Germany. If any company is still standing it's this one. The Rollei factory people

are very tough and have lived through many difficult times in their long history. I greatly

admire them. Maybe you could as well. Over and over again I see this magnificent

company being forgotten when there is talks about "last man standing". Even Michael

Reichmann, who has owned a Rollei 6008 system for years, systematically forgets to

mention it every time he discusses the surviving companies.

 

6x6, AF, Schneider & Zeiss glass (from the German production plants), digital back

compatibility, advanced metering and flash controls, fastest motordrive in the MF world,

biggest array of available lenses, 1/1000 sec. flash sync, et cetera. These cameras shine in

every aspect, but most people decide not to see them.

[thomas_sullivan]

buy a Holga, develop the film yourself...so who cares if you don't do a great job developing it, it's out of a Holga....heh....and then scan it all with your Epson....again, who cares if it doesn't compare to your 20D, it's out of a Holga. then take it to the highest priced gallery in your area and tell them you planned it all that way. You'll make a mint!

[cpj]

Since it came up in this discussion, it should be clear to everybody that the Franke &

Heidecki firm as it is known today, is NOT the company that was founded in 1921. That

company went out of business in 1979 in a bankruptcy. There have been several owners

since--in Germany, England, Korea, Germany, Denmark and a relatively new 2005

company that makes claim to the Franke & Heidecki name as it employs the grandsons of

the original founders.

 

The web site Rolleiography.com summarizes the history as follows, and there are several

other sites which essentially confirm this series of successor companies from 1979 to

2006. Over the last 27 years the company producing cameras under the Rollei name has

had NINE different owners.

 

www.rolleigraphy.org

 

The Rolleiflex TLR was designed by Reinhold Heidecke (1881 - 1960), partner of "Franke &

Heidecke" of Brunswick, Germany, in 1928 and marketed in 1929.

 

Paul Franke (1888 - 1950), owner of a Berlin photo retail shop, was Mr. Heidecke's

commercial partner..

 

"Franke & Heidecke" [went out of business in 1979, filling TLR orders from stock parts

until a reorganization under the name] "Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke".

 

The later company was bankrupted in 1981 and the factory was re-established as Rollei

Fototechnic and owned by a British group, "United Scientific Holdings".

 

The next owner was Heinrich Mandermann who also owned the optical firm "J. Schneider

Kreuznach".

 

Eventually Mr Mandermann sold Rollei to "Samsung" of Korea. "Samsung" invested heavily

in Rollei but eventually decided to sell.

 

After a management buy-out Rollei was owned by senior staff members.

 

In 2002 a Danish investment group took a major interest in the Rollei company.

 

In 2005 Rollei Fototechnic was split up in two parts. The Danish investors continue the

sales department as Rollei GmbH in Berlin.

 

The Brunswick factory, where the medium format cameras are built, continues as "Franke

& Heidecke GmbH, Feinmechanik und Optik".

 

As the name suggests grandsons of both founders have joined senior management as

owners.

[davecollopy]

John, my suggestion is put it back in the freezer for now. You're right in that bidders on Ebay might question the films usefulness and their bids will certainly reflect that. There is no such thing as a cheap wide angle MF outfit and for a fraction of what one would cost you could pick up a decent WA lens for your Canon. On the other hand your Rolleiflex is an excellent camera and I guarentee you a day will come in which a situation or event begs the use of your Rolleiflex and 120 film. Before you know it you'll have used up all 70 rolls.

[richard baznik]

You don't mention whether you shoot in formats other than MF and digital SLR. If by chance you have a large format rig, I suggest you pick up a roll film back and use the film in that venue. Great for landscapes. You can also buy decent LF gear very cheaply.

[steve_b3]

Another thing you can do is find a local high school (or vocational high school) and donate the film. If they take the film it gets them out of your freezer, you can get a deduction off taxes and feel good about it.

[Brian]

<P>John, since you say you had forgotten you had the film, I would say its nominal book value is zero.</P> <P>1 Thus if you give it away, there is no net loss, and on the plus side you've disposed of the problem <I>and</I> got extra space in the freezer.</P><P>2 Likewise if you sell it, however cheaply, what you make is pure profit, plus the benefits of option 1.</P><P>3 If you buy another camera, you are down the cost of the camera plus the cost of developing and scanning the film.</P><P>I can tell that you're leaning towards option 3, but be warned there's no such thing as a cheap rollfilm camera with a wide-angle lens.</P>

[david_manning1]

Hi John,

 

I too shoot MF with a Mamiya 645AF and scan with an Epson 4990. Great results with

chrome film, okay with negative film.

 

My suggestion...buy an inexpensive MF camera (rangefinder or something like that), shoot

the film, develop only, use the 4990 to make positive contact sheets, and then have a lab

print the keepers.

 

It's essentially my workflow now, except I don't actually print the contacts. I scan at about

150dpi and file them digitally, and the scans onscreen can blow up larger than 1:1. No

dust spotting, just a quickie levels adjustment. Takes about a minute per roll of 120,

using the 8x10 film area guide. Voila'!

 

Hope it helps. Don't give up on film. Just think of it as an alternative creative process.

 

----David. Arlington, Texas

[charles_stobbs3]

Is camera rental available in your area?

[erik scanhancer]

"Over the last 27 years the company producing cameras under the Rollei name has had NINE

different owners."

 

It doesn't matter who has owned the company. What does matter is that the factory and the

engineers working there have been the same during all those years. That's where this

product's strength is. There is huge product continuity, despite all the waves of different

ownerships.

[cpj]

Are you certain about that ? I understand that much of the production was done in

Singapore and then in Korea before relocating back to Germany with completely different

workers. In fact, as I recall, most of the 35mm Rollei's were made in Singapore which was

one of the things that got them into trouble in the first place.

 

Actually that is true, I just pulled out two of my Rollei 35's and they are clearly marked

"Made in Singapore."

 

I haven't time to retrace all the history but I believe some of the late 1980s and early

1990s TLR's were made in Korea.

 

Whatever the case, the factory and the workers have not been the same over the years

and, again to my recollection. only moved back into the "old" building a few years ago.

[Aoresteen]

Either buy or rent a 617 camera. 4 shots per roll, great for landscapes.