Rollei TLR: Protecting the lenses & Screen options

[marc_lieberman1]

I like to use a UV filter and hood to protect my 35mm lenses.

 

With a Rollei TLR, will the hood fit with a filter?

 

Will a filter fit over the viewing lens?

 

My camera has a ground glass screen with a grid. I like the grid,

but it is difficult to focus accurately wide open. Inevitably, the

subject's eyes are a little too soft. I've heard of a "Maxwell"

screen from other posts. Is this the best screen for critical

focusing? Are there other options? Where can I find other screens?

[victorm.]

The Rolleiflex hood twists on to the outer bayonet, the filter twists into the inner bayonet. Screens? Don't get me started...Use the Search feature on Photonet-there's been an uncountable number of threads about Rolleiflex screens.

[kymtman]

Give Rick Oleson a yell. He has fitted a couple of Rolleiflex for me. He is a member here. The last one was a RB-67 with a split image. A real bright screen available at B&H photo video. A lot cheaper than the Maxwell.

 

Are your girls twins. I had twins--boy..girl-- now I have two great grand children.

[michaelging]

I have and really like the Maxwell screen, I found it gave new life to my Rollei.

[ping_pong1]

If you have a decent lenshood fitted you don't really need a filter to protect the lens PLUS it's 2 more surfaces to degrade the image. The square metal Rollei hoods do a great job on physical protection as well as cutting out flare.

[fwstutterheim]

I believe you have a 2.8, right? It is possible to have a filter on the inner bayonet and the lens

hood on the outer bayonet of the same (taking) lens. You cannot mount a filter on one (the

viewing) lens and a lens-hood on the other (taking) lens at the same time. IMO this makes UV

filters useless for lens protection. As Ping Pong pointed out the taking lens is well enough

protected by the square metal hood and at the same time you cannot mount a filter on the

viewing lens while using the hood. When I have the camera out of the bag I usually leave the

lens cap on. As soon as I start shooting I replace it with the metal hood and that's it. Lens

protection is quite reasonable. Afterwards I replace the cap. I have never damaged a TLR lens.

[fwstutterheim]

Another issue is, that while there is a filter on one lens it is not possible to securely mount

the cap. And you cannot have filters on both lenses at the same time ....

[fwstutterheim]

About the screens. Screens like the Maxwell are very bright. Composing is excellent. Not

everyone finds focusing is easy using a very bright screen. This is rather personal. Best would

be to try one out first. Off course that is easily said. BTW your late classic screen can't be that

bad. The really dim ones are from the Fifties and earlier.

[dimitri_kalakanis3]

Bright screens are several times brighter but only a bit better at focusing. I checked my two Autocords, one with Maxwell and one with its old screen. The Maxwell is so much brighter and it feels like it should make focus a lot easier, but in practice, the focusing is only a lttle better. The dimmer the light the bigger the advandge to the bright screen. I have the grid type with plain center. For critical focus I would suggest the split center type. Just one final note: The maxwell sceen is very easy to scratch, have a pro install it for you.

[alan c.]

i don't wish to offend anyone, but it astonishes me how people on these forums

DON'T recommend the use of filters! if you use your camera only in the studio or only

very occasionally, then OK. but in the real world, dust, sand, fingerprints, accidents,

all attack your lenses. whatever image degradation you suffer is a small price to pay

for protecting a very expensive high-end lens.

 

in particular, the 2.8 XENOTAR lens on rolleis have EASILY scratched front elements. i

know, because i destroyed one by not having a filter on it! this was after a two-month

assignment in china and southeast asia in all kinds of weather and conditions, with

probably 50-60 rolls shot on the rollei. i learned my lesson after that. B+W makes

filters for both 3.5 (BAY II) and 2.8 (BAY III) Rolleiflexes, and, yes, you can put a hood

on as well, for the taking lens.

 

Now, let's be straight, why would you put a filter on the viewing lens? that's not the

business part of the camera. if, as a previous poster suggests, filter+hood on taking

lens prevents filter on viewing lens, then that's obviously still the best way to go. in

the worst case scenario, finding a replacement viewing lens would be cheaper than a

replacement Xenotar, Planar, or Tessar taking lens.

 

As for lens caps, sure, the filter and hood prevent you from putting on the cap, so

leave them at home, the filter does that job, you can replace the filter every couple of

years as it gets scratched.

 

and yes, the sky's the limit for screens. i put a beattie brightscreen in mine with split-

image in the middle. $100 at B+H. i'm sure there are cheaper equally good

alternatives but they had it in stock, i installed it at the store in 30 seconds.

 

using the magnifier for critical focusing helps a lot. it means you have to bring your

eye to the camera rather than just look down into it, but it pays off in sharper images.

 

or you can get the eye-level prism. i find it heavy and it changes the balance of the

camera, but it may work well for you.

[doug_harhai]

Marc,

I love my Maxwell screen in my Rollei T. However...when I bought it 2 years ago, I bought the flat Matte screen. Now, a few years later, I find myself wanting the split prism screen(which Maxwell also makes). For critical focus, it would help immensely (I am also using closeup lenses on my moving kids, so that adds to the problem). I should mention that the problem is not the screen, it is my aging eyes!

[bob_the_builder1]

Doug, actually a ground glass screen is easier to focus with because it is finer grained. The

fresnel screens add light which is usefull, but especially for close up applications, the grain

breaks down uner a loupe...