Should I buy this Rolleiflex?

[keith_slater]

I was in an antique store yesterday, and the owner (Who knows cameras)

has a beautiful Rolleiflex. It has a 3.5 Tessar, and the Syncro

Compur Shutter. 75mm lens. He said I could have it for $170. It

looks like new, has the case and original owners manual. I am

tempted, the wife is not. Seems like a good deal though.

Keith

[Greg M]

Is it working perfectly?

 

If your wife isn't keen on $170, she'll be even less keen on an additional $200-$250 for an overhaul if the shutter speeds are off or need cleaning, if the spacing mechanism needs adjusting, if the focus mechanism needs allignment, if the shutter cocking mechanism is not working and needs adjustment, etc., etc.

 

I've bought Rolleiflexes that at one time or another had those problems that needed adjustment before it could be used. Rolleis are pretty simple machines, but there are things that can go amiss, and they are not always evident in just looking at one. I'd see if the shop owner would let you run a roll of 120 through it in the store and have it processed and check the resulting images first. Heck, I've even had one wind a whole roll of film through without even setting off the counter because the feeler roller was not set right.

[keith_slater]

I guess she would not go for the repair costs. However I am sure he would allow me to shoot a roll. He used to be a photography professor. I have bought a bunch of stuff off of him, he always gives me a good deal, and when he says it works, it always does.

Keith

[michael_linn]

Hmmm...

 

Wife.

 

Rollei.

 

The price may far exceed $170 (a fair price) and I am not talking about repairs (to the camera).

[rich815]

It seems it would be easy enough to get the serial number and look up which model it is. I just bought a Tessar-lensed Rolleiflex (a 622 Standard) off eBay a few months ago for just over $100. Works great and I like the uncoated Tessar look. (Complements my Planar Rolleiflex nicely.) Do you know if its T, an Automat, or an earlier Standard? Guess my point is $170 might or might not be such a great price.

[Greg M]

It's easy enough to ballpark it based on Keith's brief explanation. It's much newer than your model 622. Synchro Compur put's it sometime approximately around 1954-56. It's either an MX or MX-EVS model, with a coated Tessar.

[Greg M]

Of course, the above is assuming it's not a "T" model, which would make it even newer. If the serial number has a "T" then you know what you've got.

[kaiblanke]

USD 170 for a later model is a fair price. And if you can shoot a test roll and the camera works, you will most probably not have to repair it within the next years: Rolleis are built to last, and to take a good amount of use.

[Rob_the_waste]

Will the store owner take your wife as a trade in?

A number of reasons a Rolleiflex is better than a wife:

 

1. You can pick up another camera and it won't get jealous

2. If you're tired, you can put it down without it getting upset

3. You don't have to buy it drinks

4. It won't take over your bathroom...

[h._p.]

Indeed, but can it make your dinner?

[silent1]

Sorry, Rob, but the bathroom one won't fly. My cameras have, in fact, conspired to take over my bathroom -- so far, only on a part-time basis, but that's where I develop and print; a couple hours at a time to develop 2-3 tanks of film, and easily four hours at a whack for printing sessions. I can get away with this, even to the extent I do, only because there's a second bathroom for the wife to use when I have the door locked, but she doesn't like that one because it's rather small...

[tom_holum]

Keith,

A Rolleiflex in good condition would be well worth $170, but here are a few things you should check: 1)The lens must be in good condition. Bring a flashlight with you the next time you visit the store, open up the camera back, open the lens fully using the 'B' setting and look through the lens at the light shining from the opposite side. The lens should be clear & clean. A few dust specks are to be expected, and a few light cleaning marks (very light circular marks on the outer coating only) shouldn't discourage you, but other defects would be enough to discourage me entirely. 2)The shutter should fire at all speeds, and should sound reasonably accurate. Cleaning & lubricating the shutter would cost at least $100, but if the camera is otherwise in excellent shape, it might be money well spent. 3)Move the film advance lever around its circular path a few times and listen carefully for any sounds of grinding; other than a slight increased tension at the 5 o'clock position during each revolution due to shutter cocking, the rotation should be perfectly smooth and quiet. Repair of the film advance is very expensive; this is another defect that would disqualify it in my eyes. 4)Carefully check the front panel, the part of the camera containing the two lenses that moves in and out when you focus. The panel should be absolutely free of dents, or any other indication that it has suffered any severe impact, and focusing should be absolutely smooth. If the front panel has been knocked hard, it may be out of true, which would make focusing impossible. That's something impossible to fix. Finally, like the others suggested, ask the dealer if you could run some film through it. That's the best test,

 

The Rolleiflex with Tessar is a great all-around camera. It's a little soft with the lens wide open (the Rolleis with Planar or Xenotar are better in very low light), but stop it down a little and it's unbeatable. They don't call the Tessar "the eagle eye" for nothing. Good luck!

[tom_holum]

Keith,

One thing I forgot to mention: the first Rollei with Tessar made right after World War II was a real dog, but that particular Tessar was only issued as an f2.8. All f3.5 Tessars are stellar performers, so you really needn't worry about which particular model you're getting, although you might expect newer models to be in the best shape. As in scrutinizing all used cameras, it's condition, condition, condition, especially the lens.

[alex_lofquist]

I got a Rollei for my wife.

[frank_scheitrowsky1]

Alex Lofquist , sep 12, 2005; 03:03 p.m.

I got a Rollei for my wife.

 

Alex, that sounds like a fair trade. :)

[patric_dahl_n]

Yes, shoot a roll if you can, and try the longer speeds. It has the Synchro-Compur, so it's one of the more "modern" Rolleiflexes with Tessar. $170 is a very good price, especially if it looks like new and works as it should. :-)

[larrydressler]

I got rid of the wife and she still gives me cameras she finds. I budget myself so much money a year for things just like this. maybe you can keep the wife and set a seperate account aside for these situations.

 

Just a thought.

Larry

[mskovacs]

The Opton Tessar 80/2.8 I shot on a Rolleiflex 2.8A was just as good as any I've used. OK not a super performer at f/2.8 but then neither is the Super Ikonta. Note there was an actual factory defect with the 2.8A model in the earliest serial blocks with the Jena Tessar which caused the dog reputation. The East Germans had mismatched the elements when the new old stock prewar Tessar 80/2.8 lenses (Super Ikonta destined?) were sent-out for coating. (or so the story goes)

[john falkenstine]

Dump the wife, get the Rolleiflex..you obviously have your priorities out of kilter....

[larrydressler]

John did you read the whole statement? I said I budget for these things I lost the wife for other reasons yet we are still friends and she still sends me cameras she finds because we are still friends.. Kilter has been returned to the universe.

[luis triguez]

Keith,

 

First of all, you sould give a nice present to your lady, and then try to convince her about the Rollei.

[douglas_green1]

If the Rollei works properly, buy it, it's an excellent deal. If it has some functional problems, take a pass. You should let the wife know that it will not be going down in value, so it's really free for as long as you own it. And if she doesn't see it that way, you need to trade in the wife, or else buy the requisite gift to persuade her.

[pensacolaphoto]

Keith: To give you an idea how cost of using a Rolleiflex could grow, I am listing below what I apid for a Rolleiflex 2.8D as additional cost after buying the camera:

 

1. Repair of advance mechanism $150 (after 15 years of use)

2. New Maxwell screen $150 with installation

3. Lens caps $80

4. lens hood $70

 

The above did not include any need for having the camera initially adjusted or repaired. I bought it from a camera repairman. Today I took the camera to have it checked out since photos came back slightly soft. An initial test suggests something is not alligned correctly internally. I just came back from a trip by plane, and maybe the camera was shaken a little during the trip (even though it was carried with carry-on).

[john falkenstine]

So Sorry...didn't read all of it. I had a wife once who got upset when I bought a used typewriter. er "mechanical word processor". She's left AND she got the typewriter as well...sigh...

[john lehman, college alask]

Tom Holum wrote:

"Keith, One thing I forgot to mention: the first Rollei with Tessar made right after World War II was a real dog, but that particular Tessar was only issued as an f2.8. ..."

 

That was the 1950-52 model. I have one of them (a 1951 2.8A). It is the only one of my many Rolleiflexes that my wife lets me use to take pictures of her (she claims some, like the original 1929 Rolleiflex, are so sharp they show blemishes she hasn't had since Nixon was president). The mid-50's ones are great cameras, altho your wife may want you to use a flattering duto filter or a piece of black stocking over the lens if you do nudes of her with it :-)