fredus Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Hi there, I'm looking for some opinion on the prism for the Rolleiflex TLR. Is it worth it ? Is the view getting the right orientation (compare to the waistlevel) ? Is it clear ? Does it show me 100% of what will be on the negative ? Anyway, looking for some opinion ... Thanks ! Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_1172872 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I sold mine a couple of years ago. As I recall: the image is correct left to right - it is a true prism. It is bright. It is NOT high eyepoint. And it shows horrible pincushion distortion - that's why I sold it, my Rollei has the grid screen. Is it worth it? Mine was US $99 in "Bargain" grade from B&H. The only flaw was that the F&H logo was missing from the front! I've never seen another one in as good condition for that price - but I don't miss it. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne_oneill1 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Hi Fred I prefer the waist level finder but there are some situations where the prism is invaluable eg following moving subjects, or if you want to change the image orientation when shooting 645 (Rolleicord Vb and Rolleiflex T) or 135 using the Rolleikin. Cheers Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes_baker1 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Mine is practically mint. Got if for about $100, at Penn Camera no less. I agree that the pincushion distortion is quite severe, but it's a framing device, and I'm used to all manner of worse finders (ever squinted through as Leica IIIf?). Technically speaking, I doubt it's a 100% view. It may cover 100% of the existing groundglass, but with the parallax finder adjustment device in Rolleis, I'm not sure any of them can be said to have a true 100% finder. I find the prism's magnification does permit improved focussing accuracy, esp. when handholding for quick shots. The non-reversed image also makes framing drastically faster. Given the 2.8 aperture of many Rollleis, the prism makes it a pretty valid street or grab shot camera. I suppose one would attract more attention with an eye-level camera, vs. waist level, though. About the only downside I can see is that it makes the camera more top heavy. Rolleis are so light (at least compared to many other 6X6 cameras) that extra weight is easily noticed. There are also other options. There's a company in europe that makes adapters that allow you to put a Hasselblad prism on a Rollei. The nice thing about that is that you can get the cheapo Russian spotmeter prisms for very low prices. And they usually have better distortion chracteristics too. If you're interested, I'll look up the URL. Anyway, if you're comitted to Rolleis for the long term, I think a prism is a great accessory to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert meier Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I just checked my Rollei with the prism attached for pincushion distortion. I had to do this because I didn't remember noticing any distortion with the prism. Well, what I found was very slight distortion, only visible if I looked at the outermost grid lines, specifically trying to find a bend in the line. When viewing through the prism normally (that is, not looking at the outermost line for distortion), there is absolutely no distortion visible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonard_evens Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I have the original Rollei prism viewer, which I used years ago with my Rollei 2.8 E3. I just checked it to refresh my memory. The image is bright, upright and correctly oriented. Even without glasses, I can't quite see all corners at once, but what I can see, even with glasses, is adequate for framing and focusing. There is considerable pincushion distortion, but I never found that to be a problem. I got it in order to take pictures where an eye level perspective was important. But with it, the Rollei is pretty heavy, and it is probably advisable to use it with a pistol grip. That is what I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_des_ruisseaux Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I think it may depend on the type of shooting you do.Way back in the 1960's and 1970s I worked as a pro. Worked at a commercial studio that did a lot of trade shows etc. and used Rolleis for much of the work. I got the pentaprism and never regretted it. Easier to use if your shooting in a hurry. Later when I freelanced I used the Rollei for weddings again a good item to have for that kind of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredus Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 Very interesting opinion guys ! I might look into buying one ... But about that pistol grip ... Man ... I don't see myself using one. And can you imagine shooting in the street with it ? I won't last 15 minutes before somebody get me arrested ... That's the world we live in ... Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_earussi1 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 It works beautifully as far as convenience goes but you really need a pistol grip to make it user friendly. With the combination you not only have a much faster Rollie but a very effective weapon (a club) as well. But is it ever heavy, which sort of defeats the purpose of shooting a Rollie in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_neuthaler Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Love the prism; hate the pistol grip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_1172872 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Seems to me I would need three hands for the pistol grip - one for the grip, one for focus, one for winding the film. I think a grip really only makes sense for the Rolleicords with the wind and focus on the same side. Interesting difference of opinion on the pincushion distortion! I wear glasses - about minus four dioptres. Perhaps that explains it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes_baker1 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Here's the URL for the company that makes Rollei/Hasselblad prism adapters: http://www.baierfoto.de/tlrenglish.html I have a regular Rollei prism myself, but I also have one of those Kiev spotmeter prisms on one of my Hassys. The Kiev is not the best prism in the world (that would be the most recent Hassy PME), but it has less distortion than my old Rollei prism, and it has a pretty decent spotmeter. It's quite easy to adjust the meter on one of those Kiev prisms too. That way, you can make it agree precisely with other meters you might use, or if you use a particular type of film all the time, adjust the prism for the exact ISO you use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_holum Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I've never used the prism/pistol-grip combination, but I remember reading a few years ago that when you use it you can focus, shoot and advance the film easily & quickly without moving the grip from right hand to left. Always holding the camera-mounted pistol grip in your right hand, you focus with your left hand, also adjust the aperture and shutter wheels with your left hand, trip the shutter by pressing the "trigger" embedded in the pistol-grip handle with your right index finger, and then advance the shutter by turning the camera all the way on its left side and operating the film advance with your left hand. So the pistol grip is always in your right hand, and you make adjustments to focus, aperture, shutter speed & film advance with your left. I've never done it but it sounds easy & effective to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwstutterheim Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Fred, <br><br>There are old prisms and new prisms. Also there is a 45 degrees one and a 90 degrees one. So there is some room for confusion. For my 2.8 GX I have a new 45 degrees prism. I have not noticed any pincushion distortion. A 45 degrees prism may be more comfortable to use then a 90 degree prism. Off course this is personal. I found the prism beneficial when the sun is high and shining right into the WLF. Not the right time of day to take photographs anyway. I hardly use a prism on a TLR. I feel it is not a very useful addition. I do use one a 6008i. I mainly use the TLR handheld and the 6008i on a tripod.<br><br>Ferdi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonard_evens Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I used my Rollei with the prism and a pistol grip to take pictures of fast moving children and at social gatherings like weddings. It was quite a while ago, but I don't remember any special problems. I also hung the camera about my neck with the cord, and I think I just let go and used my right hand to wind the film. Of course this was not as fast as a typical 35 mm camera, but it wasn't noticeably slower than using the Rollei at waist level. With only 12 exposures, or even 24 with 220 film, the Rollei is not exactly the right camera for taking pictures seconds apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h._p. Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 My experience is that the Prism/Pistol Grip is a very usable combination and they've been very cheap for quite some time. My pair together cost about 70GBP and, while they're not for every day, I'm glad I have the option to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth_cooke Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 <p>Hello Wes, thank you for posting the link, however it is dead. Please use <a href="http://www.baierfoto.de/tlrenglish.html">http://www.baierfoto.de</a> using it without the URL extension seems to correct it</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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