Rollei SL66?

[michael_tolan]

Does anyone know a "fair" bookprice for a well-used but working

perfectly Rollei SL66? Also, one of the 2 I looked at has a Rollei

insignia on the camera, but just below it, it reads "Rollei - Bell &

Howell". Is there any reason to think this camera is worth more or

less than the other SL66 (I realize they are the same machine)? Also,

are there adaptors or non-Zeiss lenses available for this unit? I

hardly ever see lenses for sale, and the prices for anything other

than the 80mm Planar are astronomical. Lastly, are there any drawbacks

of defects to this camera? Everything I have seen is nothing short of

solid praise for whoever designed the SL66. Any info appreciated. P.S.

the 2 cameras I looked at were $1150 & $1350 (body & 80mm; no cases or

accessories: used but working with a 30-day warranty).

[duane_kucheran]

I would say $1000 is tops unless it's in mint condition. This assumes an HFT (multicoated) lens. A single coated should go for a bit less.

 

Usually a re-brand lowers the price. I have not heard of this one.

 

There is an adapter and a lensboard. Hadley Chamberlain (www.hecphoto.com) has some of the latter (plus many lenses). I used one of the former to adapt a barrel mounted Kodak commercial Ektar. I had to machine up a tube and clamping ring as well. You will lose the automatic diaphragm though.

 

The biggest problem as you've found is scarcity; at least compared to 'blad or the Japanese brands. The camera is well engineered but you will have a bit more trouble finding someone to work on them if something goes wrong. The biggest problem I've had was that one of the backs jammed up. According to the local ex-rollei repairman this is fairly common and due to film slack not being taken up when mounting the back. He fixed the back, lubed it and off I went. Just a bit later it wouldn't load film properly. Since I have the repair manual I went over it and found a few loose screws. Tightening them solved the problem and it works great.

 

I like the camera because it has a "steam operated feel" to it and yet it is very modern. The ability to tilt the lens and go 1:1 macro is great! The optics are superb and because it is a bit scarce, prices on some things can be very good indeed - you just have to look around and wait.

 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask,

 

Cheers,

[paul roark]

My experience is similar to Duane's -- including one back that likes to jam. Other than that, no problems in 18 years. There are cameras and lenses in Shutterbug. I don't find the prices of the non-multi coated lenses outrageous, and the single coated lenses are fine. I did replace my 80 with an HFT version, but I've stayed with the earlier 50, 150 and 250. I tested both the HFT and non-HFT 50 and found the resolution identical. Ghosting with the non-HFT was twice as strong, but the HFT still had the ghosts in the same places. Frankly, I didn't see enough difference to upgrade. Moreover, I've seen more than one used HFT 50 with damaged coating, which did show up on the film in the tests. Most of the stories of unreliability seem to relate to the later models that have meters in them. The main drawback of the camera from my point of view is simply its weight. The tilt, macro capability, and very smooth shutter make it a very capable machine for certain types of work, including landscape and macro (where I get super results with an Apo-Rodagon mounted on the SL66).

 

Good luck.

 

Paul Roark

http://www.silcom.com/~proark/photos.html

[larry_kalajainen]

I had an SL66 outfit (3 lenses) for ten years, and it's still the favorite of all the cameras I've ever used. For a body in excellent or better condition with a non-HFT lens and a back, you should be able to get one for $800-1000. Additional lenses should run about $750-850 each for the 50 and 150. I seem to remember that at one point Bell and Howell was the authorized importer, and the camera you're talking about was probably imported then. They are readily available here in Europe. Virtually every used camera store in Paris has at least one on the shelf, and lenses are fairly plentiful here too. Rollei has always had the lead over Hasselblad here in Europe as the studio professional's camera of choice. That probably explains the greater availability of the used SL66's. Wish I still had mine.