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You probably have your screen right side up. But, make sure it is fully seated. Also, if you're going to compare sharpness between systems, always use the same film.

To check sharpness, put your camera on a tripod and stop down to f16. Point it at a brick wall at a 45 degree angle and focus as best you can on the center of the frame. Odds are part of the image will be in focus to allow you to evaluate the sharpness of the lens.

To see if your focus through the finder is on, shoot wide open and again focus only the center of the image. If your chromes come back with the point of focus not in the center, you know there's a disparity between the focus on the ground glass and the focus on the film plane.

Finally, try a focus using only the distance scale on the lens itself. Mark the part of the wall that's dead center, then measure the distance from that mark to the film plane. Focus to that distance on the lens barrel. (It may be more convenient to pick an even number on the lens like 2 meters and move the camera accordingly.) Look through the finder. Is the mark in focus? If it is, then your finder is fine. If it isn't, then it could be a mirror out of alignment, a screen that's not properly seated, or your eyes need a correcting magnifier in the viewfinder. To make sure, again shoot wide open. If the lens-to-film plane distance is correct, the chrome should be sharp only at the mark in the center.

It's highly unlikely that you would get a bad lens, let alone two. Especially ones with incredible reps for sharpness, like the 40mm and the 90mm. And, it would be a shame to give up on such a great system without knowing what the problem is. It may be very easy to fix.

Good luck, Doug.

John.

Hello,

I just bought a 6003 with what appeared to be a new battery. When I put

the battery in the camera for the first time it said to charge it. I

put it in the charger (type N) and left it for about an hour. When I

put it in the camera, it registered as full. After playing around with

the camera a little (about the equivilant of 5 rolls of 120) and

shooting a roll and a half of film, the battery went from bc=6 to no

charge in only a couple of shots.

So I recharged the battery, leaving it in until the red light went off

and only the green light remained constant just as the manual says. I

put it in the camera to check it, and the readout said bc=6. Since the

battery wasn't charged fully, I put it back in the charger and noticed

that rapid charging with both green and red lights on is lasting for

only about 20 seconds. The red light then goes off for about ten

seconds, then on for 10 seconds, then off and into pulse mode blinking

every 16 seconds. The battery now does this every time I put it in the

charger. Is this a problem with the camera, the charger, or the

battery? Could this be an old battery? What do the red and green lights

on the charger actually mean?..I've heard different things from

conflicting sources. I'd really appreciate any help. Thanks, John.

If you don't need to change mid roll, the film back on the 6003 is more convenient. Very easy to load with inserts. Or carry around a few preloaded inserts. They're cheap. About $40 in good used condition. And they weigh a lot less, making the 6003 easier to handhold and lug around out in the field. True, the 6003 film back only takes 120 and not 220, but to me that's not such a drawback. To upgrade to the interchangeable mags you need to buy a filmstage and adapter. About $200. Then of course buy the mags which also take the inserts. Note that Rollei does not recomment putting a 6003 film back on a 6008.

For the way I shoot, the 6003 was a better choice for me. Do some serious research before you buy. If you can, handle them at a camera store or rent if possible. All the 6000s are wonderfully capable cameras, but documentation is awful and there's a ton of misinformation out there. For example, four common mistakes I see about the 6003: no self-timer, no depth-of-field preview, no mirror lock-up, and it doesn't meter down to 0 EV. It has all of these just like the 6008.

If your looking to buy a 6003, there are reputable sellers on Ebay who occasionaly list them. A like-new kit with body, battery, charger, and 80mm PQ lens should go for around $2000. If you want a warranty, buy from a dealer. Check out HE Chamberlain, Wall Street Camera and Robert White in the UK. Cheers.