ROLLEIFLEX SL66 ROLLEI HANDGRIP

 

ROLLEIFLEX SL 66 ROLLEI HANDGRIP

 

The Rolleiflex SL66 Rollei handgrip works very well to handle the camera; it's a rare item because    most SL66 users don't want to sell it.

 

 ROLLEIFLEX SL66 PHOTOGRAPHER

The subject took a photograph with the cell phone whilst he focused her...

MY REPAIRED ROLLEIFLEX SL66

My Rolleiflex SL66 received a repair work in Brunswick (Braunschweig), the city where it was made in Germany. The original work was to do a general CLA and to renew the shutter and film advance mechanism, however  the camera suffered a terrific blow during the returning travel to home and I needed to send it to Germany again. This second time the camera required a new lateral panel for the magazin, new spare parts for the focusing mechanism and  a new adjustment work for other parts.The photograph only shows some of the biggest replaced parts. The camera is working very well and smooth now (click on thumbnail) 

FILM SHEET 6,5 x 9 cm ROLLEI PLATE ADAPTER

The Rollei Plate Adapter is a very interesting accesory for the Rollei TLR cameras; they use 6,5x9 cm glass plates or film sheets, but the image size is always 6x6. The 6,5x9cm format was popular in the past, but it's difficult to find these plates or sheets size today. Ilford manufacture the film sheets according special orders each year; I bought two boxes with 25 sheets .

VOIGTLÄNDER bERGHEIL

The Voigtländer Bergheil was made in Braunschweig, Germany, from 1911 up to about 1941. It was considered a pro-camera or for the advanced amateur. It uses 6,5x9 glass plates or film sheets, it can also use 120 roll film via an adapter. This sample is provided with an uncoated Heliar 4,5/105mm a five elements high quality lens. The bellows can be moved up-down and from side to side for perspective control. The camera is light and very easy to carry. (click on thumbnail).

Rolleiflex telephone

The San Telmo neighborhood in Buenos Aires city, Argentina, has several antique shops, some of them dedicated to photographic items. Last November 2011 I visited the shop below with my son (he took the images with his digi cam) and we discovered this "Rollei telephone", it worked!!

The Rollei telephone (click thumbnail)

    

Note the old wood stereo viewer (click thumbnail)



Rolleiflex 3.5F in the Lanin

Click on thumbnail

I carried the Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar (third version model) in my backpack during our Lanin volcano climbing in November 2011, my son Nicolás surprised me with this image taken close to the shelter on 2600m as the pennant indicates, the Tromen lake is in the background (right) and the little white triangle in the last background on the left is the active Llaima volcano, there is a bit of volcanic ash in the atmosphere coming from the Puyehue volcano. The square images in this Flickr set were taken with the 3.5F, some of them from the same area:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itarfoto/sets/72157628240049097/

Rolleiflex SL35M

(Image better seen at the largest size). The Rolleiflex SL 35M has some relationship with one of the lasts Zeiss Ikon cameras, the SL 706. The 35M and the identical Voigtländer VSL 1 BM have the QBM bayonet. The camera has self-timer, TTL Cds coupled lightmeter, DOF preview, double diagonal split image in the vewfinder, hot shoe and PC terminal for flash, shutter cable release, mechanical shutter with focal plane fabric curtain (B,1/2sec to 1/1000sec), it was made by Rollei Singapore from 1976 to 1979 and sold in the black version only.

The standard lens is a Planar 1.8/50 designed by Carl Zeiss based on the previous Carl Zeiss Ultron 1.8/50 for Zeiss Ikon and Voigtländer cameras, including the Zeiss Ikon SL 706. The Carl Zeiss Ultron was an evolution regarding the 1950 Voigtländer Ultron 2/50. The Planar was labeled Color Ultron for the Voigtländer cameras made by Rollei.-
Note: My blog about the Rolleiflex SL 35 System: http://rolleiflexsl35system.blogspot.com/2011/06/rolleiflex-sl-35-system.html

Rolleicord I decorative plates patent

F&H wanted to distinguish the first Rolleicord  from the Rolleiflex using etched decorative metal plates shown in the original patent excerpt above (click on thumbnail), the decoration were based on well known Art Decò style patterns. The production camera was made adopting the camera front and camera back patterns for the lateral panels and viewfinder hood too. The Rolleicord I "Art Decò" or "Tapeten-Rollei" in German (Wallpaper Rollei ) was manufactured from November 1933 to March 1936. The patent mainly protected the decorative plates use to finish the camera.

SCANS COMPARISON

The negative above was taken (Rolleiflex 2,8C Xenotar) and processed about six years ago, it is underexposed very clearly and has damage too. I scanned it several times and never liked the results, anyway they were better if scanning the neg on the scanner (Epson 4490) glass directly (image above); results using the scanner film holder produced a weak image or a blank scan, however I washed the neg again yesterday scanning it on the glass directly (image above) and using the film holder (image below), it was a surprise to me both results were about identical showing them a very slight difference in the histogram (1 point to reach the minimal black point, otherwise histograms are identical); problems are the Newton rings for the image above scanned on the glass directly, it shows them on the subject knee and anothers two rings on the pizza, they are very visible at higher image resolutions, the image scanned with the film holder (below) does not show this problem and then I prefer the image scanned with the film holder this time (both images received identical treatment). Now I obtained similar results  regarding scans for negs with right or about right exposure from the point of view you can't tell the image quality difference if scanned on the glass or with the film holder, the Newton rings are the main difference for this underexposed negative (click on thumbnails for the images largest size).    

ROLLEI 35 LENSES

The Rollei 35 camera was built from 1966 (Heinz Waaske design with some Rollei modifications), the model above was the first Rollei 35 "special edition", it was made from 1970 to 1971 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Franke & Heidecke

Carl Zeiss designed the Tessar 3,5/40 for the Rollei 35, it  was also made by Rollei under CZ license in Germany and Singapore. The cement for the third and fourth element was provided with UV depletion layer from 1968, it has simple lens coating. There was a Rollei 35 S-Xenar 3,5/40 (Schneider -Kreuznach) version, this is a Tessar type design with identical performance regarding the Tessar 3.5/40mm.

The Carl Zeiss design Sonnar 2,8/40 (above and below) was an improvement regarding the Tessar 3,5/40, the lens is moved as a whole for focusing and it has Rollei or CZ (T*) HFT multilayer coating; most Rollei 35 Sonnar lenses were made by Rollei under CZ license, the sample above is from the Rollei Fototechnik era, the button to retract the lens is now beside the lens according the Heinz Waaske original design, this way avoiding confusions with the shutter release button. 

The Triotar 3,5/40mm (below) was a decent coated cheaper lens for the simpler Rollei 35 models like Rollei B 35, Rollei C 35, Rollei 35 LED etc.

Note: My blog about the Rolleiflex SL 35 system: http://rolleiflexsl35system.blogspot.com/2011/06/rolleiflex-sl-35-system.html

Rollei Tele PLANAR Diagrams

The short tele Carl Zeiss Planar f2/120mm HFT for the Rolleiflex SL66 (above) was included in the HFT lenses program about 1972/1973 and appeared in brochures and SL66 instruction manuals at the time, it also was described by L.A. Mannheim in his book "The Rolleiflex SL66 and SLX way" written and published at the time too, however it seems this lens  was never manufactured for the market, something happened that only a prototype is known today and brochures and description are based on this prototype very probably. Facts are that this lens is not mentioned in the lenses program for the SL66 E, SL66 SE and SL66 X, cameras made from 1982 and 1986. Several new or improved lenses were introduced for the SL66 along the years during the SL 66 decades of production, however something was wrong for the CZ Planar f2/120mm HFT; it had 7 elements, 5 groups, 36º image angle diagonally, f stops from 2 to 16, 86mm screw -in filters and the weight was 810 grams, it was thought for sports, stage and theatre, etc. 

THE PLANAR f2/110mm

                                     

                                                  

The CZ Planar HFT 2/110 short tele made for the Rolleiflex 6000 diagram looks almost identical regarding the SL66  2/120 lens, the 110 has the 5th and 6th elements separated while they are cemented for the 120. This was a successful lens for the 6000 cameras and was/is made in different versions, O, PQ,PQS, MO, it weighs about 1295 gr (it's heavier because uses the Rollei motor shutter).

CHRISTMAS GIFT

Unused and used films for my Christmas tree taken with a P&S digital Pentax lens camera... Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! (click on thumbnail)

A camera to restore

This great camera knew better times, I'll try to restore it or it will be a spare parts source for my other Contax II that works fine and looks very good. The interesting point for the camera above is the lens, it is an immediate post-war (March 1947) Sonnar 2/5 cm showing the Zeiss "T" coating developed by Smakula and patented for CZ in 1935, it was the first lens coating process suitable for regular industrial use and stated top secret up to about 1940 when the USA developed a similar hard lens coating process and then CZ was authorized to apply the coating for commercial lenses, it means the lens above is among the early lenses with the process, the story behind the camera and lens makes almost impossible it could be an uncoated lens originally and coated after the war (click on thumbnail).

Rolleiflex Stereo photograph

Stereo photograph taken about 1953 by a Rollei 's engineer with a new Rolleiflex Stereo prototype in the Alps (Bavaria, Germany). The young engineer Hans Logé appears in the window, he worked for F&H integrating the Richard Weiss (technical head) team that developed the Stereo Rolleiflex on the basis of two Rolleiflex Automat bodies during 1953, Hans Logé was one of the main designer and for this camera underawater housing "Rolleimarin" too. He was the "Rolleimeter" designer, a telemeter for some Rolleiflex TLR cameras (click on thumbnail,1615x778 image).

Rolleinar 3...1

(Click on the thumbnail above)

I bought a Rolleinar 3 BIII some weeks ago (http://dobleobjetivo.blogspot.com/2010/04/rolleinar-3-biii.html), I took images using the set , they were out of focus where they looked in focus through the viewfinder ground glass and they were in focus where they looked out of focus through the viewfinder ground glass. After some tests, I found a big difference focusing identical subject from identical distance according I used the Heidosmat Rolleinar (viewing lens) and the Rolleinar 3 lens (for the camera taking lens) on the camera viewing lens, this difference couldn't exist for a regular Rolleinar TLR set, the focusing must be identical for both auxiliries lenses.


I verified that the focusing range for the Rolleinar Heidosmat auxiliary lens for the camera viewing lens was within the Rolleinar 3 range, 24 to 32 cm (9.45" to 12.60"), but the Rolleinar 3 auxiliary lens (for the camera taking lens) focusing range was within the Rolleinar 1 focusing range, 45 to 100 cm (17.70" to 39.37") !!. I discovered I have a true Heidosmat Rolleinar 3, but a Rolleinar 1 taking lens glass with a ring engraved "Rolleinar 3" !!.


I couldn't find a detail to say someone inserted a Rolleinar 1 glass in a Rolleinar 3 ring, perhaps I could be wrong about it, or perhaps someone made an error at factory (this is my main guessing), but I don't know really. The image above shows the Rolleinar set, click on the thumbnail, it was taken with a little P&S digital camera, a Benq with Pentax digital zoom.

Polarizing effect via software

The photograph was taken with the Rolleiflex 3.5F, Planar 3.5/75, Agfachrome RSX 100. The first image (below) is the original scanned image. The second image received an edition software manipulation to simulate a polarizing filter effect, the effect is not so good like using a true polarizing filter but it could be useful for analog and compact digital cameras that couldn't use a filter for some reason (click on thumbnail for a bigger image).

ROLLEIFLEX SL66

This is my "new" Rolleiflex SL66 (click on thumbnail) with the Distagon 4/80 standard lens provided with an additional Compur shutter, it's a great MF camera manufactured from 1966 to about 1993, the built-in bellows and focusing mechanism allow focusing up to 16cm from the subject with 80mm standard lenses, image magnification can be increased via the reverse lens mounting without accesories. A complete Carl Zeiss and others manufacturers lenses range is available and a lot of professional accesories, film magazines, focusing viewfinders and focusing screens too; the bellows can move up/down up to 8º allowing a limited "Scheimpflug" effect. Most camera's mechanical parts were designed by Richard Weiss and Claus Prochnow, Rollei's engineers, while Ernst Moeckl from Stuttgart was in charge of the camera general aesthetic design. The SL66 was a successful camera, this page is plenty of info about it:
http://www.sl66.com/

220 film with Rolleiflex

I had published a comment about to use 220 film with a Rolleicord IV: http://itarphotos.blogspot.com/2009/04/220-film-with-rolleicord-iv.html
Now I tried 220 film with a Rolleiflex 2.8C Xenotar 2.8/80 without the special mechanism to use it regularly; the difference with a Rolleicord and others Rollei TLR cameras is that the C and most Rolleiflexes from the Automat model have the rollers to "feel" the film when it starts, to advance the film counter up to the number 1, using 220 film you need to do it again after to shoot the frame 12: before to advance the film I open the the camera back in the darkness adding a tape to the film beside the film feeler rollers, I close the camera back, advance the film and the tape activates again the frames counter mechanism and I obtain another 12 frames, completing 24 (see photograph, click on thumbnail, note the tape at the middle of the roll). It was commented to me other method looking even simpler, I'll try it for the next time

Rolleimot

The Rolleimot was an accesory intended to provide automatic film advance mechanism and shutter release for the Rolleiflex and Rolleimagic TLR cameras (Rolleimot 1 and 2) and Rollei SL 66 camera (Rolleimot 3). It can be handled with a wire remote control from 3m(10 feet) to 200m (650 feet), the 6v motor needed four D size batteries to work, it was manufactured from 1963 to 1969 (click on thumbnails).


Rolleimot 1 and 3 size is 100x180x180mm, the Rolleimot 2 shown above (diagram) size is 100x220x180mm, it was taller to compensate the camera height with the special 150 frames magazine, only 10 Rolleimot 2 were made.