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).