Comparing Rolleiflex, Rolleicord & Rolleiflex T - Which Is BEST FOR YOU In 2024
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2023
- Rolleiflex has 3 tiers of cameras and many different models from different years. If you're looking to get in to medium format film photography, these cameras are so much fun to use and produce amazing images. But which one is right for you? Let me breakdown the key differences between the different ranges to help you pick the right one for your situation and budget.
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Let me know which Rolleiflex model you're interested in buying or if you have one already, I would love to hear about your experiences with the camera. I absolutely LOVE these cameras and use them almost every day. They're a joy to use.
I have 2.f,3.5fwf and T
I Can not say which one the best for me cos i love both 😅❤
T is very Comfortable
3.5f is good feeling
2.8f is so mood pictures
So i love yours vdo too ,May you tell me what camera strap is look good ,that is oliginal?
Sorry for my poor English
🙏❤️📷🥰
love my f3.5
I absolutely love my T. It’s so versatile and smaller than a 2.8. I also have a bright screen, prism finder, and a 16 exposure kit for it.
The T is indeed a lovely camera and I think the pictures are really on par with the more expensive Rolleiflex range of cameras. Glad you're enjoying yours. Thanks for dropping a comment.
Thank You from Barcelona !!
Thanks, appreciate the comment.
This is an excellent overview of the Rollei range with some very useful tips and views from an experienced user. Many thanks for putting this together!
Thanks it’s always great to receive some positive comments to keep me motivated.
Yes, thank you very much. I have been waiting for your video for quite a while.
Thanks for the comment. I didn't go in to much detail for the Rolleiflex T specifically as this was more of a comparison between the 3 ranges, but I do plan to do an in-depth video on the Rollei T and each of the others soon! But I hope you found it helpful.
This is very helpful information... perfect timing for your video. Thanks :)
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for sharing this, really enjoyed watching it!
Thanks for the comment. Sorry for the slow reply I’ve been sidelined, but I’m back now.
This was very helpful, thank you so much for this video!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for video. ❤
You're welcome 😊
Thank you!!
You're welcome!
Cheers for the great vid
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
I have the Rolleiflex T and I could not find any information on adjusting the Aperture and Shutter Speed until this video. I appreciate you making this video and the detailed information you put into it. Mahalo
Thanks for leaving a comment. I am really glad this video was useful. I will be adding more soon!
Nice. I bought a Rolleicord and this helps me understand where it fits into the lineup of TLRs
Glad it helped
Nice informative video!
Thank you!
Great review- thank you
Thanks for watching! Appreciate the comment.
After I watched this video I bought a Rolleicord IIId for a song. Great video❤
That's fantastic, please do share some of your photos when ready!
I'd always wanted a Rolleiflex T as my late departed dad had one. I finally settled on a Mamiya C3 - same quality of lens + interchangeable lenses (mid roll), plus a bellows design that allows macro shots to 50 cms from film plane. I used to have Voightlander Bessa II, Color Scopar. That was fun, too.
Mamiyas are certainly worth rivals to Rolleiflex and the advantages you mention are great to have. It is however, a different experience, and if budget allows, why not get both!
Well I’m going with a 1969th Mamiya C 220 with changeable lenses from 55 to 250mm. A bit bigger than the Rollei lineup, but more flexible. Thank you for your helpful informations about the stars in TLR-Cameras 👍
Having changeable lenses is definitely a massive benefit that is worth having the extra bulk for.
must have....weston and invercone duplex reading
Thank you for the comparison. Very helpful for when I'm ready to buy a Rolleicord/Rolleiflex. I've been thinking about this for quite a long while now. If I just want a Rollei, I would get the Rolleicord Vb. If I have a bit more budget, I would get the Rolleiflex 3.5F. I've handled some nice ones from reputable shops. However, they are a bit expensive where I live in Japan so, I will get the one I want when I'm ready.
Hi John, great to hear from you. I think your plan is pretty sound, the Rolleiflex 3.5F is a great camera, there's absolutely no need to spend significantly more to get the f2.8 lens. Japan may be expensive, but generally speaking the cameras are extremely well looked after and in great condition. I actually considered going to Japan to get a better quality model and then sell my older, battered ones.
@@StreetPhotographyChina Yes, that's true. You can get some really nice camera gear here, sometimes already CLA'd as well. Let me know if you're ever planning to come to my neighbourhood.
@@john_murch I may well take you up on that now that COVID restrictions are lifted. Which city in Japan are you located in? Would love to do some street portraits in Japan also.
@@StreetPhotographyChina I'm in Tokyo, it's a great place for street portraits.
Hi, I would like to suggest other Rolleiflex models you could also take into consideration that are not so expensive. For example the one I own is the Rolleiflex 3.5 MX-EVS (1952-1954), the top part can't be taken out like the later models but they have all the bells and whistles. You could look into other models as well. 😊
Well done for a great video:) Have you ever tried the Rollei Mutar lenses? I have a 2.8f and have thought of about the mutars for flexibility or maybe save up for a rollei tele 😍
Thanks for the kind comment. I haven't yet tried any modifications, I am quite happy with the current focal length which suits the kind of street portraits I do, but would love to give them a try at some stage. I often carry a Leica Q2 with me which is quite wide (28mm) so it's the longer focal lengths I miss which gives a nicer shallow depth of field for times when that's desired.
@@StreetPhotographyChina I'm also missing the slightly longer focal lengths for portraits and shallow depth of field. One look at a Tele Rollei and I know I'll be hooked. The optional pistol grip is my next purchase as I have the prism finder. It's mind blowing how flexible this camera system is for the age. Looking forward to the next video :)
My wife has a 1961 Rolleiflex 3.5F. I’m looking at getting a Rolleiflex T in the near future.
The 3.5F is great as is the T. Did you have any luck finding one yet? The way they work is slightly different to the standard Rolleiflex but if you run into difficulties I’ll be happy to help.
@@StreetPhotographyChinaYes, I found a nice condition Rolleiflex T. It came with a light meter and a 4 x 5.5 mask which can give me 16 shots per roll, a great option to have. The camera is so much fun to use and the results are great!
I got myself Rolleiflex Standard model 622, which has a 75mm 3.5 Tessar lens. The exterior of the camera is pretty rough, and it probably has gone through a war (ww2). Amazingly, shutterspeeds are pretty accurate. Except 1 second and 1/500s are half stop slower. The lens is decent and has no visible scratches or fungus. It would be nicer if I got a new mirror and focusing screen. I had a Rolleicord Vb model 1 which was in excellent condition, and CLAd. Difference between this Rolleiflex and Rolleicord I had is that Rolleiflex is much lighter. Also shutter release is much smoother with Rolleiflex.
Oh that's a much older model than my Rolleiflex cameras, I guess they were lighter back then. The ones I have I think are heavier than the Rolleicord, more metal, less plastic.
I have a few Rolleis: 2.8E, 3.5E, and a Cord. Which one I use the most? 3.5E. Small and convenient. Rolleicord is fine, but sometimes I don't like the feel of pulling the lever to take the image (unless you have the soft shutter). And of course, no way to prevent accidentally making double-exposure images. No issue on the Rolleiflex, because the film advance and shutter-cocking mechanism is integrated.
The 3.5E shouldn't be that much smaller than the 2.8E. For the Rolleicord, for sure, the shutter release mechanism is not great, you can also accidentally move the camera when trying to take the photo, although it is not so bad with practice. Where can I view your photos?
I had a T, but had to sell it due to unreliability, now have yashicas, may try a cord in future though
The Ts are usually VERY well constructed cameras, so if it was unreliable, it could have been damaged or just a rare bad example. The Yashicas are more plastic, and therefore cheaper, but still great cameras.
I use a k4a automat. I assume you'd lump the automats into the weird middle quality level with the T.
I believe that the Rolleiflex T launched in 1959 was the first attempt to appeal to non-professionals with a more affordable option and that the Automat, although a much earlier model, was still aimed at professionals. It was the first model to have the automatic film counter mechanism that all subsequent professional models have.
I pfer mamiya c330 vs c220
The Mamiyas are also great cameras, without doubt.
Is Baby Rolleiflex worth using now? Because it's small and beautiful, the price is cheap. Are there any disadvantages or advantages? Please give me some advice.
The Baby Rolleiflex doesn't take 120 film, it takes 127 film which is a lot harder to buy as most major manufacturers don't make this size. You can cut 120 film to fit the 127 spool but that is a lot of trouble and expensive. Since the normal Rolleiflex is very light and compact, I don't feel there's any advantage to having the smaller Baby Rolleiflex.
@@StreetPhotographyChina But the normal size is too expensive for me, 8-10 times the price.
@@KhunTui-jl5nj It should not be that much difference, but if Rolleiflex is too expensive, you can get a Rolleicord for much less and yet it still uses full size 120 film. This is exactly why I posted this video so you can see that the cheaper models still are great cameras. Having to cut film to size every time is for me way too much work.
@@StreetPhotographyChina Aha. Thank you for this knowledge. Last question: Which model of RolleiCord is a budget model? Worth the price.
@@KhunTui-jl5nj I have the Rolleicord Vb and did a whole video on this camera ua-cam.com/video/k8hsHFtOmfQ/v-deo.htmlsi=cVhh8GJxfOLin9lY