Phew! Hard not to fall for a Rollei after that!! What's your favourite Rollei? BTW, added chapters to the video timeline because it's a really long-A video.
Kai, this would have to be one of my favourite videos of yours. Loved the whole mood, the depth, the pacing, everything. Would love to see more interviews like this from you!
Wow never expected my wargaming and photography passions to collide. Dave is also the genius behind the tabletop game Dropzone commander. Such a talent in so many fields!
The photos coming out of this session and these cameras are better than a most if not all modern ‘POV’ street photography videos of people’s backs with the fastest AF. Great rundown of gear and interviewing as usual.
youtube has convinced everyone with a film camera is a pro photographer. taking photos of suburban trees and bushes and abandoned houses and sharing them like it's worthy of being exposed at a gallery. I'm not against anyone having cameras and exploring photography and sharing but just because someone shares a photo on a video on youtube doesn't make them actually good.
@@256k_definitely not “pro” photographers but many film channels do have good photographic styles and techniques. They just do it for fun rather than as a job. No need to gate keep photography
Awesome video! A month ago, a friend gave me her father’s Automat 4, which sat forgotten in a closet for a few decades. It’s in mint condition and the shutter speeds are accurate. When I was a kid, my mom, had a couple of Rolleis. She fostered I love her photography and me. I purchased a Rolleicord IV after saving my allowance when I was a teen. Later I purchased a Rollei T. My mother gave me her 2.8F after her eyesight declined. I shot with that 2.8F for some of the photos I made in a book about travel in Northern California published in 2000. The project was a wistful one for me. I knew the analog era of photography was already ending. My mother also gave me her MX-LVS (my favorite Rollei of those I own). It’s the camera I remember my mom using the most. To me it’s the most classic of all Rolleis. So now I own five Rollei TLRs. I also have an extensive collection of 3.5 and 2.8 filters, leather containers holding multiple filters, close-up attachments, two pentaprisms, the bizarre leather focusing hood, panorama tripod head, Rollei and off-brand quick releases, lens hoods, cases, straps, a Rolleikin, and the cut film back holders. I’m not sure why, but I’ve also have a huge number of Rollei boxes, for cameras and many of the accessories. I am very well up in years now. I’m not going to give up my collection. I was out shooting with the Automat yesterday. My Rolleis will have to be pried out of my cold, dead hands. 😱😉
Great Collection ! Every camera I have EVER purchased used I have completely taken apart and rebuilt the camera to factory specs. I’m an Engineer at heart and know and appreciate accurate shutters. Such fun cameras !!
I love your video's, but this is by far the my favorite video you've ever done. I was mesmerized by simply listening to Dave just talk about his cameras with such love.Thanks for doing this, and Dave, thanks, thanks thanks.
In the streets of shutter clicks and film, Where lenses gleam, and scenes fulfill, Rollei in hand, my tool of might, Capturing moments in the silent night. Loaded with frames, like bullets I sling, Through the viewfinder, my aim takes wing. Rollei, my partner in this gritty art, A lens to pierce, a shutter to depart. Chrome and leather, a gangsta's attire, Rollei's the weapon, sparking creative fire. In the concrete jungle, where stories unfold, My Rollei captures tales, both silver and gold. It's not a piece, it's a visual trigger, Firing shots of life, making memories bigger. With every click, a chapter unveiled, Rollei in hand, my story's detailed. So, in this urban drama, I take my stand, Rollei in hand, ruling the photo-land. Through gritty streets and alleys unknown, My camera, my weapon, seeds stories sown.
@@kishascape tlrs anchor themselves if you keep them hanging as you should unlike hasselblad for example. For an added bonus people always look down on their phone so you look like you are not acknowledging others. Get one with a speed shaft for a fast reload, clean it so you can focus quickly from a distance, don’t bring it up to your face. Focus on the whole instead of the details, some cheaper ones can have a wicked lens that takes care of the details. Basically a magic factory and so damn refreshing to catch people naturally instead of them reacting to the camera. And don’t hate. Nobody likes a hater
This was an incredible collaboration. Dave is an incredible wealth of knowledge. He is humble and approachable about all of his wisdom on these cameras. It was incredible to watch him handle the cameras and shoot with them a bit! I purchased an Automat 3.5A after watching this video! I own and shoot regularly with a Hassy 503cw -itll be an adjustment with the TLR parallax but will definitely lighten my daily pack weight and allow me more discrete NYC street shooting! :) Thanks Kai for another amazing video!
I have a very nice 2.8F that I got for free, because someone left it in a car at my stepdad's work (tow yard in a fancy area) and never claimed it. I got it serviced by a specialty technician here in the bay area, and I love it.
I now use a 1957 Yashica Mat with a 75mm 3.5 Lumaxar lens. Excellent. I am 77 years old and still have my memories and a darkroom. You didn't mention the two viewing holes on the back of the hood on most Rolleiflex cameras giving the ability to focus and shoot at eyelevel just by shifting your eye up to the top hole. This gave us press photographers the ability to shoot fast during the 1950s and 1960s. Watch some of the newsreels of the time.
Hi again ! I want to add a comment about your two special sportfinders 25:48 to 26:50. I think you should try them at least through a whole roll each, taking accurate notes. I don’t Rollei ever made something that deserves the mention “more or less” when it comes to accuracy ! This is so obvious when using their accessories such as the close up lenses. I still have my original 3.5 Xenar non metered still looking almost mint after some 60 years !
First medium format camera I ever shot was a smashed up rusty Rolleiflex with a 3.5f lens. It was a miracle it worked at all, you'd shake it and lose parts would rattle around, and nothing under a 30th of a second worked. Took the sharpest film images I had ever seen and was so quiet I wasn't sure it was even taking them. it sold me on medium format, but I've been shooting a Hasselblad 500 for 4 years and will never look back. Still love my Yashica 44 though
I bought a used Rolleiflex in the mid'ish 1970's, roughly 1976. It had a Schneider, not Zeiss, 80mm f2.8, which was a terrific lens, and my guess was that the camera was from the mid to late 1960's. It also had the best engineered waist level finder (actually anything!) that I've ever seen. When you opened it up it would form the four sided shade and then with the slightest pinch would flip up the magnifier. Absolutely wonderful. The one thing about the film sensing mechanism. I used lots of Tr-X, Plus X, CPS and some Ilford films, all of which worked wonderfully. The film that failed was an obscure Kodak film called Royal-X Pan. It had an ASA of 1250, which was extremely fast for that time. But (I think) Royal-X film was very thin and the auto sense mechanism required something thicker in order to function. In any case I wound through two rolls of the stuff before I realized it was the camera and not me. It was a great camera in general and especially was a great travel camera as it fit nicely into a corner of my backpack.
Rolleiflex is the first camera I ever used. It was my father’s camera and I was quite young. The year was 1956 and no my image was not a masterpiece. Always had a fondness for that camera.
Out of all the cameras I have, my Rolleiflex 2.8C is the one I will never sell, even today it still produces images that exceed any digital, and its size and the way it works mechanically is magical. There's a reason why people were blown away when those Vivian Maier photos turned up. When people see you with it, they will gladly pose, and others will stop you to ask questions, others pointing, saying that's that camera, you know the famous one lol. Although the 3.5 version is as perfect as the 2.8, if you want to take photos, handheld, in the dim daylight of our Northern European winters, with slow film like Velvia 50, then the 2.8 is essential. I know it's terribly small, but my youtube profile pic happens to be a long exposure of comet NEOWISE taken with the 2.8C using Portra 800 (original). For astro, digital is better in general, but I reckon it could be the only pic of that great comet taken with such equipment!
That picture at the end was well worth it Kai, Really liked it, with the whole video. It was showing something interesting rather then a review of a product. Don't get me wrong, review is interesting in its own way, but it feels more like you have to buy something and you want to know what to buy so you watch reviews. This told a story.
I owned a 2.8 Rolleiflex in the early 1970s when I worked for wedding photographer Monte Zucker. It was equipped with the optional eye level pentaprism finder which cost nearly as much of as the camera, which I was able to get a discount because Monte was sponsored by Rollei. He also had one of the less frequently seen 150mm models and a set of Rollei studio lights with beauty dishes which weren’t used much because he did all his posed portraits by window light in the style of old master paintings. When I questioned his choice of camera vs a Hasselblad he explained the reason a twin-lens was superior, especially when using flash, was the ability to see the exact moment of exposure and whether or not the subject(s) blinked. We used dual flash for all indoor photos with the fill flash attached via a custom bracket installed onto the body or the Rollei which held the center of the flash head 16” above the lens so the shadows it cast fell out of sight behind the subject. The off-axis “key” light was put on a modified medical IV stand which had a heavy but compact metal base which allowed it to be rolled around at a wedding reception venue. Monte had innovated the use of a photocell triggered dual flash configuration in the late 1960s when making the switch from B&W to color. Color prints have a much shorter range than B&W. With B&W a single flash on camera could capture the full range of detail from black suits to white dress but with color prints exposing for the dress and faces would result in loss of detail in the shadows the overlapping fill/key light arrangement solved by placing the off camera light so it was one stop brighter than fill, which was done by stepping off distances so when shooting at 11 feet the off camera flash was at 8 as a starting baseline, with exposure of f/8. If moving closer to 8ft the off camera flash moved to 5.6ft to keep the “key one stop over fill” ratio the same with the aperture being closed to f/11 to keep the exposure the same. Setting the distances using the same numbers as f/stops made setting the distances easy to remember. Placing the off camera flash was equally simple (once he explained it) by keeping it 45° from whatever direction the noses were pointing and about 40° higher than eye line to match the 3D modeling of outdoor lighting at 10 and 2 when the sun is at a 45° angle. When precise aiming of the flash on faces wasn’t possible it was used behind as rim light with the raised flash over the camera acting as a flattering “butterfly” pattern key light. Flattering the subjects was the reason for using the pentaprism on the Rollei. When held at waist level the camera winds up looking up the noses at people which is not the most flattering angle for a face. Ideally you want the shooting lens above subject eye level with the slightly downward POV causing the tip of nose to hide the nostrils. Shooting outdoors the brow will always shade the eye sockets and no matter how much flash is added they will remain darker. The trick there is to start with the sun at the backs, have the subject look up enough to get the skylight into the eyes before adding any flash and adding it to match the direction of light modeling the face. You then need a step stool or chair to stand on to raise the POV of the camera (to hide the nose holes from camera view). My time with Mr. Zucker was brief because I got an opportunity to work in the photo lab at National Geographic where I sold my Rollei to a colleague who moonlighted shooting weddings. But I bought another Rollei, the A110 which was barely larger than the A110 film cassettes it used when closed and was noteworthy as being the first camera with completely automatic exposure. I still have that one in my collection 😊
I think mine is the 3.5C based on images I have spotted on fan sites. Meter is dead but other than than is in really really good condition. I also have the 124G in great condition and love using both. Great camera collection there and fingers crossed has gone to home where they will be used. Wonderful to see the results from your street work.
good stuff, love a collector who uses the cameras for real for me, with good gear comes a great responsibility to actually use it to its maximum, to take the best photos possible
I loved this video. Like really. I got into film photography about a year ago and this thr Rolleiflex 3.5f has been my dream camera for basically this whole time. I don't think i'll ever be able to afford one which makes me feel terrible but hey, that's life. Great video, and great collection! I'm glad I found your channel :)
Great video ! Loads of infos ! Being a happy owner of a Rolleiflex, i would be interested in knowing what is the app he uses to measure light. Would that info be available ? Thanks for the video !
Video @ 22:43 "Grey leatherette" - The 127 film 'Baby Rolleiflex' also came with the Grey coverings... BTW, in the mid-sixties, the magazine "Reader's Digest" had a Top Ten list of the MOST PRECISION objects made by mankind. Guess what 'object' won 1st place (even with jeweler's tools being considered) ? - - - Rolleiflex Finally, video @ 32:33 "currently this meter is working" - I'm a camera technician; I always marvel at these early Gossen meters. From Rollei, Hasselblad, Voigtlander to Kodak Retina units, the reliability and longevity of these selenium cells absolutely blow me away ! - The popular use of Eveready cases, likely contributed to this astounding longevity etc.
I own a hasselblad 503CXi, and I was going to get a rollei instead, i borrowed one for a week and it was absolutely fantastic, but i chose the hassey only because i shoot street and in the studio. If I was just street, the rollei would definitely be my choice
Great video! I just finished a project using a 2.8C and E. Lots of handheld shots at low speeds (1/25 - 1/30) at a relatively dark location. Wouldn’t have been able to do this with a Hasselblad due to the mirror shake. TLRs, and especially the Rolleis, rock!
I wonder if he has the 2.8a type 1 with the prewar CZJ tessar lens. It is rare because only the first batch had this lens (leftover from super ikonta production i believe) and they were recalled because lots of them had lens problems and they offered a free lens replacement if you sent yours back to the factory. Most 2.8a have the "opton tessar"
Wow, very nice video! I think in general Rolleiflex deserves a bit more credit for its roll in the history of photography. I'm a huge Rolleiflex fan and after using most models I ended up with a set of the very last production cameras: the 4.0FW, 2.8FX and 4.0FT. The older models are indeed monuments of the camera industry, but the modern models (1987 and later) are actually excellent and reliable cameras that offer all you need to make great pictures.Highly recommended cameras for everyone interested in high quality analogue photography.
I would try one, but people horde them then say they're great driving the prices up lol. I'm content with my C330 and C220 Mamiyas that I rebuilt for TLR's. Pretty much all of my film shooting is done with a 645 Pro TL anymore anyway (120, 35, and 35 panoramic adapted backs pretty much cover it all to swap between on a shoot). That's when though, for the price of film I could actually buy a Leica M10 used setup after like a year of "I'm bored guess I'll go shoot a roll" moments. I process and scan my own film so it's not as much, I'm just cheap and would rather have a new-to-me lens or something.
Awesome video! I just recently acquired a 3.5f and a 2.8f from my uncle after he passed away. This video really helped me learn more about these amazing cameras. At 14:30 what app was he using?
Absolutely fascinating. I always fancied a Rolleiflex, but they weren't really suitable for studio work, so I took the Hasselblad route instead. Brilliant video 🙂
I had an old Rolleiflex when I was a kid and loved it so much I got a second twin lens camera, a Marita c330, before moving onto the new Mamiya 645 single lens reflex. The days when you couldn’t preview exposure until the roll was developed!
A couple of years ago I bought a Yashicaflex model B. It's a poor mans Rolleiflex but takes beautiful pictures and the detail and sharpness is amazing. Good to see you again Kai. I used to watch you a lot when you were with Digital Rev.
I couldn't stop thinking about getting a rollei so I jumped the gun, did research and decided that the 3.5f xenotar was the best choice. Wish this video was out earlier because its so informative! But I'm glad Dave reassured me that the 3.5f is the one to get, and with the sharpest lens of them all. So far, the using experience is unmatched.
Hi ! Great (expensive) collection and nice video. Thank you. I would like to add something to it almost as if I was selling Rolleiflex as a living ! My special point will be about “sport finders” in the Rollei models from the 1950” on. I did not know the finder you show at #24.50 it is special and shoud be very interesting to test. Now, talking about all the other ones, fixed or removable, there is one beautiful feature not found on any other TLR and that is the second magnifier lens on the back of the finder. the “Sport finder” is not a joke at all but a terrific viewing (simple)system to use under pressure such as wedding photography when there are sometimes no “second chance. I am lucky to have gone into photography professionaly many years ago ! My first wedding were shot using the 4x5 Crown graphic cameras…. Which finders did we use ? the metal frame ! it has a parallax adjustment (like on a gun sight) so going into the Rollei cameras using the sport finders was normal for me. Not to say I never used the full groundglass and shot through it but only when the situation was right. With the sport finder and rear focusing loupe you are really in business ! It won‘t seem right to you for a day or so maybe but I encourage everyone to try it and trust it. Your film image will be slightly bigger that what you saw, so you’re safe and you will learn to use your head when and if some compensation is needed. If you are shooting 6x6 slides then, yes you need perfect framing for certain shots. But let’s be realistic, it’s not always the case. The Rollei sport finder should be tried with the use of the rear magnifier (which is reversed but that is not important at all) and you will see how it can help you when the going is tough.
I have a Rollei Rolleiflex and a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex and I do like TLR cameras a lot. The only regret with those cameras is the single focal length, but they do take great pictures.
I don't shoot film, but I always love the look and design of those antique cameras. This is obviously a porn for the enthusiasts, especially TLR lovers. Really appreciate how half of the video is just indulging with the cameras.
I love TLRs, they are my favorite film cameras. My first one was a Rolleiflex Automat III of 1939, and today I have two more Rolleiflexes (a 4x4 from 1937 with a 2.8 Tessar lens, and a mid 60s grey Rolleiflex T). My favorite Rolleiflex was (and is) the Rolleiflex 3.5F, but I was never willing to pay the price for it, and than I found the other TLRs I mention below and don't think that a 3.5F could beat one of them. I also have around a dozen other TLRs from other brands, and nowadays the Rolleiflexes are not leaving the cupboard anymore. My favorite TLRs are (in that order): 1. Voigtländer Brillant S with the Compur-Rapid shutter and the Helios lens. No quality 6x6 TLR is smaller or more leightweight, and it has the brightest viewfinder of them all. It's a bit tricky to focus, though, but since I usually use hyperfocal distances, that does not concern me that much. I have three of them already. 2. Koniflex with its Heliar type five element lens. The second brightest viewfinder of them all, a lens with character, and very easy to use. 3. Olympus Flex with the six element F.Zuiko 2.8. The best lens of all TLRs I've ran into so far, and - besides the Koniflex - the only TLR I'm really comfortable to use color film with. Honorable mentions to the Ricohmatic 225, the Flexaret VII, and the Minolta Autocord (Minolta actually has some of the most interesting and usable accessories for TLRs, like the Paradjuster and the Autopol). And then come the Rolleiflexes.
![40 of the Wildest & Weirdest Cameras/Lenses! [Flint's Fine Photographica Auction Nov 21st 2024]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XMyzrvn-byA/mqdefault.jpg)
Phew! Hard not to fall for a Rollei after that!! What's your favourite Rollei? BTW, added chapters to the video timeline because it's a really long-A video.
My favorite is a toss-up between my 2.8F or Wide.
you suck
My favourite is my non metered 3.5f planar which is in fantastic condition. I have had the 2.8 before but the balance of the 3.5 is perfect.
Hope you didn't drop any...
My favorite is the latest 2.8FX as a real photography tool. Had most of the Rolleiflexes and I actually like it better than the hyped 2.8F.
The most beautiful camera of all time. I inherited one from my grandfather and I am currently 60 years old.
I inherited my Rolleiflex my dad when he died . I was nine years old. I’m 73 years old and I occasionally use that Camera.
Kai, this would have to be one of my favourite videos of yours. Loved the whole mood, the depth, the pacing, everything. Would love to see more interviews like this from you!
Totally agree that this is one of Kai's absolute best videos
DO NOT SELL YOU WILL REGRET IT
Wow never expected my wargaming and photography passions to collide. Dave is also the genius behind the tabletop game Dropzone commander. Such a talent in so many fields!
Seems like these collections should be in a museum 🥸
The photos coming out of this session and these cameras are better than a most if not all modern ‘POV’ street photography videos of people’s backs with the fastest AF. Great rundown of gear and interviewing as usual.
youtube has convinced everyone with a film camera is a pro photographer. taking photos of suburban trees and bushes and abandoned houses and sharing them like it's worthy of being exposed at a gallery. I'm not against anyone having cameras and exploring photography and sharing but just because someone shares a photo on a video on youtube doesn't make them actually good.
@@256k_ Agreed
@@256k_definitely not “pro” photographers but many film channels do have good photographic styles and techniques. They just do it for fun rather than as a job. No need to gate keep photography
Awesome video!
A month ago, a friend gave me her father’s Automat 4, which sat forgotten in a closet for a few decades. It’s in mint condition and the shutter speeds are accurate.
When I was a kid, my mom, had a couple of Rolleis. She fostered I love her photography and me.
I purchased a Rolleicord IV after saving my allowance when I was a teen. Later I purchased a Rollei T.
My mother gave me her 2.8F after her eyesight declined. I shot with that 2.8F for some of the photos I made in a book about travel in Northern California published in 2000. The project was a wistful one for me. I knew the analog era of photography was already ending.
My mother also gave me her MX-LVS (my favorite Rollei of those I own). It’s the camera I remember my mom using the most. To me it’s the most classic of all Rolleis.
So now I own five Rollei TLRs.
I also have an extensive collection of 3.5 and 2.8 filters, leather containers holding multiple filters, close-up attachments, two pentaprisms, the bizarre leather focusing hood, panorama tripod head, Rollei and off-brand quick releases, lens hoods, cases, straps, a Rolleikin, and the cut film back holders.
I’m not sure why, but I’ve also have a huge number of Rollei boxes, for cameras and many of the accessories.
I am very well up in years now. I’m not going to give up my collection. I was out shooting with the Automat yesterday. My Rolleis will have to be pried out of my cold, dead hands. 😱😉
Such a rad series! Really hope stuff like this continues - great interview, content, and editing!
Great Collection ! Every camera I have EVER purchased used I have completely taken apart and rebuilt the camera to factory specs. I’m an Engineer at heart and know and appreciate accurate shutters.
Such fun cameras !!
Excellent
Came for the Rolleis, stayed for the surprisingly excellent photography! Dave's got an eye and surely the experience for framing in squares
I really enjoyed this, Kai. More like this please!
I love your video's, but this is by far the my favorite video you've ever done. I was mesmerized by simply listening to Dave just talk about his cameras with such love.Thanks for doing this, and Dave, thanks, thanks thanks.
This is a Rolleiflex masterclass. Great info!!
In the streets of shutter clicks and film,
Where lenses gleam, and scenes fulfill,
Rollei in hand, my tool of might,
Capturing moments in the silent night.
Loaded with frames, like bullets I sling,
Through the viewfinder, my aim takes wing.
Rollei, my partner in this gritty art,
A lens to pierce, a shutter to depart.
Chrome and leather, a gangsta's attire,
Rollei's the weapon, sparking creative fire.
In the concrete jungle, where stories unfold,
My Rollei captures tales, both silver and gold.
It's not a piece, it's a visual trigger,
Firing shots of life, making memories bigger.
With every click, a chapter unveiled,
Rollei in hand, my story's detailed.
So, in this urban drama, I take my stand,
Rollei in hand, ruling the photo-land.
Through gritty streets and alleys unknown,
My camera, my weapon, seeds stories sown.
Do more of this my man, such a good vid
Rollei's became much more expensive after Vivain Maier became posthumously famous. Not a single one at B&H in the US.
Rolleicords are still cheap, esp the IIc and III. Look for the Triotars. The prices of Vs are just spiralling out of control.
Rollei is over rated and TLRs are dumb. I’ll just go with Pentax 6x7 or 6x9
@mipmipmipmipmip As far as i know the biggest Pentax is a 6 x 7. Fuji has a rangefinder 6 x 9.
@@kishascape tlrs anchor themselves if you keep them hanging as you should unlike hasselblad for example. For an added bonus people always look down on their phone so you look like you are not acknowledging others. Get one with a speed shaft for a fast reload, clean it so you can focus quickly from a distance, don’t bring it up to your face. Focus on the whole instead of the details, some cheaper ones can have a wicked lens that takes care of the details. Basically a magic factory and so damn refreshing to catch people naturally instead of them reacting to the camera. And don’t hate. Nobody likes a hater
@@hjorleifurgujonsson7039 Well then no one likes a Progressive.
This was an incredible collaboration. Dave is an incredible wealth of knowledge. He is humble and approachable about all of his wisdom on these cameras. It was incredible to watch him handle the cameras and shoot with them a bit! I purchased an Automat 3.5A after watching this video! I own and shoot regularly with a Hassy 503cw -itll be an adjustment with the TLR parallax but will definitely lighten my daily pack weight and allow me more discrete NYC street shooting! :) Thanks Kai for another amazing video!
I've had a Rollie for over 20 years and I love it.
Can truly feel Kai's passion for these old cameras, keep it up!
Rolleicord Art Deco.....such a beauty
A true collector and a passionate photographer. I will have to hold on to my collection of cameras a bit longer though.
I have a very nice 2.8F that I got for free, because someone left it in a car at my stepdad's work (tow yard in a fancy area) and never claimed it. I got it serviced by a specialty technician here in the bay area, and I love it.
What an awesome educational video on Rollei this was for me!
I now use a 1957 Yashica Mat with a 75mm 3.5 Lumaxar lens. Excellent.
I am 77 years old and still have my memories and a darkroom.
You didn't mention the two viewing holes on the back of the hood on most Rolleiflex cameras giving the ability to focus and shoot at eyelevel just by shifting your eye up to the top hole.
This gave us press photographers the ability to shoot fast during the 1950s and 1960s.
Watch some of the newsreels of the time.
Hi again ! I want to add a comment about your two special sportfinders 25:48 to 26:50. I think you should try them at least through a whole roll each, taking accurate notes. I don’t Rollei ever made something that deserves the mention “more or less” when it comes to accuracy ! This is so obvious when using their accessories such as the close up lenses.
I still have my original 3.5 Xenar non metered still looking almost mint after some 60 years !
First medium format camera I ever shot was a smashed up rusty Rolleiflex with a 3.5f lens. It was a miracle it worked at all, you'd shake it and lose parts would rattle around, and nothing under a 30th of a second worked. Took the sharpest film images I had ever seen and was so quiet I wasn't sure it was even taking them. it sold me on medium format, but I've been shooting a Hasselblad 500 for 4 years and will never look back. Still love my Yashica 44 though
I was excited the whole way through watching this! Amazing video, Kai.
What a nice bloke and such an impressive collection.
Those photos are incredible. Also definitely one of my favourite videos from you ever, this was fascinating!
I bought a used Rolleiflex in the mid'ish 1970's, roughly 1976. It had a Schneider, not Zeiss, 80mm f2.8, which was a terrific lens, and my guess was that the camera was from the mid to late 1960's. It also had the best engineered waist level finder (actually anything!) that I've ever seen. When you opened it up it would form the four sided shade and then with the slightest pinch would flip up the magnifier. Absolutely wonderful.
The one thing about the film sensing mechanism. I used lots of Tr-X, Plus X, CPS and some Ilford films, all of which worked wonderfully. The film that failed was an obscure Kodak film called Royal-X Pan. It had an ASA of 1250, which was extremely fast for that time. But (I think) Royal-X film was very thin and the auto sense mechanism required something thicker in order to function. In any case I wound through two rolls of the stuff before I realized it was the camera and not me.
It was a great camera in general and especially was a great travel camera as it fit nicely into a corner of my backpack.
Very reassuring considering I just bought my first one! Model 2 3.5f, stoked.
Rolleiflex is the first camera I ever used. It was my father’s camera and I was quite young. The year was 1956 and no my image was not a masterpiece. Always had a fondness for that camera.
Great video Kai, keep doing this series, plenty of content!
Kai, this is my favorite video ever! Please more analog photography topics!!! Thank you
Out of all the cameras I have, my Rolleiflex 2.8C is the one I will never sell, even today it still produces images that exceed any digital, and its size and the way it works mechanically is magical. There's a reason why people were blown away when those Vivian Maier photos turned up. When people see you with it, they will gladly pose, and others will stop you to ask questions, others pointing, saying that's that camera, you know the famous one lol.
Although the 3.5 version is as perfect as the 2.8, if you want to take photos, handheld, in the dim daylight of our Northern European winters, with slow film like Velvia 50, then the 2.8 is essential.
I know it's terribly small, but my youtube profile pic happens to be a long exposure of comet NEOWISE taken with the 2.8C using Portra 800 (original). For astro, digital is better in general, but I reckon it could be the only pic of that great comet taken with such equipment!
That picture at the end was well worth it Kai, Really liked it, with the whole video. It was showing something interesting rather then a review of a product. Don't get me wrong, review is interesting in its own way, but it feels more like you have to buy something and you want to know what to buy so you watch reviews. This told a story.
My favorite Rolleiflex is my Yashica 124 G.
I owned a 2.8 Rolleiflex in the early 1970s when I worked for wedding photographer Monte Zucker. It was equipped with the optional eye level pentaprism finder which cost nearly as much of as the camera, which I was able to get a discount because Monte was sponsored by Rollei. He also had one of the less frequently seen 150mm models and a set of Rollei studio lights with beauty dishes which weren’t used much because he did all his posed portraits by window light in the style of old master paintings.
When I questioned his choice of camera vs a Hasselblad he explained the reason a twin-lens was superior, especially when using flash, was the ability to see the exact moment of exposure and whether or not the subject(s) blinked. We used dual flash for all indoor photos with the fill flash attached via a custom bracket installed onto the body or the Rollei which held the center of the flash head 16” above the lens so the shadows it cast fell out of sight behind the subject. The off-axis “key” light was put on a modified medical IV stand which had a heavy but compact metal base which allowed it to be rolled around at a wedding reception venue.
Monte had innovated the use of a photocell triggered dual flash configuration in the late 1960s when making the switch from B&W to color. Color prints have a much shorter range than B&W. With B&W a single flash on camera could capture the full range of detail from black suits to white dress but with color prints exposing for the dress and faces would result in loss of detail in the shadows the overlapping fill/key light arrangement solved by placing the off camera light so it was one stop brighter than fill, which was done by stepping off distances so when shooting at 11 feet the off camera flash was at 8 as a starting baseline, with exposure of f/8. If moving closer to 8ft the off camera flash moved to 5.6ft to keep the “key one stop over fill” ratio the same with the aperture being closed to f/11 to keep the exposure the same.
Setting the distances using the same numbers as f/stops made setting the distances easy to remember. Placing the off camera flash was equally simple (once he explained it) by keeping it 45° from whatever direction the noses were pointing and about 40° higher than eye line to match the 3D modeling of outdoor lighting at 10 and 2 when the sun is at a 45° angle. When precise aiming of the flash on faces wasn’t possible it was used behind as rim light with the raised flash over the camera acting as a flattering “butterfly” pattern key light.
Flattering the subjects was the reason for using the pentaprism on the Rollei. When held at waist level the camera winds up looking up the noses at people which is not the most flattering angle for a face. Ideally you want the shooting lens above subject eye level with the slightly downward POV causing the tip of nose to hide the nostrils. Shooting outdoors the brow will always shade the eye sockets and no matter how much flash is added they will remain darker. The trick there is to start with the sun at the backs, have the subject look up enough to get the skylight into the eyes before adding any flash and adding it to match the direction of light modeling the face. You then need a step stool or chair to stand on to raise the POV of the camera (to hide the nose holes from camera view).
My time with Mr. Zucker was brief because I got an opportunity to work in the photo lab at National Geographic where I sold my Rollei to a colleague who moonlighted shooting weddings. But I bought another Rollei, the A110 which was barely larger than the A110 film cassettes it used when closed and was noteworthy as being the first camera with completely automatic exposure. I still have that one in my collection 😊
Fabulous! Would love more videos like this on the analogue!
Really fascinating video on a beautiful camera system! Loved the images & in depth history.
Isn't it just the most amazing looking camera? Great video Kai.
Such a good video, the Rollei knowledge is insane. Keep these film camera videos going!
This is one of the coolest guys alive with that awesome collection. Love it. Rolleiflex > that swiss camera
I don’t know.. I would trade my Rollei for a xpan any day.
I think mine is the 3.5C based on images I have spotted on fan sites. Meter is dead but other than than is in really really good condition. I also have the 124G in great condition and love using both. Great camera collection there and fingers crossed has gone to home where they will be used. Wonderful to see the results from your street work.
What a fantastic video. Would love to see more like this from you. Great job
What a great collection and photographer as well! I'd love it if he published a book about his cameras and photos he's taken with them.
Excellent video. I have 2.8c Xenotar and it gives me more pleasure than any other camera I've ever used, simply superb.
good stuff, love a collector who uses the cameras for real
for me, with good gear comes a great responsibility to actually use it to its maximum, to take the best photos possible
I loved this video. Like really. I got into film photography about a year ago and this thr Rolleiflex 3.5f has been my dream camera for basically this whole time. I don't think i'll ever be able to afford one which makes me feel terrible but hey, that's life.
Great video, and great collection! I'm glad I found your channel :)
Great video - fantastic content, nice pace - thanks. Beautiful cameras
Great video ! Loads of infos ! Being a happy owner of a Rolleiflex, i would be interested in knowing what is the app he uses to measure light. Would that info be available ?
Thanks for the video !
Video @ 22:43 "Grey leatherette" - The 127 film 'Baby Rolleiflex' also came with the Grey coverings...
BTW, in the mid-sixties, the magazine "Reader's Digest" had a Top Ten list of the MOST PRECISION objects made by mankind. Guess what 'object' won
1st place (even with jeweler's tools being considered) ? - - - Rolleiflex
Finally, video @ 32:33 "currently this meter is working" - I'm a camera technician; I always marvel at these early Gossen meters. From Rollei, Hasselblad, Voigtlander to Kodak Retina units, the reliability and longevity of these selenium cells absolutely blow me away ! - The popular use of Eveready cases, likely contributed to this astounding longevity etc.
I own a hasselblad 503CXi, and I was going to get a rollei instead, i borrowed one for a week and it was absolutely fantastic, but i chose the hassey only because i shoot street and in the studio. If I was just street, the rollei would definitely be my choice
Worked for years with one. Replaced it for a Bronica SQa because I wanted the 40mm and other options. No regrets, but working with a Rollei was great.
this was such a great video, thank you Kai!
Great video! I just finished a project using a 2.8C and E. Lots of handheld shots at low speeds (1/25 - 1/30) at a relatively dark location. Wouldn’t have been able to do this with a Hasselblad due to the mirror shake. TLRs, and especially the Rolleis, rock!
Outstanding video
Fantastic video Kai, appreciate videos like this prob take a bit of work but would really love to see more stuff like this.
I NEEEEEED ONE!! Okay maybe a few
Flat out fascinating video.
I wonder if he has the 2.8a type 1 with the prewar CZJ tessar lens. It is rare because only the first batch had this lens (leftover from super ikonta production i believe) and they were recalled because lots of them had lens problems and they offered a free lens replacement if you sent yours back to the factory. Most 2.8a have the "opton tessar"
Wow that was fascinating to learn about, and presented by a person totally fascinated by them. Great video!!
Cool video, saw some of those this week in aperture, nice collection.
Wow this video got me really zoned out on these wonderful cameras, the time flew by. One of your best videos Kai (obviously they are all good).
awesome. appreciated the spotlight and giving him a chance to talk about something he is passionate about, informative as well.
Wow, very nice video! I think in general Rolleiflex deserves a bit more credit for its roll in the history of photography. I'm a huge Rolleiflex fan and after using most models I ended up with a set of the very last production cameras: the 4.0FW, 2.8FX and 4.0FT. The older models are indeed monuments of the camera industry, but the modern models (1987 and later) are actually excellent and reliable cameras that offer all you need to make great pictures.Highly recommended cameras for everyone interested in high quality analogue photography.
Owning a Rollei is like dating a smart, funny, sweet, beautiful woman: it changes how you see the world. Corny? Yes. True? Deliciously.
Absolutely amazing. I'd forgotten just how much I love these cameras.
Had a rolleiflex automat which was a great camera, with slide, c41 or b&w. Sold it to explore large format though.
Premium camera nerd content. Thank you
I would try one, but people horde them then say they're great driving the prices up lol. I'm content with my C330 and C220 Mamiyas that I rebuilt for TLR's. Pretty much all of my film shooting is done with a 645 Pro TL anymore anyway (120, 35, and 35 panoramic adapted backs pretty much cover it all to swap between on a shoot). That's when though, for the price of film I could actually buy a Leica M10 used setup after like a year of "I'm bored guess I'll go shoot a roll" moments. I process and scan my own film so it's not as much, I'm just cheap and would rather have a new-to-me lens or something.
Awesome video! I just recently acquired a 3.5f and a 2.8f from my uncle after he passed away. This video really helped me learn more about these amazing cameras. At 14:30 what app was he using?
Absolutely fascinating. I always fancied a Rolleiflex, but they weren't really suitable for studio work, so I took the Hasselblad route instead. Brilliant video 🙂
Thanks for sharing your collection with us. Had a rollieflex back in the day. Loved it.
I had an old Rolleiflex when I was a kid and loved it so much I got a second twin lens camera, a Marita c330, before moving onto the new Mamiya 645 single lens reflex.
The days when you couldn’t preview exposure until the roll was developed!
A couple of years ago I bought a Yashicaflex model B. It's a poor mans Rolleiflex but takes beautiful pictures and the detail and sharpness is amazing. Good to see you again Kai. I used to watch you a lot when you were with Digital Rev.
good to see so many people shooting film
I couldn't stop thinking about getting a rollei so I jumped the gun, did research and decided that the 3.5f xenotar was the best choice. Wish this video was out earlier because its so informative! But I'm glad Dave reassured me that the 3.5f is the one to get, and with the sharpest lens of them all. So far, the using experience is unmatched.
Only taken a few rolls with one and damn now it wants me to shoot some more since it was fun.
I've always wondered about these. So the top lens is the viewfinder and the second lens has the curtain right?
I've got an old, crappy Ciroflex-D, and I love it. Twin lens cameras are a blast.
I love my Rolleiflex 6008 Integral, quite modern for a film camera but great for fashion or sports shoots!
What A GREAT VIDEO! Thanks! IMHO
Hi ! Great (expensive) collection and nice video. Thank you. I would like to add something to it almost as if I was selling Rolleiflex as a living ! My special point will be about “sport finders” in the Rollei models from the 1950” on. I did not know the finder you show at #24.50 it is special and shoud be very interesting to test. Now, talking about all the other ones, fixed or removable, there is one beautiful feature not found on any other TLR and that is the second magnifier lens on the back of the finder. the “Sport finder” is not a joke at all but a terrific viewing (simple)system to use under pressure such as wedding photography when there are sometimes no “second chance.
I am lucky to have gone into photography professionaly many years ago ! My first wedding were shot using the 4x5 Crown graphic cameras…. Which finders did we use ? the metal frame ! it has a parallax adjustment (like on a gun sight) so going into the Rollei cameras using the sport finders was normal for me. Not to say I never used the full groundglass and shot through it but only when the situation was right. With the sport finder and rear focusing loupe you are really in business ! It won‘t seem right to you for a day or so maybe but I encourage everyone to try it and trust it. Your film image will be slightly bigger that what you saw, so you’re safe and you will learn to use your head when and if some compensation is needed. If you are shooting 6x6 slides then, yes you need perfect framing for certain shots. But let’s be realistic, it’s not always the case. The Rollei sport finder should be tried with the use of the rear magnifier (which is reversed but that is not important at all) and you will see how it can help you
when the going is tough.
Managed to steal a 2.8D off eBay for £450 after watching this. Might need a service but pretty happy
CLAs are quite expensive on those.
@@Keckegenkai They indeed are
The most Rollie info I've ever absorbed! Great video!
This was great. Thank you 😊
I have a Rollei Rolleiflex and a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex and I do like TLR cameras a lot. The only regret with those cameras is the single focal length, but they do take great pictures.
wow i remember when you could pick up one 2nd hand for $50 in London in the 1980s-90s. Back then I had a bronica & nikon fm2 film cameras :P
I don't shoot film, but I always love the look and design of those antique cameras. This is obviously a porn for the enthusiasts, especially TLR lovers. Really appreciate how half of the video is just indulging with the cameras.
The street photography is so very, very good, that I immediately want to buy Rolli, but we all know where that goes.
great video! Missing my Rolleiflex regret selling it. More videos-focus on iconic film cameras- like these please.
A man after my own heart.
I'd love to see this collection first hand, but I'll stick to my one Rolleiflex 2.8D, thank you.
Amazing collection of beautiful cameras ( I use a 1937 Rolleiflex almost everyday) great video too
Fascinating collection! Excellent video👍. Reminds me of William Eggleston s massive collection of Leica and Canon Rangefinders.📷📸
What? Documentary….. well it’s good,really good. God job!
The Carl Zeiss Biometar 80mm 2.8 lens is cheaply available for the Pentacon Six system, and adapters for Mamiya 645 are available!
I love TLRs, they are my favorite film cameras. My first one was a Rolleiflex Automat III of 1939, and today I have two more Rolleiflexes (a 4x4 from 1937 with a 2.8 Tessar lens, and a mid 60s grey Rolleiflex T). My favorite Rolleiflex was (and is) the Rolleiflex 3.5F, but I was never willing to pay the price for it, and than I found the other TLRs I mention below and don't think that a 3.5F could beat one of them. I also have around a dozen other TLRs from other brands, and nowadays the Rolleiflexes are not leaving the cupboard anymore. My favorite TLRs are (in that order):
1. Voigtländer Brillant S with the Compur-Rapid shutter and the Helios lens. No quality 6x6 TLR is smaller or more leightweight, and it has the brightest viewfinder of them all. It's a bit tricky to focus, though, but since I usually use hyperfocal distances, that does not concern me that much. I have three of them already.
2. Koniflex with its Heliar type five element lens. The second brightest viewfinder of them all, a lens with character, and very easy to use.
3. Olympus Flex with the six element F.Zuiko 2.8. The best lens of all TLRs I've ran into so far, and - besides the Koniflex - the only TLR I'm really comfortable to use color film with.
Honorable mentions to the Ricohmatic 225, the Flexaret VII, and the Minolta Autocord (Minolta actually has some of the most interesting and usable accessories for TLRs, like the Paradjuster and the Autopol). And then come the Rolleiflexes.