I'm looking forward to your sl66 review and really hope it comes out sooner rather than later 😄 Especially since you also have experience with Hasselblad, it would be very nice to see them compared. Recently I purchased a Salut-S, but that didn't scratch my Hasselblad itch entirely 😂
A telescope finder scope (or slr at infinity) peering down the lens of the camera under test can be used to confirm both ground glass and film plane focus.
Well, I find this camera both a gem and a trouble. The problem is it is too sophisticated and many technicians find it a joy to play with - not meaning they really know what they're dealing with, as you learned on your trip. I always have my cameras CLA but, as I get them, I shoot a test roll to see if everything's fine. After all, the service always have a warranty period. I only saw an SL66 for sale once here in Brazil. Man, it was as new. I'm a Rollei fan, have two 3.5F, three 35 and a P11 projector (35/6x6). I almost did the wrong thing and bought the camera. I say wrong thing because it was a big kit, with three lenses and an astronomical cost. Better keep dreaming, I've a family :) Hope you enjoy your SL66 and it gives you more pleasure than headaches! All the best!
Oh, totally. As much as I think the discourse about electronic cameras is grossly overblown, I still consider my SL66 to be more likely to break than the XPan II is. I'd never heard of the P11! Are dual format projectors rare? I know 120 projectors aren't super common to begin with. Many thanks for the kind words! :)
@@Shaka1277 I found it here in Brazil in very good conditions for around 50 USD at the time (some 2 years). The one I picked wasn't the only one, but the others were in not good shape. I found glass mounts for 6x6 are harder to find. I bought some from a man in Germany, from eBay. Glass mounts are a must for 6x6 because of its siza and they curl a bit under the lamp's heat. On 35, no big problem. Lmps for the P11 are still available. I wasn't expecting that much of a difference between 35 and 6x6 projection but when I projected the fiorst 6x6, WOW!!! Love at first sight!! Amazing is all I can say! I believe you'll be able to find one in similar conditions where you live and finding mounts and trays wibably be much easier than here. Very worth a try should the price be fine. All the best!
Your brave for daring to take apart that camera! My SL66 are currently in The Netherlands with Mr. Klinkhamer for a shutter overhaul and flash sync fix. Seeing as your camera was incorrectly calibrated, this does make me a little anxious for my camera but I still have high hopes. I'm glad you got it fixed!
Hans is great, I had him do similar work to you before. I'll have him do a full CLA at some point, I love this camera. I hold yours arrives back to you in perfect condition!
As frustrating as it is to have found out this problem through missed images, it must have been quite satisfying to fix the problem yourself. Also, Lomo 800 at 6400 is wild, but you seem to have made it work!
13:21 This is why my old _Ica Dresden_ and _Zeiss Ikon_ field cameras have a lever to compensate for the difference using glass plates or sheet film in your camera… ;-)
Anything I buy I factor in a CLA before use. Too many folk think CLA is a thing to do when something isn’t working; it’s not. It’s preventative maintenance. Especially when we’re buying 40-60 year old kit that was made to be thrashed by professionals, have to assume that it has been well used and suffering a bit from it. First time viewer, I enjoyed your style and your cadence. Subscribing now :-)
That's exactly it! I often see people scraping and even starving themselves to get a dream camera and I tell them something my guitar teacher told me: if you can't afford to send it away Day 1, you can't afford it yet. Glad to hear you enjoyed, have a lovely Sunday. :)
We're at the point in history, where at best, (good) film cameras are around 30-60 years old. Things are going to happen. While that's scary, what's worse if finding skilled people and parts to fix them. Part of the pain of shooting film. I always find it a thrill to open the tank, hold my breath, and say "well, let's see what I got..." (Sick thrill, I know)
Interesting! You have the memories of the trip, and the photos are a result that can be remembered by looking at them many times. It's good to know that your camera is cold tolerant because my rolleicord iii starts to protest and strongly dislikes the cold weather from +4 and colder.
london just might be cursed for close focus.... i just got back from there and discovered that my camera's focusing screen is also out of calibration causing me to lose a bunch of shots
Aperture London is a great shop, brilliant service/repair technicians too. The Fuji G617 is a beast of a camera, great to use, but hungry at just four frames to a roll of 120, you're welcome to try mine.
great now I want to go back into my archives and over analyse all of my photos taken with my SL66 to see if I too might have this issue (it took a tumble in 2019 and had to have the shutter repaired and focus rail replaced) but I tend to shoot more stopped down these days so that will probably hide it
the ricoh GXR has also been on my lust list for a long time specifically for its so wrong its right Frankenstein nature. The minolta dimage EX also has a weird modular concept.
@@Shaka1277 I really love it. Its a bit of a chonk but I just see it as part of my weekly workout to not be a bean pole. I especially love the flip the lens shoot a macro functionality. It is kinda perfect for my current project
I've had several rollei's over a long period of time, exept for the TLR's ( rolleiflex- rolleicord) all the others gave me nothing but trouble, SLX secondary shutter won't work, sl35 (german and singapore) broken transport shafts, transport gears, rollei 35 (various models) troubles with collapsible lens, electronics etc... It seems to me that rollei is unable to make a descent trouble free camera. They do have wonderfull models that lure you in to buy just another one and hope this time things will turn out fine, but in my experience they didn't. So exept for the TLR's no more rolleis for me!
Prior to a trip, I had the light seals replaced by a camera repair shop because i didn’t want to bullocks-it-up myself, so they bullocks-it-up for me. The lesson learnt? Don’t take an untested camera on a trip… even if it’s your friend’s wedding!
@@Shaka1277 not sure, sold it at a loss in the end, I didn't feel the the Hasselblad suited my shooting style so I didn't want to sink another 500 euros into a system I wasn't completely happy with.
@@Shaka1277 I have not yet found a suitable medium format replacement at a reasonable price haha, looking at the new mamiya 6, makina 67 or a tlr of some sort but I'm currently quite happy with my Konica hexar af I recently picked up so I will stick to 135 for the time being.
Also, not to doubt your steady hand, but I learned that this camera has pneumatically dampened shutter which apparently allows for super slow handheld shooting. How cool?!
It's very cool! I find the distortion caused by the mirror flip combined with the auto return makes the camera appear to jiggle more than it actually does, so I'm always more worried that I need to be.
regular airport x rays don't harm your film - a minute in the airspace gives the same background radiation as one airport scanner pass. otherwise every airport guard would be getting radiation poisoning and cancer from standing next to them all day. you only need to worry about putting film in checked luggage as those are go through industrial x ray scanners and will instantly destroy your rolls...
This is not accurate, check Lina Besonova's video m.ua-cam.com/video/oRlReCTzDV8/v-deo.html Remember, film is spesifically engineered to react to electromagnetic radiation. It doesn't have to be harmful to fog the film.
The surprising thing is all the film shots I have taken in my life, going back to the mid 70's, that worked without technical issues or failures. Maybe because I avoided a Rollei?
"Suprisingly the three stops push was handled *extremely well* by Lomo 800" is dangerous information to put in my hands.
And I'll fuckin do it again
Your attention to detail and how you present your information are second to none! Keep rambling...
I'm looking forward to your sl66 review and really hope it comes out sooner rather than later 😄
Especially since you also have experience with Hasselblad, it would be very nice to see them compared. Recently I purchased a Salut-S, but that didn't scratch my Hasselblad itch entirely 😂
*Save to watch later*
Going to have a lovely morning tea tomorrow. Thanks m8!
A telescope finder scope (or slr at infinity) peering down the lens of the camera under test can be used to confirm both ground glass and film plane focus.
Well, I find this camera both a gem and a trouble. The problem is it is too sophisticated and many technicians find it a joy to play with - not meaning they really know what they're dealing with, as you learned on your trip. I always have my cameras CLA but, as I get them, I shoot a test roll to see if everything's fine. After all, the service always have a warranty period.
I only saw an SL66 for sale once here in Brazil. Man, it was as new. I'm a Rollei fan, have two 3.5F, three 35 and a P11 projector (35/6x6). I almost did the wrong thing and bought the camera. I say wrong thing because it was a big kit, with three lenses and an astronomical cost. Better keep dreaming, I've a family :)
Hope you enjoy your SL66 and it gives you more pleasure than headaches! All the best!
Oh, totally. As much as I think the discourse about electronic cameras is grossly overblown, I still consider my SL66 to be more likely to break than the XPan II is. I'd never heard of the P11! Are dual format projectors rare? I know 120 projectors aren't super common to begin with. Many thanks for the kind words! :)
@@Shaka1277 I found it here in Brazil in very good conditions for around 50 USD at the time (some 2 years). The one I picked wasn't the only one, but the others were in not good shape. I found glass mounts for 6x6 are harder to find. I bought some from a man in Germany, from eBay.
Glass mounts are a must for 6x6 because of its siza and they curl a bit under the lamp's heat. On 35, no big problem. Lmps for the P11 are still available.
I wasn't expecting that much of a difference between 35 and 6x6 projection but when I projected the fiorst 6x6, WOW!!! Love at first sight!! Amazing is all I can say! I believe you'll be able to find one in similar conditions where you live and finding mounts and trays wibably be much easier than here. Very worth a try should the price be fine.
All the best!
Your brave for daring to take apart that camera! My SL66 are currently in The Netherlands with Mr. Klinkhamer for a shutter overhaul and flash sync fix. Seeing as your camera was incorrectly calibrated, this does make me a little anxious for my camera but I still have high hopes. I'm glad you got it fixed!
Hans is great, I had him do similar work to you before. I'll have him do a full CLA at some point, I love this camera. I hold yours arrives back to you in perfect condition!
As frustrating as it is to have found out this problem through missed images, it must have been quite satisfying to fix the problem yourself. Also, Lomo 800 at 6400 is wild, but you seem to have made it work!
13:21 This is why my old _Ica Dresden_ and _Zeiss Ikon_ field cameras have a lever to compensate for the difference using glass plates or sheet film in your camera… ;-)
Anything I buy I factor in a CLA before use.
Too many folk think CLA is a thing to do when something isn’t working; it’s not. It’s preventative maintenance. Especially when we’re buying 40-60 year old kit that was made to be thrashed by professionals, have to assume that it has been well used and suffering a bit from it.
First time viewer, I enjoyed your style and your cadence. Subscribing now :-)
That's exactly it! I often see people scraping and even starving themselves to get a dream camera and I tell them something my guitar teacher told me: if you can't afford to send it away Day 1, you can't afford it yet.
Glad to hear you enjoyed, have a lovely Sunday. :)
We're at the point in history, where at best, (good) film cameras are around 30-60 years old. Things are going to happen. While that's scary, what's worse if finding skilled people and parts to fix them. Part of the pain of shooting film. I always find it a thrill to open the tank, hold my breath, and say "well, let's see what I got..." (Sick thrill, I know)
Interesting!
You have the memories of the trip, and the photos are a result that can be remembered by looking at them many times.
It's good to know that your camera is cold tolerant because my rolleicord iii starts to protest and strongly dislikes the cold weather from +4 and colder.
My SL66 jammed and broke shooting in cold weather once, so you never know. A friendly camera mechanic got it going again.
@@Karreth Good to know! I unfroze my camera by taking it indoor and letting it warm up.
london just might be cursed for close focus.... i just got back from there and discovered that my camera's focusing screen is also out of calibration causing me to lose a bunch of shots
Damn, that's brutal!
Aperture London is a great shop, brilliant service/repair technicians too. The Fuji G617 is a beast of a camera, great to use, but hungry at just four frames to a roll of 120, you're welcome to try mine.
great now I want to go back into my archives and over analyse all of my photos taken with my SL66 to see if I too might have this issue (it took a tumble in 2019 and had to have the shutter repaired and focus rail replaced) but I tend to shoot more stopped down these days so that will probably hide it
the ricoh GXR has also been on my lust list for a long time specifically for its so wrong its right Frankenstein nature. The minolta dimage EX also has a weird modular concept.
I'm sure it's proooobably fine. :) How do you like yours?
@@Shaka1277 I really love it. Its a bit of a chonk but I just see it as part of my weekly workout to not be a bean pole. I especially love the flip the lens shoot a macro functionality. It is kinda perfect for my current project
One of the best photos I’ve ever taken was technically out of focus (I’d installed the fresnel screen in my Rolleicord upsidedown).
That's a pity! Was it at all usable?
@@Shaka1277 Absolutely usable. I’m not publishing, just recording life trying to make photos with feeling.
I've had several rollei's over a long period of time, exept for the TLR's ( rolleiflex- rolleicord) all the others gave me nothing but trouble, SLX secondary shutter won't work, sl35 (german and singapore) broken transport shafts, transport gears, rollei 35 (various models) troubles with collapsible lens, electronics etc...
It seems to me that rollei is unable to make a descent trouble free camera. They do have wonderfull models that lure you in to buy just another one and hope this time things will turn out fine, but in my experience they didn't. So exept for the TLR's no more rolleis for me!
4:20 ….. Nice 😊
Prior to a trip, I had the light seals replaced by a camera repair shop because i didn’t want to bullocks-it-up myself, so they bullocks-it-up for me. The lesson learnt? Don’t take an untested camera on a trip… even if it’s your friend’s wedding!
Absolutely! I brought it on a more recent trip and shot a random roll of Kentmere 400 just to make sure all was in order first.
I had a similar issue with my Hasselblad 500cm, except it would always back focus!
Were you able to get that fixed?
@@Shaka1277 not sure, sold it at a loss in the end, I didn't feel the the Hasselblad suited my shooting style so I didn't want to sink another 500 euros into a system I wasn't completely happy with.
That's entirely fair, sometimes you have to cut your losses. Did you move away from medium format or did you find something that suited you better?
@@Shaka1277 I have not yet found a suitable medium format replacement at a reasonable price haha, looking at the new mamiya 6, makina 67 or a tlr of some sort but I'm currently quite happy with my Konica hexar af I recently picked up so I will stick to 135 for the time being.
01:40 imagine living in London and being a film photographer 💀
Also, not to doubt your steady hand, but I learned that this camera has pneumatically dampened shutter which apparently allows for super slow handheld shooting. How cool?!
It's very cool! I find the distortion caused by the mirror flip combined with the auto return makes the camera appear to jiggle more than it actually does, so I'm always more worried that I need to be.
regular airport x rays don't harm your film - a minute in the airspace gives the same background radiation as one airport scanner pass. otherwise every airport guard would be getting radiation poisoning and cancer from standing next to them all day. you only need to worry about putting film in checked luggage as those are go through industrial x ray scanners and will instantly destroy your rolls...
This is not accurate, check Lina Besonova's video m.ua-cam.com/video/oRlReCTzDV8/v-deo.html
Remember, film is spesifically engineered to react to electromagnetic radiation. It doesn't have to be harmful to fog the film.
‘airport guards’ don’t pass under scanners, nor are they photosensitive material.
The surprising thing is all the film shots I have taken in my life, going back to the mid 70's, that worked without technical issues or failures. Maybe because I avoided a Rollei?