Bought on ebay...what do you think?

Brett, the overall condition of the camera is probably why the repair estimate is £120, not £45 as for a YashicaMat. The back isn't too bad all in all. In the same way that they bend out of whack with too much ease, the proper pressure in the right places can often get them usable again up to a point. I think the odds are good that for the final £225 or so the OP's friend will have a nice camera. I'll take it as a good sign that the repairman has made a fair assessment of what it will take to get the camera back in working shape.
 
Dan Daniel said:
Brett, the overall condition of the camera is probably why the repair estimate is £120, not £45 as for a YashicaMat. The back isn't too bad all in all. In the same way that they bend out of whack with too much ease, the proper pressure in the right places can often get them usable again up to a point. I think the odds are good that for the final £225 or so the OP's friend will have a nice camera. I'll take it as a good sign that the repairman has made a fair assessment of what it will take to get the camera back in working shape.
Click to expand...

Hi Dan,
I agree with you mostly you know. My previous comment (post # 10, I think) addressed the point of why the cost would be more than that mentioned for the Yashica. The back on the Rollei is certainly fixable but clearly the camera has had a hard life. As long as the lenses are good, the rest can be made at least usable—and I hope it will be. 🙂
Cheers
Brett
 
Thanks all for your comments. The £120 is for a general a service but am taking it in today so may get a different quote. Let's wait and see. I will report back! All your comments have given me a lot to think about!
 
If things work out as we would all hope, since these are really great cameras when working well, you will want to look at this site: http://www.butkus.org/ and specifically at http://www.butkus.org/chinon/rolleiflex.htm where you can find your model somewhere. Actually, many of the Rolleiflex cameras shared much functionality so don't worry. Just experiment.

If it can be resurrected, it will be a fun camera to use. Let us know how it goes.
 
Oh dear.

So here's the update. The place in London took it in for a service and to fix the timer but just called to tell me that on dismantling they found the self timer had been removed. They have lubricated it as much as they can but are not charging as cannot guarantee it will work. But they say it should still work.

I wasn't sure what to ask?

I considered asking them to try taking some photos and to develop them, what do you think?

Can it really work when a piece is missing? Is the self timer like with other cameras where you'd dash round the front for a selfie? Or is it somewhat more vital to get the any photo at all?

Please advise!! Can see my lovely gift slipping away 🙁
 
Can a rolleiflex tlr take photos without a self-timer?

Can a rolleiflex tlr take photos without a self-timer?

Hi all

I bought a rolleiflex on ebay for my partner for Christmas and have been getting some advice from this forum.

The repair company have just contacted me to say they have done all they can but when they took it apart it had no self timer, like someone had messed about and removed it, maybe trying to put a flash in?

Anyway, all I would like to know is whether it really can take photos without a self timer?

Please advise! Thanks, E.
 
Sarcophilus Harrisii said:
No, I was referring to the one pictured in the eBay listing linked in post one, with the badly bent back, dent on the viewfinder hood, missing self timer lever and many other signs of having led an extremely hard life. Which is not to say, at all, that it cannot be made to be a very nice user. My point in post 10 however was, and is, that such a camera is likely to need a lot more time spent on making it right, than one which has been sympathetically used and has not been dropped multiple times and generally banged around, something that is virtually unarguably the case with the eBay example, given the vast amount of external scarring visible all over it.
Cheers,
Brett
Click to expand...
My apologies Brett. Thanks for putting me straight 🙂 .

Regards,

David
 
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