Great places to get TLR's?

M

mr. mohaupt

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I live here in the states and want to get an introduction to TLR's I was looking to keep my budget under $100 and get something that will work but might be a little beat up. I have been watching eBay but prices are all over the map as cheap as $1 as high as $2000. I was thinking a Rolliecord, a Yas D or 124, a Richo with a geared lens...

I have done a little bit of homework. (http://ikonrollieflexrepair.com/index.html and http://www.tlr-cameras.com/index.htm have GREAT info on them)


I live in the states, NC to be exact but for work I can travel anywhere if the price is right!

~m
 
For a variety of reasons look for a Minolta Autocord. The film feeds off the top spool so it can't take a set from making the right-angle bend BEFORE it gets to the film aperture, it has a four element lens that's as good or better than a Yashinon, or the Xenars and Tessars on Rollies, the focusing lever beneath the lensboard is easier to use than a knob on the side...

Regardless of the make, look for a meter model with a broken meter. They go for CHEAP!
 
Thanks for the insight. I have a few that I am watching now with broken meters. Who needs one of those? lol

Any other recommendations on WHERE to get them besides eBay though?

~m
 
Yard sales, estate sales, church rummage sales? Ask everybody you know if they might have Grandpa's old film cameras stashed someplace? It's pretty much "catch as catch can". Good luck.
 
Awesome well thanks for the fast replies. I will keep my eyes peeled and post my findings.

I have big plans involving shooting lots of film, getting a dark room set up and doing my own printing again. Good thing I am moving into a new apartment with a basement!


~m
 
Could try craigslist. Or the classified / equivalent sections on this or other forums - maybe medium format specific forums.

Try posting a WTB ad here. Might get lucky.

Alternatively, there are other auction sites on the internet that put up stuff from estate sales etc. Or there might be a photorama event near you.
 
Shop here at RFF. Or APUG. KEH is the dealer of choice but be prepared to pay extra. KEH has a great return policy. craigslist: Do your homework. Many sellers don't have a clue about what they are selling. Same applies to ebay. I quit ebay years ago. I only buy from forums like this one.
 
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You may want to look at the Mamiya C series too (C3/C2, C33/C22 and C330/220) which can take interchangeable lenses unlike any other TLR. Not as cute and small looking as some TLRs but rugged and very versatile.
 
Have you tried good old KEH? By some accounts, their rating system may have slipped a bit in recent years (not that I've had a problem, personally), but they're pretty good w/returns, etc.

mr. mohaupt said:
Any other recommendations on WHERE to get them besides eBay though?

~m
Click to expand...
 
Put Mamiya C330/C220/etc. in your search list, they are practically being given away nowadays, and the lenses (yes, more than one) on those are close to the later T* Zeiss' in terms of quality.

Edit: Oops, didn't see similar recommendation above. +1
 
There is a Mamiya C330 for sale at the camera shop I go to. I'd consider buying it, but I think I got my Seagull working alright finally.
 
Check for any Camera Swap Meets (or Antique Swap Meets) in your area...there might be a good chance you'll find a few models to take for a spin...
My choice a decent Yashica Mat with a Yashinon Taking lens...(meter not important)
 
I did get an immaculate Rolleicord a couple of years ago from eBay with a mint ever ready case for $75.00 ... I have discovered though that the 'cord is not popular with repairers due to some rather fragile rubber belt system it has inside it ... luckily mine has been fine in this area.

The standard 'cord screen is nothing to write home about though ... a little hard to focus in low light!
 
Twin Lens Ephemera:

Twin Lens Ephemera:

The various models of the Czech made Flexarit are good cameras.

At one time Ricoh made the Diacord, also a good camera.

The Yashica A had a three element lens and "red window wind". Not the fastest camera to operate but cheap, and some wedding shooters liked the fact that the three element lens wasn't all that sharp. The Yashica D, Yashicamat, 12, 24, and 124, and 124G were "fancier" cameras with sharp four element lenses. The 24 only takes 220 film which can be a problem now. The 12, 124, and 124G accept 120 film.

Some camera models by the various companies came with selenium or CDS built in meters which are either dead or take mercury batteries. It isn't worth buying the kit to use currently available batteries only to discover that the meter is dead. The selenium cells are mostly all dead. Use the dead meter as a bargaining chip, not as a meter.

Some older Rolleiflexes had uncoated lenses and you can get very nice effects with them. I used to carry one on wedding shoots along with a coated lens model. Once you learn what shots benefit from the uncoated lens you'll be glad you have it, and they're cheap.

Some older Roleiflexes have 4 element f/2.8 Tessar lenses. These tend to be a bit soft towards the corners compared to the 5 and 6 element optics.

Back in the 50's and 60's we had the 6 element Zeiss Planar vs. the 5 element Schneider Xenotar arguments. Both were available on the same camera models. It was generally accepted that the Planar was a hair sharper, the Xenotar a bit more contrasty. Then there was the 5 element East German Zeiss Jena Biometer, also an f/2.8. These are rarely seen in the U.S., being made mostly for the East German market.

The Rollei-Wide was an F model equipped with a 55mm Zeiss Distagon and the Tele-Rolleiflex had a 135mm Sonnar.

Zeiss Mutars were high quality converter lenses to give moderate wide angle or telephoto coverage when used in front of the standard lenses.

F/3.5 lense were 75mm focal length while f/2.8 lenses were 80mm focal length.

The hood on all but the oldest Rolleiflexes, the Rolleicords, and the model T which was a simplified late model with an f/3.5 Tessar, had a little mirror in the hood that flipped down when you used the sportsfinder in the hood. An eyepiece lens just below the sportsfinder's eyepiece let you focus on the center of the ground glass. The hood on the T didn't have that little mirror. Late model Rollieflexes had interchangeble hoods so you could use a pentaprism finder and Mamiya made a porroflex finder that would fit the Rolleis. It used front surface mirrors instead of a pentaprism. It was cheaper, lighter in weight, and not as bright as the pentaprism.

Memorize the above. You will be tested at 10 AM Friday.
 
It's a little tougher but still possible to find an Autocord for under $100. Make sure the focusing lever is intact -- a weak point of the Autocord. The lens is razor sharp from f5.6. I also like the Ricoh Diacord for under $100. Great lens, and side focus levers. Focus levers are ergonomically superior for people with only two hands. With Yashica TLRs, I prefer the 4-glass tessar-type Yashinon lens. Later models have the advantage of better internal baffling, and the disadvantage of flimsier plastic gearing and trim. With Rolleicords, I like the handling of models with the focusing knob on the left. All these cameras need to be used with a lens hood to cut down on flare. Personally I go for meterless models, but that's personal preference.
 
Tele and Wide Rolleiflex are related to the E

Tele and Wide Rolleiflex are related to the E

Al Kaplan said:
...

The Rollei-Wide was an F model equipped with a 55mm Zeiss Distagon and the Tele-Rolleiflex had a 135mm Sonnar.

...
Click to expand...
Al,

I am sorry to disagree, but the "classic" wide and tele models were related to the Rolleiflex E not the F (e.g. EVS and no coupled meter). See e.g. http://www.rolleiclub.com/cameras/tlr/info/tele_wide.shtml
 
I'll take your word on that! It's been about forty years now. I'm just glad that I could think of the word "Mutar" when I wrote that post...LOL
 
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