nickthetasmaniac
Veteran
Hi all, some of you may recall this post from last year, when I was trying to ID a Rolleiflex that had popped up in the local classifieds.
Well, I bought it, and thought I might write a bit about 12 months of 2.8D ownership for a Rollei newbie. I don't know if this will be of interest, but here goes...
I didn't intend to purchase a Rollei TLR and have never followed the brand particularly closely. They were pretty, and of outstanding reputation, but tremendously expensive and largely redundant to my kit (over the years I've acquired a 500CM and Autocord, which covers both the TLR and Zeiss 6x6 experiences).
When the 2.8D popped up on Gumtree I was interested (the price was right and these bodies don't often appear in Australia) but dubious (the price was still significant and the ad seemed a bit 'scammy'). Mostly though, standard advice states that buying a Rolleiflex site-unseen (the seller was in a different state), and of unknown functional condition (the camera hadn't been used for some time) is a Terribly Bad Idea. Re. horror stories about broken cameras and lengthy wait-lists for eye-wateringly expensive repairs.
I managed to get the seller on the phone, and after half hour of chat about cameras (he was a huge Pentax M42 fan) and photographers (huge Frank Hurley fan) I was convinced that it wasn't a scam. I was also entranced by the romance... The camera had been purchased new by the seller's Godfather around 1956, an enthusiastic amateur photographer who had recently passed. By my reckoning this makes it one of the oldest 'single owner' cameras around. I loved the idea of giving it a new lease of life.
After some serious umming and ahhing (and negotiating with the Better Half) I went for it, and several weeks later I was the proud owner of a German TLR in desperate need of a service.
At first glance everything seemed pretty good. The body was straight and corrosion free. Leatherette looked good without the common brown staining. Optics were solid, with a little wear to the coatings but crucially no sign of the dreaded Planar separation. The mirror and screen looked to be in good nick, but were covered in about 20 years of crud. Focus was a little rough and the shutter was hanging at speeds below 1/30".
I shot a test roll to check basic functions, and then sent it off to local legend Vic Plant for an overhaul. $300 later and it came back working like a dream (mostly).
At this point I started to shoot with the 2.8D in earnest, and began to notice a couple of minor issues. First was the viewfinder, which seemed very dim even by early Rollei standards. Compared to my 500CM with Acute Matte screen the difference was day and night (no pun intended).
Fellow Tasmanian and RFF member Brett ('Sarcophilus Harrisii') generously donated his time, experience and tools to help me remove the finder hood and (very carefully) clean both the screen and mirror. This immediately improved the viewing experience. Brett also showed me his 'Rolleigrid' equipped 2.8D Xenotar (I wonder if these are the only two 2.8D's in Tasmania?) This is a simple little fresnel screen that slots in on top of the standard screen, significantly brightening the corners and making the screen much more useable in lower light. I was sold, and purchased a grid direct from Jimmy Koh in the US.
The next issue was a peculiar quirk where the body would intermittently refuse to advance past the first frame, shooting a number of double exposures before finally advancing to frame 2. Brett and I troubleshot this for a while before Brett suggested it might be an issue with the missing door locking pin. I managed to source a new pin before spending several hours in Brett's kitchen using a hand drill to remove the remnants of the old pin, while trying desperately to avoid damaging the threads. Success! The 2.8D was now working perfectly, and has continued to do so for the last ~9 months and 30 odd rolls.
Since getting the 2.8D I've slowly accumulated a small collection of the standard Rollei accessories (Rolleinars 1/2, hood, B3 filters, Rolleifix, pano adapter) and also found a lovely Gordy strap with waxed string that attaches perfectly to the 2.8D posts. It's been fun letting my GAS run-amuck, but I think think the kit is mostly complete now.
Put simply, the 2.8D is a joy. It's not the 'best' camera ever (it's probably not the 'best' camera I own), but it gets right to the heart of how photography can be, and should be, fun 🙂 This is one of the few cameras in my collection that is a genuine keeper, and I hope to still be using and enjoying in for decades to come.
For those curious, the 2.8D owes me about $1200aud (original purchase, service and repair parts - not counting additional accessories).
Ektar100
Portra400
Ektar100
Pancro400
Ektar100
Portra400
Portra400
Portra400
Ektar100
Pancro400
Well, I bought it, and thought I might write a bit about 12 months of 2.8D ownership for a Rollei newbie. I don't know if this will be of interest, but here goes...
I didn't intend to purchase a Rollei TLR and have never followed the brand particularly closely. They were pretty, and of outstanding reputation, but tremendously expensive and largely redundant to my kit (over the years I've acquired a 500CM and Autocord, which covers both the TLR and Zeiss 6x6 experiences).
When the 2.8D popped up on Gumtree I was interested (the price was right and these bodies don't often appear in Australia) but dubious (the price was still significant and the ad seemed a bit 'scammy'). Mostly though, standard advice states that buying a Rolleiflex site-unseen (the seller was in a different state), and of unknown functional condition (the camera hadn't been used for some time) is a Terribly Bad Idea. Re. horror stories about broken cameras and lengthy wait-lists for eye-wateringly expensive repairs.
I managed to get the seller on the phone, and after half hour of chat about cameras (he was a huge Pentax M42 fan) and photographers (huge Frank Hurley fan) I was convinced that it wasn't a scam. I was also entranced by the romance... The camera had been purchased new by the seller's Godfather around 1956, an enthusiastic amateur photographer who had recently passed. By my reckoning this makes it one of the oldest 'single owner' cameras around. I loved the idea of giving it a new lease of life.
After some serious umming and ahhing (and negotiating with the Better Half) I went for it, and several weeks later I was the proud owner of a German TLR in desperate need of a service.
At first glance everything seemed pretty good. The body was straight and corrosion free. Leatherette looked good without the common brown staining. Optics were solid, with a little wear to the coatings but crucially no sign of the dreaded Planar separation. The mirror and screen looked to be in good nick, but were covered in about 20 years of crud. Focus was a little rough and the shutter was hanging at speeds below 1/30".
I shot a test roll to check basic functions, and then sent it off to local legend Vic Plant for an overhaul. $300 later and it came back working like a dream (mostly).
At this point I started to shoot with the 2.8D in earnest, and began to notice a couple of minor issues. First was the viewfinder, which seemed very dim even by early Rollei standards. Compared to my 500CM with Acute Matte screen the difference was day and night (no pun intended).
Fellow Tasmanian and RFF member Brett ('Sarcophilus Harrisii') generously donated his time, experience and tools to help me remove the finder hood and (very carefully) clean both the screen and mirror. This immediately improved the viewing experience. Brett also showed me his 'Rolleigrid' equipped 2.8D Xenotar (I wonder if these are the only two 2.8D's in Tasmania?) This is a simple little fresnel screen that slots in on top of the standard screen, significantly brightening the corners and making the screen much more useable in lower light. I was sold, and purchased a grid direct from Jimmy Koh in the US.
The next issue was a peculiar quirk where the body would intermittently refuse to advance past the first frame, shooting a number of double exposures before finally advancing to frame 2. Brett and I troubleshot this for a while before Brett suggested it might be an issue with the missing door locking pin. I managed to source a new pin before spending several hours in Brett's kitchen using a hand drill to remove the remnants of the old pin, while trying desperately to avoid damaging the threads. Success! The 2.8D was now working perfectly, and has continued to do so for the last ~9 months and 30 odd rolls.
Since getting the 2.8D I've slowly accumulated a small collection of the standard Rollei accessories (Rolleinars 1/2, hood, B3 filters, Rolleifix, pano adapter) and also found a lovely Gordy strap with waxed string that attaches perfectly to the 2.8D posts. It's been fun letting my GAS run-amuck, but I think think the kit is mostly complete now.
Put simply, the 2.8D is a joy. It's not the 'best' camera ever (it's probably not the 'best' camera I own), but it gets right to the heart of how photography can be, and should be, fun 🙂 This is one of the few cameras in my collection that is a genuine keeper, and I hope to still be using and enjoying in for decades to come.
For those curious, the 2.8D owes me about $1200aud (original purchase, service and repair parts - not counting additional accessories).
Ektar100
Portra400
Ektar100
Pancro400
Ektar100
Portra400
Portra400
Portra400
Ektar100
Pancro400
