Rollei SL66 advice

[rtucker]

I am being offered a nice set of Rollei gear and I am wondering if there is anything I should be watching out for? I have been a Hasselblad user for years and know about any red flags, while inspecting them, but I am new to Rollei. The set comes with an SL66 body, back, 40mm, 80mm,150mm, 250mm, prism and different accessories. Is there a good market for these if I get it and decide not to keep it since I have my Hassy set? What would be a good price range for a set like this? Any thoughts I would be interested.

 

[Vickko]

um, start here. I've had them both. Only Hasselblad now.

https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132812

http://www.apug.org/forums/forum51/73304-hassie-vs-rolleiflex-sl66.html

http://photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00QI6z

 

[Vickko]

Oh, scan ebay for prices. It is "the market value". From what I gather, the market is soft now.

 

[Ronald M]

Price some 120 film

Also consider how low you will be able to have them repaired

You need a darkroom or a good scanner, not a flatbed

 

[john_s]

I have two bodies (one as a backup as repairs are probably becoming problematic) and most of the lenses. I have found mine perfectly reliable: these were very well made. But maybe I've been lucky.

I like the system very much. But why get into a new system if you've been a Hassy user? I would to use the tilt for near-far landscapes.

I agree that the market is soft. Ebay prices are a guide, but turnover seems slow, so in a sense the asking prices are often a bit high, sometimes outrageously so. I paid more for my gear than current asking prices, and would take quite a big loss to sell now, not that I want to.

 

[bdeyes]

Do you really mean 40mm? Having a 40mm in the lens set, instead of the 50mm, makes this an unusual kit. I had to patch some holes in my shutter curtain, but no other problems. While there are some that say insert and back serial numbers should match, I have not noticed any differences in frame spacing between matching and unmatching inserts/backs.

 

[Merlijn53]

Stay with Hasselblad!
I'm a Rollei tlr fan, bought a complete sl66se set some years back, as good as new. It was the backup camera of a pro photographer and only used in the studio now and then. It had absolutely no signs of use and functioned well. After I started using it, it has been away for repairs more, than with me. One of the repairmen called it "overengineered". When I tried to sell it, I got hardly 60% of what I paid. Asking prices on ebay are usually much too high.
Now I have a Hasselblad and I'm happy with it.
Frank

 

[sevo]

What for, if you already have a Hasselblad? The Rollei is much heavier, less reliable, has only the lesser of the Zeiss lenses for the Hasselblad, and the only advantage it offers is a very modest amount of downward tilt/swing (for which it had some popularity in bulk product photography studios before the GX680 appeared). If any, get a electronic 600x series Rollei. These probably aren't any more reliable, going by my rentals, but at least they do some things no Hasselblad will do.

 

[x-ray]

What for, if you already have a Hasselblad? The Rollei is much heavier, less reliable, has only the lesser of the Zeiss lenses for the Hasselblad, and the only advantage it offers is a very modest amount of downward tilt/swing (for which it had some popularity in bulk product photography studios before the GX680 appeared). If any, get a electronic 600x series Rollei. These probably aren't any more reliable, going by my rentals, but at least they do some things no Hasselblad will do.

Compost sky untrue. I used SL66's professionally for nearly 30 years. I had three bodies and figured at one point each had had around 25,000 rolls through each that I had put through them. Two were used when I bought them and one new. No teing how many rolls had been through th when I sold them.

In that time I had to have each of my 7 backs rebuilt a few times which was no big deal. Hasselblad backs havecto be rebuilt grime time to time particularly if you shoot thicker base film like Tmax.

One body locked up but was repaied with no issue and the shutter curtain came lose after twenty five years of heavy use. That's all the problems I had.

I did a great deal of retail fashion catalog work and often shot 75 rolls of E6 through a body three days a week. They are super rugged and but to last under the heaviest of use. I sold them because I was going digital and the SL66 couldn't takexa digital back. I bought Hasselblads and have used them for seven years. I used Hasselblads in the 60's until 1984 at the companies I worked for. Hasselblads require backs to be eventually rebuilt too. They're complex as well and not imune to breaking. When I went digital I purchased a Hasselblad digital back and had to have the focus calibrated on my bodies. The back shutters can jam from the fragments of tape at the end of the roll getting in the mechanism. That's happened to me. Shutter blades develop stress fractures and self district which I've had happen. Lenses can trip and jam when mounting which is annoying. Each lens having its own shutter results in speed variations from lens to lens. Leaf shutters get sluggish in cold weather and gummy and slow with age. The mirror on the Sl66 is oversize and doesn't cut off the image in the VF. Only the later Hasselblads like the 501cm have that feature. Rollei has instant return mirror and Hasselblad doesn't. Rollei has a built in bellows, rotating prism, big bright finder and tilts. The backs take both 120/220 and the shutter goes to 1/1000.

I owned the 30 fisheye, 40, 50, 80 f2.8 & f4 leaf Shuttet lens, 120, 150 and 250. All were exactly the same optically as Hasselblads lenses. They were not second rate versions.

IMO after extensive use I feel the SL66 is a much better camera than a 500cm but they're both good. Rollei was just much more advanced.

Contact me if you have questions.

 

[x-ray]

For prices check and see what they've sold for on eBay and the condition.

I have to say I miss my SL66's.

I should add to the above that I knew two other pros that used SL66's and none had any problems.

 

[Emile de Leon]

I think you can mount the lenses on backwards too for effortless macro work..
I almost bought one back in the day..but I think it would be best on a tripod..

 

[x-ray]

I think you can mount the lenses on backwards too for effortless macro work..
I almost bought one back in the day..but I think it would be best on a tripod..

Yes, lenses from 50-150 reverse with no adapter.