Rolleiflex 2.8 E2

[Bolo Kukus]

Well that's part of the problem, we haven't been physically introduced. Miss Rolleiflex is in NSW, I'm in WA. Not possible to become familiar with hard border closures. Just to get back into WA after going to infected parts of the country (no slight on her...) would see me wait weeks to be cleared by the WA authorities for re-entry. Then I would have to fork out $2500 for a compulsory 2 week isolation in a WA hotel with armed guards outside the door. Hardly a honeymoon... :bang:

These interstate romances can be so wearying...

Also hard on the wallet. I do have to say, if I had to be in quarantine for two weeks as the result of travelling around the country, i think I would prefer it to be in Perth. The weather is nicer, the locals are friendly, and from the way all the visiting ladies seem to be able to skip out to party, the WA version of 'lockdown' appears to be more social than penal.

Suggest you get the seller to email you a few detailed photos of the camera. That seems the easiest way to push the negotiations forward to a positive conclusion.

Keep us posted, please. A 2.8E2 is worth the effort, I reckon. My 3.5E2 has given me more than half a century of reliable shooting and with a proper fix-up and cleaning, yours should also.

 

[Peter Browne]

Well, I don't know anymore, this camera is currently on eBay at AU$1,300 same one as above...that was $570 5 days ago when I posted

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/rolleiflex-camera/154052709635

I won't be paying that price.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

Well, I don't know anymore, this camera is currently on eBay at AU$1,300 same one as above...that was $570 5 days ago when I posted

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/rolleiflex-camera/154052709635

I won't be paying that price.

Capitalism in action. A real world jolt. This has happened to me before, so the best advice I can offer you in these circumstances is - welcome to the real world, or as my Buddhist friends say, sh*t happens.

So you lost. Too bad. My first thoughts in all this are, the seller is living in deamtime and won't get anywhere near One K and three Cs for that camera. Which is probably small consolation for you just now, I realize.

Look around and expand your horizons. I own a Planar E, but for my everyday uses, I've found the Rolleiflex T with the 3.5 Tessar lens to be by far the best all-round shooter. True, they aren't exactly diamonds in the rough, but they work well, and offer far more of a range of accessories than the bigger, professional (and much more expensive) range of Rolleis. Results are just as good. I print quality eight-by-tens from my 645 (in actual fact, 455, but that's another story) T negatives that are just as good as what I can produce from my Planar E. If this is what your goal is owning a Rolleiflex is, well and good. If not, just keep looking. Another equally good (or most probably better) E will surely turn up in time.

 

[Johngwill]

...So you lost. Too bad. My first thoughts in all this are, the seller is living in deamtime and won't get anywhere near One K and three Cs for that camera. Which is probably small consolation for you just now, I realize...

This is an eBay auction with just over an hour to go and a current bid of A$1325 (US$950). It will probably go a bit higher just before auction finish. Just normal supply and demand.

Update: The auction just finished, it sold for A$1485 (US$1095).

 

[astrosecret]

lol.
"DEFINITELY NO RETURNS"
because the item is f'd!!

the e2 is a beautiful camera. a minty one in perfect shape with a beautiful 2.8 xenotar is certainly worth 1500 if you want it enough. but it has to be in great shape. i had a 3.5 e2 with a xenotar and it hands down produced the best MF negatives i've ever seen. do not waste you time with the zeiss lenses. they are overall inferior and every single one will evetually de-cement. the coatings are soft and deteriorate.

and most of all the schneider is sharper with better contrast and less flare.

the exception is the later tessars in T models, they are superior to any planar produced for rolleiflex, despite maybe being slightly softer in the corner. to be quite honest i'd take a rolleicord xenar before a planar, it will outlast it and it's way less likely to have issues upon receipt, i also think it looks better especially for portraiture. The planar is nice for some BW but just does not compare to schneider regarding the contrast or coating for modern color negative film.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

(...) the e2 is a beautiful camera. a minty one in perfect shape with a beautiful 2.8 xenotar is certainly worth 1500 if you want it enough. but it has to be in great shape. i had a 3.5 e2 with a xenotar and it hands down produced the best MF negatives i've ever seen. do not waste you time with the zeiss lenses. they are overall inferior and every single one will evetually de-cement. the coatings are soft and deteriorate. and most of all the schneider is sharper with better contrast and less flare. the exception is the later tessars in T models, they are superior to any planar produced for rolleiflex, despite maybe being slightly softer in the corner. to be quite honest i'd take a rolleicord xenar before a planar, it will outlast it and it's way less likely to have issues upon receipt, i also think it looks better especially for portraiture. The planar is nice for some BW but just does not compare to schneider regarding the contrast or coating for modern color negative film.

Wow. This post has more misinformation than any I've read in ages.

Except the comment about the Rolleicord. They are one of the best of the Rollei beaters, if one takes a little care with the f/stop-shutter speed lever and the fiddly exposing lever.

(Added later) After returning to this post for a second (okay, a third) look-see, I noted the comment re the capabilities of the Rolleiflex T Tessar, which I tend to agree with as it happen I own two of the beasts. This poster makes interesting comments, if only his literary style wasn't quite so loose...

There is surely something special about Rolleis that one thread can generate so much comment and response.

 

[astrosecret]

only thing i could really add to my rant is that planars are slightly sharper wide open. i have handled and shot with so many iterations of rolleis over the years printed and scanned and drum scanned and these are my observations. doesnt really matter they will all outperform the photographers capabilities. but ill never own another planar rollei. they are overpriced and so many will or currently have issues. they are 60-70 years old now.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

This is an eBay auction with just over an hour to go and a current bid of A$1325 (US$950). It will probably go a bit higher just before auction finish. Just normal supply and demand.

Update: The auction just finished, it sold for A$1485 (US$1095).

Huh. Something PT Barnum once said about lollipop lovers comes to mind...

In the same vein, you may be interested in a current Ebay (Australia) listing, another E2, supposedly pristine condition, from a gentleman in Annandale (Sydney), for $2,500+.

Is there any connection here? I am fairly dying of curiosity about this. Or is it just another would-be hopeful living in dreamland?

 

[Johngwill]

In the same vein, you may be interested in a current Ebay (Australia) listing, another E2, supposedly pristine condition, from a gentleman in Annandale (Sydney), for $2,500+.

No more Rollei cameras for me! 3 Rolleiflex, 3 Rolleicord an SLX and a 6006 is enough! Must concentrate on the Leica collection 😀

 

[astrosecret]

(Added later) After returning to this post for a second (okay, a third) look-see, I noted the comment re the capabilities of the Rolleiflex T Tessar, which I tend to agree with as it happen I own two of the beasts. This poster makes interesting comments, if only his literary style wasn't quite so loose...

There is surely something special about Rolleis that one thread can generate so much comment and response.

To be a bit more succinct, I would just say the 2.8 Zeiss lenses did not age as well as their Schneider counter parts. one could hardly fault them for not foreseeing issues with their lenses 70 years ago! When they are perfectly preserved they are beautiful. Just saying I would not bother paying these high prices today for what tends to be constant issues with them. The Xenotars actually have a rear element de-cementing issue as well but it's far less common.

That a rollei stuck shutter and permanent de-cementing can fetch over $1000 bodes well for current 2.8 zeiss owners--I'm sure they still take lovely pics and those who want them will still pay good $ for them. Give me a later 3.5--planar or tessar--any day over the 2.8. I love the T-model version, with it's wonderful micro-contrast and fall off that renders the human face beautifully.