The Rolleiflex isn't my cup of tea...

Sanders,

Thank you for the link to this amazing collection. Just wonderful photograpy, full of humanity and real life. I wish Vivian Maier gains more recognition.

Sanders McNew said:
A few thoughts:

There is a long tradition of
amateurs shooting Rolleiflexes, from the
likes of Eudora Welty (known for her pen,
not her Rolleiflex) down through the decades
to today -- an unknown Chicago woman,
Vivian Maier, died earlier this year. The
buyer of her storage locker contents found
a trove of 40,000 negatives, and thousands
of undeveloped rolls, of street photography
she shot as a young Jewish emigré in Chicago
in the 1950s -- all shot with a Rolleiflex:

http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/

Here's a link to my favorite that the buyer
has scanned and posted online so far:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YUrw6ooCZj4/Sias55SapUI/AAAAAAAAAOg/7wSlLLIwb0g/s1600-h/A36.jpg

Somehow, it would not have carried the same
impact if it had been a Nikon or a Pentax.

Sanders
Click to expand...
 
What a difference a strap & a couple days make. I was walking into my office and saw a shaft of sunlight illuminating the ship to the right and knew this would make a nice picture. I ran back to my truck and grabbed the Rollei and a meter. The clouds were moving pretty fast and the shaft of light was heading quickly to the left so I didn't have time to worry about composition. I took a quick meter reading, set up the camera and took the shot. I really liked how it turned out and thought how much nicer this would have been if I had time to compose the shot better. But for a very quick shot on the fly I liked it, and can only imagine what I can do with this camera with some time and deliberation..... Here is the picture.....
showphoto.php
 
I grew up with using a Rollies and my best pictures are still made with them. I must admit that I sold one last year because 120 film is very hard to get.
 
I came to the TLRs just to satisfy a GAS attack... Bought a Yashica mat 124 and loved it (I was looking for a Rangefinder !). When the shutter got stuck, I sent it for a CLA, then decided my Sinar was not used enough and traded it for 3.5B Rolleiflex (not sure if this was a bargain for me, but the camera was CLA'd and fitted with an RB67 screen, and I got many accessories for it at the same time).

I grew up with 35mm SLRs, but fell in love with the Rolleiflex (and TLRs in general, but I sold the Yashica) and it's become my main "all round" camera.

The funny thing is that I got so used to the reversed image in the WLF that I find it hard to use a digi-P&S because the back screen acts funny when I try to follow a moving object !
 
I feel the same way about my Yashica D. I've had it a while, and I like the pics i've gotten out of it, but I just don't enjoy using it..
 
Hi,

Great thread, I thought I'd add my thoughts. I purchased a Flex 2.8 only two weeks ago and whilst it takes a little getting used to, I really like it. I know I have more to learn and practice will get me there. I am still adjusting to the leveling, the reverse image and the external metering. With my first roll of film i shot some handheld and some on tripod. I enjoyed slowing down, getting the exposure right and checking all bases before shooting.

I shot on transparency and most exposures were fine, some not so, but it amazed me how much detail a scan of an underexposed tranny can reveal. I am thinking of shooting something like Portra for a while and it may allow me to work a little more freely with the camera. But I like knowing whether my exposure is spot on as it helps my confidence in metering. I come from a mostly 35mm background too.

When I saw the quality of the images on Flickr I had to buy myself one. I have a 2.8 Planer and the way it works with the light is very attractive. I looked at lots of different systems and whilst this will take some time to master I know it's worth the effort.

Jason
 
Some first images

Some first images

Like the poster of this thread I am still learning the ins and outs of uploading my images to RFF. I hope it works. The following are some images from my first roll on the Rolleiflex. Film = Provia 100asa
 

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Okay that worked! Here are some more. I was testing my camera at various apertures on this roll as there was a funny light fog around the lens rim which could only be seen from looking into the box out through the lens. No problems at all thankfully. The flower was taken with a Rolleinar 3.
 

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Ron (Netherlands) said:
I grew up with using a Rollies and my best pictures are still made with them. I must admit that I sold one last year because 120 film is very hard to get.
Click to expand...

Difficult to get ? In Nederland ?! Hardly !

I live in a smallish town and there are two photoshops selling a range of colour and black-and-white 120 from Kodak and Ilford though strangely not Fuji.

If you are unlucky locally then you could try, for example, MacoDirect. They will deliver within four days (via UPS, so you can redirect the box to your workplace if necessary) plus they stock dozens of different films from all the manufacturers I have heard of in the last few years. There are also the famous FotoImpex, Fotohuisrovo (the owner posts here) and several other online dealers too.
 
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I hear ya! I have tried twice to love a TLR, but each time we failed to hit it off and soon separated.
The cameras were gorgeous, but staring down at a dim reversed square image just didn't do it for me.

Chris
 
I have to say I've had a change of heart. The big change was getting a strap which made handling the Rollei much easier. I am starting to like using this camera and have started another thread saying I am warming to the Rollei......
 
I can't stand the handling of TLRs. Lovely quiet shutters and great results but handling that is a long way from intuitive and swift for me. Everyone differs but you are certainly not alone.
 
I love seeing the "picture" before I take it in the WLF.
I love the planar lens on my 2.8E, I enjoy using it SO MUCH MORE now I installed a $30 Olsen screen, made a world of difference to me.
I know this sounds like heresy but I think on a purely handling basis I prefer the autocord (something about a focus lever ...). Maybe it's I'm more relaxed doing street photography in the ghetto with a $200 camera versus a $1000 one :) I also like using my diacord and ikoflex, they are lightweight, simple and cheap.
The thing about the rolleiflex, for me personally, is that my father had one i was NEVER allowed to use. I was always in the darkroom as a young teenager so very active with photography, over the years this 'mystery' camera that I couldn't ever use grew a certain allure.
The fact that he sold it without offering it to me first just pushed me over the edge and I had to buy my own. I plan on one day being able give it to my daughter.

Sanders - thankyou for the link on Vivian. fascinating stuff..

Someone mentioned a walta weltur - by far my favorite vintage folder - and i have one or two :)
 
It still surprises me that some people consider the twin-lens reflex difficult to handle and learn. From the very first time I picked one up it has been by far the most comfortable and most intuitive of all cameras for me.

Thanks for the link to Vivian Maier. If you've not familiar with the work of Fritz Henle, pick up a few of his books. They're mostly long out of print, but many are readily available on amazon.com and abe.com and most are not expensive. You will learn a lot from seeing what a master can do with one camera and one focal length. He was my first great inspiration in photography, and continues to be a major influence in my work to this day.
 
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