Your experiences with the Rollei Prism

[EcoLeica]

Hey all, I have been thinking about getting a prism finder for my rolleicord Vb for a while now. The reason for the prism is that I want to get into more portrait work and I'm short...making photographing taller people a bit of a challenge. Previous experiences at a wedding suggests either finding a prism or luggin around small stool. The former suggestion will do nothing to the already bad case of short man syndrome I am currently experiencing.

I have managed to find a prism at KEH.com for around 80 USD, not in the best nick but Im not too fussed about that as I just want something i can use. So if anyone out there has the prism, I would like to hear from your experiences with it. Is it a good piece of equipment to have?

Cheers
Steve

 

[Tarzak]

They work quite well but mine is so heavy that I never use it.
I always think of taking it but when I pick it up I get shocked by the weight and then put it back.

 

[Praxis Unitas]

Hey all, I have been thinking about getting a prism finder for my rolleicord Vb for a while now. The reason for the prism is that I want to get into more portrait work and I'm short...making photographing taller people a bit of a challenge.

Why? The nice thing about the Rolleis is that you can get a cool waist-level shot. It was in-vogue in the 50's and 60's fashion, then out. Personally, I love the low-profile shots, and I've even seen a few show up in the NYT in the last year.

Shortness could be an advantage! Run with it!


😉

 

[EcoLeica]

Yeah I do like the low profile shots...sometimes, I really want to change my shots a bit and this seems like a fairly inexpensive way of doing it..its about trying to create some variety

 

[Tin]

Why not use the Sport Finder feature of the camera? That way you would save a lot on weight and can still shoot at eye-level.

 

[EcoLeica]

i would use the sports finder but i dont feel that great about not being able to focus properly with it.

 

[Sanders McNew]

I tried one and never mounted it to
the camera again. The prism will
darken the screen by a noticeable
amount -- I found it harder to focus
and the image seemed veiled (for
lack of a better word) through the
prism to me. To my mind, it's a
neat accessory for folks who don't
use their cameras much.

 

[Ljós]

Possible alternative

Possible alternative

Hi Steve,
now that I have got a Vb myself I was wondering the same thing. I won't be able to follow through with it any time soon, but I came across something that could be interesting for you:
http://photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00Gp3H
There is a discussion and further links about fitting Hasselblad and Kiev prisms to the Rollei system. I have no hands on experience with these, let alone how they compare (are the possibly brighter?) to the original Rollei-finder. But maybe it is worth checking it out.
Good luck!
By the way, I totally understand why you want to get a prism finder for your work. I am very tall, but I can nevertheless think of a number of possible good uses to put such a finder to. Let's not forget that the finder also presents an unreversed view, and that can be a timesaver for composition.
Hannes

 

[outfitter]

Hi Steve,
now that I have got a Vb myself I was wondering the same thing. I won't be able to follow through with it any time soon, but I came across something that could be interesting for you:
http://photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00Gp3H
There is a discussion and further links about fitting Hasselblad and Kiev prisms to the Rollei system. I have no hands on experience with these, let alone how they compare (are the possibly brighter?) to the original Rollei-finder. But maybe it is worth checking it out.
Good luck!
By the way, I totally understand why you want to get a prism finder for your work. I am very tall, but I can nevertheless think of a number of possible good uses to put such a finder to. Let's not forget that the finder also presents an unreversed view, and that can be a timesaver for composition.
Hannes

The Kiev prism is much brighter than the Rollei (I have one on an Exacta 66 with Russian knock off of a German adapter) and you can get one with a meter. Same goes for the Haasy prism. On the other hand the Rollei prisms are dirt cheap (I just bought a dinged one on the bay for $20) and the adapter for the Hassy or Kiev prism, I believe, is over $100 plus the cost of the prism finder.

Twenty years ago I had a Rollei prism and it was heavy and dim but occasionally useful so for the use I will put it to the $20 original will do just fine. The Rollei and many other MF cameras are really about the waist level finder which are wonderfully light and allow a luminous view of the whole picture.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Heavy and Dim

Heavy and Dim

They're very heavy and dim the viewfinder by at least one stop. I never use my Rolleiflex at "waist level" anyway. I pop the magnifier out and use it at about "chin level" which isn't much below "eye level". What would I save - maybe six inches of height?
In my opinion there's nothing to be gained - just weight and complication.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Combined with the pistol grip they turn the Rollei an excellent club, while adding little or nothing (in my experience) to its performance as a camera. I'd rather use the sports finder + Rolleimeter.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Alex Krasotkin]

I always use 45 degree prism on my Rollei Expression.

 

[jeanba3000]

My first Rolleiflex came with a prism, I found it too heavy and not really in the "philosophy" of the TLR, so I sold it.
I second Leigh Youdale about hood's magnifier, a very convenient solution.
If your model is taller than you, the prism won't make a significant difference compared to through magnifier viewing.

 

[morback]

 

[furcafe]

I have the prism & find it to be an extremely useful, if not essential, accessory.

I do not take naturally to the reversed-lateral perspective of the standard waist-level finder & usually don't have the time or inclination to "re-wire" my brain, so if I need to compose & shoot quickly, I'll use the prism every time. I'm also short & understand your problem w/the waist-level shooting perspective; in certain situations, just 1 foot can make a big difference in perspective.

My prism is from the late 1960s-early 1970s (assuming its the same age as the camera it came with) & while it is a bit dimmer than the WLF, contra outfitter's experience, it is certainly not dimmer than a Hasselblad HC1 or Kiev 45 degree prism that I've tried (using the Baierfoto adapter). I also haven't found the extra weight to be a dealbreaker.

As far as using the sportsfinder, that doesn't really work if you need to compose carefully or w/the Wide-angle Rollei, which doesn't allow you to focus @ all when you use the sportsfinder.

Hey all, I have been thinking about getting a prism finder for my rolleicord Vb for a while now. The reason for the prism is that I want to get into more portrait work and I'm short...making photographing taller people a bit of a challenge. Previous experiences at a wedding suggests either finding a prism or luggin around small stool. The former suggestion will do nothing to the already bad case of short man syndrome I am currently experiencing.

I have managed to find a prism at KEH.com for around 80 USD, not in the best nick but Im not too fussed about that as I just want something i can use. So if anyone out there has the prism, I would like to hear from your experiences with it. Is it a good piece of equipment to have?

Cheers
Steve

 

[Paddy C]

I had a prism practically glued to my 2.8F for the last few years. Mainly because I used it occasionally and framing through the waist level finder is difficult when you don't do it regularly.

However, I agree with everyone here that it is dim, heavy, and more difficult to focus.

I recently took it off and wondered why on earth I had been using it all this time. Doubt it will go back on anytime soon.

To answer your question though...I would buy it. It is useful in certain situations and I would think a fast moving situation like a wedding would be one of them.

 

[MartinP]

It could be worth searching for a brighter screen as well, or instead of, the prism. They can make an amazing difference.

Edit: Aha, posted about the usefulness of brighter screens simultaneously . . .

 

[Vince Lupo]

I don't have a problem with it at all, and find it pretty easy to focus with on my 2.8 F. Highly recommended.

 

[fbf]

The fact is you will lose two stops when the prism is attached. Some ppl never get along with WLF. I only use 45 degree prism on hassy. I like rolleiflex the way it is.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

In answer to a couple of responders to this thread - I recently installed a Maxwell screen in my 'flex 2.8 and that has brightened up the screen considerably compared to the original Rollei glass. Not cheap, but Bill Maxwell was very helpful and delivery was quick.
I got the Maxwell screen with gridlines on it, so getting the photos level is easy!