OFFICIAL I HAVE A NEW (FILM RELATED) TOY THREAD!!

Make sure if you but the Rollei kin kit that it has all the bits, often the 35mm winder/counter is missing as it’s often left fitted to the camera.
 
freecom2 said:
Nice Rollei. I must say I never personally saw the appeal of shooting 35mm on a Rollei - the large square negative is part of the charm (and I struggle to frame portrait 35mm). Do you have a large stock of 35mm that you are trying to burn through?
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No, not really. Its just that I want to have the option of shooting 35mm through those lovely lenses, I also have an MX EVS which is staying in its pristine 120 format :D.
 
Andysnap said:
Dropped in rather lucky with this.

Rolleiflex Automat 1945-1949 by Andy, on Flickr

£103 for a very nice condition Rolleiflex Automat (1945-1949). Glass is clean and fungus free with very few cleaning marks and the shutter speeds sound ok. Body is ok to good, I might treat it to a new leather sometime. The plan is for it to go to Brian Mickleboro for a service and then to fit a Rolleikin back and use it to shoot 35mm. :)
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Looks like you've done well with that at the price. However, I agree with Kermit above; as you know, I use a Yashica 635 fairly regularly but the only time I've ever shot 35mm film with it was when I first bought it and couldn't find anywhere locally that sold 120 roll film, so got a roll of 35mm to test it. And it worked consistently well... all 24 shots in portrait format! :tumbleweed: :sleep:

Landscape is possible if you hold the camera sideways and look through it at 90 degrees, but this tends to feel unnatural and with everything back to front in the viewfinder it makes getting the horizon straight something of a hobby in itself! :wideyed:

If I were in your shoes I'd save my money and give the 35mm conversion kit a miss, get it serviced and stick to what the camera was famous for, producing good quality 6x6 shots and people saying "Oh. look, he's using a Rolleiflex". :D If you're still undecided then just look back through your photos over the last 3 years and see how many you took in portrait format and ask yourself would you like to be confined to that format for 24 or 36 consecutive shots. (y)
 
All good points Mr B however I already have the Rolleikin kit (Jan bought it for me for Xmas) and i do shoot quite a lot of shots in portrait. (y)
 
Andysnap said:
Dropped in rather lucky with this.

Rolleiflex Automat 1945-1949 by Andy, on Flickr

£103 for a very nice condition Rolleiflex Automat (1945-1949). Glass is clean and fungus free with very few cleaning marks and the shutter speeds sound ok. Body is ok to good, I might treat it to a new leather sometime. The plan is for it to go to Brian Mickleboro for a service and then to fit a Rolleikin back and use it to shoot 35mm. :)
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That looks to be a very good purchase and to fit the kit for 35mm is a great idea,looking forward to seeing the results.
 
Andysnap said:
All good points Mr B however I already have the Rolleikin kit (Jan bought it for me for Xmas) and i do shoot quite a lot of shots in portrait. (y)
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Well, if you've already got one you may as well use it. If it's anything like the 635 it will give you the effect of about an 80mm lens (35mm equivalent) as it's using less film area than 6x6.

I think the 35mm kits were probably offered as handy accessories for people who travelled a lot, so they would stand a better chance of finding a film that would fit their camera. That's my theory anyway! Sadly, these days, in most small towns and villages you've probably got more chance of seeing feathers on a frog than finding a shop that sells either film format!

Anyway, I'll look forward to seeing the results, it's got to be worth a roll of Colorplus 200 to give it a go if you can work out how to fit the kit - there's probably a 'how to' video on YouTube? (y) Never having owned a Rollei, the only tip I can give you is that if it doesn't seem to fit then resist the temptation to use a hammer! ;)
 
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Given my renowned hamfistedness it will be going to Brian Mickleboro for CLA and the fitting of the kit. :)
 
kendo1 said:
:)
Just fancied a brick.
It's a bit bigger than a 139.
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Whats handy about the F4 it will also take pre AI lenses, which is the reason I want one, but without the MB21 winder which makes it bulky.
 
On Tuesday I was given three Pentax screw mount cameras with lenses; at least two of the cameras were described as having "issues". The Zenith E (I think) has a yellow/orange vertical line visible in the viewfinder, but not on the focusing screen as viewed from below. It's quite a thick line, and although very useful as an aid to composition when applying the rule of halves it doesn't add much to handling. The Spotmatic II has a sticky mirror; sometimes it fails to return to viewing position until another exposure is made and the film wound on. From a quick internet search, it seems that this means a cog needs lubricating but the question arises as to whether I can be bothered as I have no other Pentax screw mount cameras apart from these three. The third was a Practica, clearly modern as it has a built in meter. No issues were reported, but I haven't tested it. It doesn't offer any USP over my other 35mm cameras, being bigger and heavier than my OMs and having a top speed of 1/500th second.

The cameras came with lenses; SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8, Travenar 35mm f/3.5 and a Sigma zoom whose range I can't recall.

Today I took delivery of a Jobo Multi tank, with the Catlab CL81 insert to process 8x10 film. I discovered something I ought to have known years ago, that you can process 5x4 in this tank with inversion agitation, as you don't have to use the rotary processor. With a couple of reels for 5x4, I could process 8 sheets at a time (12 with some films, but that's another story - possibly apocryphal as it came from an internet forum) in 1.5l of chemicals. To do the same with my CombiPlan tanks would take twice as long and use 2l of solutions. Assuming that I get along with the system, it could be an improved way of working as the biggest problem with CombiPlan is the slow fill/empty which really means development times have to be on the long side. At present, I develop for 16 minutes.
 
Nikkor 300mm AIS F4.5 IF ED arrived yesterday from Ffordes. Was looking at buying one off ebay from Japan but found one from Ffordes in acceptable condition that worked out near half the price so am a very happy bunny.
 
My new top of the range mirrorless battery less camera ( hopeless possibly) .It hurt my bank balance at an eye watering 99 pence I expect it to last the next 30 years but I'm really thinking about 30 seconds. I have some similar(ish) point and press cameras which are auto focus and better made but have a very shallow depth of field my hope is this will give me an option when I need a deeper depth of field as it is focus free. Remember DSLR'S, SLR's and range finders are for wimps :):):):film:

1.jpg 2.jpg 3.jpg
 
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Probably like their SLR cameras ;) other odd SLR names IIRC are Olympia and a name something similar to Nikon...see quite a few at the bootie unsold.
 
Andysnap said:
The plan is for it to go to Brian Mickleboro for a service and then to fit a Rolleikin back and use it to shoot 35mm. :)
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Glad to hear Brian is still servicing Rolleis - I haven't spoken to him for a few years but when I went through my Rollei phase he serviced a few for me.

Not sure why you would shoot 35mm on one though, 120 square is a lovely format. Plenty of cheap 35mm cameras if you want to shot 35mm.

I loved my f2.8 Planar, but sold it. The second one I bought isn't in quite such nice condition. I also have an f2.8 Zenotar and a few Ts.

Here's a gratuitous shot with the Planar:


Flower Market, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Oct 08

and here's a few of my


Rolleiflexes
 
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Patrick Dixon said:
Glad to hear Brian is still servicing Rolleis - I haven't spoken to him for a few years but when I went through my Rollei phase he serviced a few for me.

Not sure why you would shoot 35mm on one though, 120 square is a lovely format. Plenty of cheap 35mm cameras if you want to shot 35mm.

I loved my f2.8 Planar, but sold it. The second one I bought isn't in quite such nice condition. I also have an f2.8 Zenotar and a few Ts.

Here's a gratuitous shot with the Planar:


Flower Market, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Oct 08

and here's a few of my


Rolleiflexes
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Nice collection.
 
Patrick Dixon said:
Glad to hear Brian is still servicing Rolleis - I haven't spoken to him for a few years but when I went through my Rollei phase he serviced a few for me.

Not sure why you would shoot 35mm on one though, 120 square is a lovely format. Plenty of cheap 35mm cameras if you want to shot 35mm.

I loved my f2.8 Planar, but sold it. The second one I bought isn't in quite such nice condition. I also have an f2.8 Zenotar and a few Ts.

Here's a gratuitous shot with the Planar:


Flower Market, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Oct 08

and here's a few of my


Rolleiflexes
Click to expand...

I have another Rolleiflex which is for 120 but I just fancied having the option of 36 shots using that lovely glass and I picked up this one for peanuts. :D
 
They are great fun to shoot; unobtrusive, light & portable, and they produce excellent quality results. I like the square format too; in many ways it makes a lot of sense.

Downside (I guess) is the fixed lens. But if you are stuck with one lens, there are many worse.
 
gert said:
I use a Yash mat for 6x6, but would love a Rollie.
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I really liked my Yashica Mat, and it produced excellent results and was my gateway to TLR/6x6 medium format. But the Rollei's are on a whole different level of build quality - they make the Yashica look flimsy by comparison - and they were the defining, high-end TLR choice.

The fact that values remain so strong (and continue to increase) are testament to this. Collector condition versions of the later models (2.8 and 3.5E/F) are going for very strong money.
 
Manwithacam said:
I do like the Nikon FG, mine cost me £13 for the body and all it needed was new batteries.
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I reckon it is a much overlooked camera; it's small and neat, it does everything it needs to do,, and it looks pretty!
 
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freecom2 said:
The fact that values remain so strong (and continue to increase) are testament to this. Collector condition versions of the later models (2.8 and 3.5E/F) are going for very strong money.
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I know high-spec Rolleis have never been as 'cheap as chips' due to their desirability and build quality (rather like Hasselblads), but pretty much any desirable make and model of film camera seems to have been on the up price-wise over the last couple of years or so. I don't think that's a bad thing either, as it should keep the market (specialist shops/traders, repairers, spare parts, etc.) going for a while. If things got too cheap then it would be a case of throw it away as it's not worth selling, and goodness knows how many classic and fully working cameras would have ended up as landfill or scrap.
 
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Its a bit strange though how the higher specced Rolleis have gone up in price as have the Rolleicords but the Automat line are probably as cheap as they have ever been, in fact Cords are often more expensive.:thinking:
 
A Nikon DL-1 viewfinder illuminator for a Nikon F2. More of a curiosity than something I will use much but it does a good job lighting up the metering needle.
 
New toy purchased and hopefully arriving begining of next week. Another dream camera for me (like the Nikon F3 was).
I'm like a kid at Christmas here - only X number of sleeps until it arrives :)
 
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I had a Nikon F2AS delivered from Japan via DHL on Monday. It escaped having any Customs charges being levied on it. First item I have had come from Japan via DHL.

Escaping Customs charges aside, the experience was so much better than the last two things that came in via EMS & Parcelfarce last month that sat for nearly 2 weeks before they could be bothered to tell me how much I had to pay to get them released.

See this one escaping as fair compensation for the earlier bad service. Am sure Customs wouldn't agree

Wonder if you will get lucky & escape any tax?
 
Vienna huh? I'm guessing a Leica of some sort since there's a shop there with a drool worthy inventory (as well as Hassys, Rolleis, Linhofs, Bolexes... the list goes on).
 
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