The family heirlooms have much more than financial worth. They are family history and the special feeling or connection between generations through a shared passion. I inherited a number a firearms that passed from my great-grandfather, to my grandfather, then my uncle, and now me. I setup a trust and am adding my nephews as trustees, who have kids of their own. When they are old enough, I will add their kids too, making six generations. So, like you, I paid for professional repairs on a 1927 shotgun my great grandfather bought. Recently, my dad gave me the camera and lenses he bought when he was stationed on Okinawa, before I was born. I learned photography on that camera and it has been around the world. The December after he gave it to me, I took it to a specialist outfit in Tokyo of semi-retired Nikon employees. They won't take overseas work, so I arranged a round trip flight with 1 day layovers in Tokyo to drop the camera off and pick it up 3 weeks later. The camera is like brand new now. I'll also pass this on to my nephews.
Great heirloom and the pictures will document all the generations in your family for many more to come. I have the 3.5f with a light meter and have always been amazed by the quality of this camera and it’s accuracy. Thanks.
Funny, I got my first Hasselblad the same way you got this Rollei. A friend of my dad gave me a box of “photography junk” his father left and there was an old Hassie 1000f with two lenses and a lot of accessories. It was crazy! Bought him a bottle of good whisky as a thank you 😊
The history of the Rolleiflex A is a bit different than suggested here. The "A" did run into a lot of complaints and problems relating to poor lens performance. After the War, Rollei, like other German industrials, was basically closed and struggling to get back into business. It finally got into production in 1948-9, and it needed lenses for the camera, the "A". They had a batch of 80mm 2.8 Tessars which they had purchased from Zeiss before the War and stored for the duration. The problem: these lenses were uncoated. That was fine in 1936, but a non-starter in 1949. So, they sent the lenses out to be coated. The company which did the job disassembled the lenses, coated the elements, then reassembled the lenses without regard to their original matching of elements. Since each lenses was custom matched by Zeiss when made, most of these lenses would simple not be able to perform. Particularly important to the 80mm Tessar, as at 2.8, the lens design was being over-extended and had to be very carefully matched to be usable. Rollei got a flood of complaints abut poor sharpness and contrast. Figuring out what had happened, they did a full recall to replace the lenses on all cameras returned. The story is that about two-thirds were returned and got new lenses (not Tessars, maybe Biotars). The rest are still floating around, for better or worse. So, as Rolleiflex go, the "A" with Tessar is more of a collectible for its novel history than a user, but then some people think a Yashicamat has a sharp lens, so there you go.
Great. I have a Rolleiflex 2.8 with Tessar lenses. I checked its serial number sometime ago and I believe it was manufactured in 1954. Do you happen to know which Rolleiflex model it is?
Hi ! You are missing the point by trying to line up the arrows on the film leader....The rollers are there to save you the trouble and gain precious time !! The arrows are there as needed for other cameras. Once you have enogh film leader gone through the 2 rollers you are safe to close the back and go ahead winding the film to the first shot ! One more thing......like most people you are ignoring the second magnifier lens right under the small square opening of the “open viewfinder”..... investigate...see what it can do for you...and you will have found the unique feature of Rolleiflex which has enabled so many top photographers to get quick action shots “well focused” while others were fumbling around looking into their top viewfinders !!!
That's pretty cool to have the first one produced in a batch. I always keep my eyes out for a decent deal on Rolleis on ebay, but thus far have not come across one that's not a bit overpriced. Patience is a virtue though haha :)
All Rolleiflexes that load the film _between_ those feeler rollers will sense when the film starts automatically. But it's good practice to wind the film until you see the START mark anyway, so you know that the film is winding correctly.
This video was amazing thanks for sharing this with us i always shy away for TLR cameras, i dont know but i am slightly scared to use them. i usually shot 35mm film. Really enjoyed watching this
80mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar vs. Carl Zeiss Oberkochen Tessar. (I've had a Rolleicord V for decades, which sports a 75mm f/3.5 Schneider Xenar lens.;) Neat 120 multiple roll film case, how things have changed! I had to make do by keeping film in boxes or saving plastic Fuji 120 cases back when Verichrome Pan and Kodacolor-X did battle with Fujipan and Fujicolor film. Back then, I used a Sekonic L-28C under varying light levels or Ye Olde Nikkormat FTN's meter.
Everyone is raging about the 2.8 and the 3.5f ... what about other models like the 11A? 111A? What’s the difference between these? Why are the 2.8 so desired?
electrabot ,the 2.8 models are more expensive purely because it has a lens with a faster aperture of f2.8 so is better in low light, able to blur out the background more effectively etc... the 3.5 models are though great and all have sharp lenses. To my knowledge rolleiflex didn't make a bad TLR camera. Get the one you can afford and you should still get great photos. But factor in around £100 for a service on top. Plus those versions with a working light meter always cost more. But I use an app on my phone so it's really not that important if the camera doesn't have one.
Your quite right but I got the impression you thought it only had a max speed of 1/200. The repairs name is Brian Mickleboro who remembers you. He does all my Rolleiflex camera servicing and repairs.
FYI. I think you will find that if you turn the shutter speed wheel further against the resistance (it used an extra internel spring) you will get it to go to 400th of a second.
Alan Clark , I checked with the engineer who fixed it, who used to work for Rollei and he said to not force it and only ever set it to the 400 speed before cocking the shutter due to the strength of the spring. It's annoying if I've found it in to the next frame and then realise I want 1/400 but I've learnt to live with it.
The 2.8a is historically regarded as the "lemon" in the series, and Rolleiflex quickly abandoned production and replaced the glass for future models. A lot of pros were dismayed at the "poor" quality of the pictures it produced, far from the reputation F&H had amassed up to that point. Can you comment on the quality of the images? is it noticeable lacking? im curious if history judged this model to harshly
The Cantrell Project I kind of cover it a bit in the video, in that the ones made with bad lenses are not very good and were replaced by Rolleiflex with a less problematic lens. But my camera is fine and lovely and sharp even wide open. I consider it very good and the photos I get are really special.
The 2,8 Jena Tessars were from batches made before the war for the Ikoflex III camera. It wasn't made anymore after the war, so F&H bought them for their first 2,8 Rolleiflex. During the coating process some lens elements were mixed up, so some, not all, produced less then stellar results. So those would be sent back for replacement with new West German Opton-Tessars, and the rest of the camera production got the West German lenses. The 2,8A is a gem for collectors and users alike, and even more so with a good Jena Tessar, because of the history and rarity. Of course, the Planar and Xenotar cameras are optically better, but there are so many of them.
the problem with all 2.8A cameras is the the 4 element Tessar lens design was never intended to reach 2.8 in the medium format focal length. The best of them are going to be clearly inferior to the later Planar or Xenotar 2.8 bodies. Why did Rollei use 80mm Tessars it knew were not up to Rollei standards? The Tessars were a batch planned for Zeiss before the war but never used. After the war, Zeiss was bombed into the stone age and couldn't produce lenses Rollei needed for several years. Rollei needed to get a new camera intto the market to stay alive, so they took a chance on sliding by with these pre-war Tessars. They only made this camera with the pre-war lenses for about a year, then moved on to better, new lenses/models. For many years they sold a Rolleiflex model with the 75mm 3.5 Tessar, which did not suffer the quality problems of the 80mm 2.8.
@@randallstewart175 Yes, you are correct about the 2,8 Tessar being inferior to the 3,5 version. Schneider made a five element Xenar 2,8 (split front element) to correct for this problem. It was available in 75 mm and 50 mm (renamed 'Xenon' for the pre-war Kodak Retina cameras. Not to be confused with the six element 2,0 Xenon made at the same time). The 2,8 A was made for a short period, and then came the 2,8 B with East German Biometar, which wasn't in production for very long either. It was first with the next model, the 2,8 C with Xenotar (and later also Planar, that the 2,8 model had "matured".
The family heirlooms have much more than financial worth. They are family history and the special feeling or connection between generations through a shared passion. I inherited a number a firearms that passed from my great-grandfather, to my grandfather, then my uncle, and now me. I setup a trust and am adding my nephews as trustees, who have kids of their own. When they are old enough, I will add their kids too, making six generations. So, like you, I paid for professional repairs on a 1927 shotgun my great grandfather bought. Recently, my dad gave me the camera and lenses he bought when he was stationed on Okinawa, before I was born. I learned photography on that camera and it has been around the world. The December after he gave it to me, I took it to a specialist outfit in Tokyo of semi-retired Nikon employees. They won't take overseas work, so I arranged a round trip flight with 1 day layovers in Tokyo to drop the camera off and pick it up 3 weeks later. The camera is like brand new now. I'll also pass this on to my nephews.
That's great to hear. 👍🏻
That’s a great story-thank you for sharing it.
Thank you - this is helpful.
My first TLR experience was a Voigtlander Brillant; still works after 84 years.
Just recently acquired a 2.8C. This video helped me a lot.
Great heirloom and the pictures will document all the generations in your family for many more to come. I have the 3.5f with a light meter and have always been amazed by the quality of this camera and it’s accuracy. Thanks.
Mine has a top lens cap idk how to get it off so i can look through the viewfinder
Funny, I got my first Hasselblad the same way you got this Rollei. A friend of my dad gave me a box of “photography junk” his father left and there was an old Hassie 1000f with two lenses and a lot of accessories. It was crazy! Bought him a bottle of good whisky as a thank you 😊
The history of the Rolleiflex A is a bit different than suggested here. The "A" did run into a lot of complaints and problems relating to poor lens performance. After the War, Rollei, like other German industrials, was basically closed and struggling to get back into business. It finally got into production in 1948-9, and it needed lenses for the camera, the "A". They had a batch of 80mm 2.8 Tessars which they had purchased from Zeiss before the War and stored for the duration. The problem: these lenses were uncoated. That was fine in 1936, but a non-starter in 1949. So, they sent the lenses out to be coated. The company which did the job disassembled the lenses, coated the elements, then reassembled the lenses without regard to their original matching of elements. Since each lenses was custom matched by Zeiss when made, most of these lenses would simple not be able to perform. Particularly important to the 80mm Tessar, as at 2.8, the lens design was being over-extended and had to be very carefully matched to be usable. Rollei got a flood of complaints abut poor sharpness and contrast. Figuring out what had happened, they did a full recall to replace the lenses on all cameras returned. The story is that about two-thirds were returned and got new lenses (not Tessars, maybe Biotars). The rest are still floating around, for better or worse. So, as Rolleiflex go, the "A" with Tessar is more of a collectible for its novel history than a user, but then some people think a Yashicamat has a sharp lens, so there you go.
Thank you 👍🏻
我也买了一台禄来2.8a，但是我对他一点也不了解。他的摄影镜头好像是蔡司东德天塞80mm f1.2的镜头，不知道是更换过的还是没有更换过的。
Great. I have a Rolleiflex 2.8 with Tessar lenses. I checked its serial number sometime ago and I believe it was manufactured in 1954. Do you happen to know which Rolleiflex model it is?
I believe I've just found out! It is a 2.8A.
Hi ! You are missing the point by trying to line up the arrows on the film leader....The rollers are there to save you the trouble and gain precious time !! The arrows are there as needed for other cameras. Once you have enogh film leader gone through the 2 rollers you are safe to close the back and go ahead winding the film to the first shot ! One more thing......like most people you are ignoring the second magnifier lens right under the small square opening of the “open viewfinder”..... investigate...see what it can do for you...and you will have found the unique feature of Rolleiflex which has enabled so many top photographers to get quick action shots “well focused” while others were fumbling around looking into their top viewfinders !!!
Thanks for the video! I found this exact same model in my previous house. This will help a lot
The 2.8a is quite rare. You did well to get one. Really happy my video helped.
That's pretty cool to have the first one produced in a batch. I always keep my eyes out for a decent deal on Rolleis on ebay, but thus far have not come across one that's not a bit overpriced. Patience is a virtue though haha :)
All Rolleiflexes that load the film _between_ those feeler rollers will sense when the film starts automatically. But it's good practice to wind the film until you see the START mark anyway, so you know that the film is winding correctly.
True 👍🏻👍🏻
Interesting . . and a lovely bit of history!
Samsung9alaxy .. thank you 😁
This video was amazing thanks for sharing this with us
i always shy away for TLR cameras, i dont know but i am slightly scared to use them.
i usually shot 35mm film.
Really enjoyed watching this
Don't think of worth and value be 😁 happy
80mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar vs. Carl Zeiss Oberkochen Tessar. (I've had a Rolleicord V for decades, which sports a 75mm f/3.5 Schneider Xenar lens.;) Neat 120 multiple roll film case, how things have changed! I had to make do by keeping film in boxes or saving plastic Fuji 120 cases back when Verichrome Pan and Kodacolor-X did battle with Fujipan and Fujicolor film. Back then, I used a Sekonic L-28C under varying light levels or Ye Olde Nikkormat FTN's meter.
John Deakin's camera?
Excellent video
Najja Foluke , thank you Najja
Everyone is raging about the 2.8 and the 3.5f ... what about other models like the 11A? 111A? What’s the difference between these? Why are the 2.8 so desired?
electrabot ,the 2.8 models are more expensive purely because it has a lens with a faster aperture of f2.8 so is better in low light, able to blur out the background more effectively etc... the 3.5 models are though great and all have sharp lenses. To my knowledge rolleiflex didn't make a bad TLR camera. Get the one you can afford and you should still get great photos. But factor in around £100 for a service on top. Plus those versions with a working light meter always cost more. But I use an app on my phone so it's really not that important if the camera doesn't have one.
Your quite right but I got the impression you thought it only had a max speed of 1/200. The repairs name is Brian Mickleboro who remembers you. He does all my Rolleiflex camera servicing and repairs.
Alan Clark small world ha ha year Brian is great!! And such a nice guy. Your dead right it's 200th I just checked the camera.
Out of interest what did Brian say?
FYI. I think you will find that if you turn the shutter speed wheel further against the resistance (it used an extra internel spring) you will get it to go to 400th of a second.
Alan Clark , I checked with the engineer who fixed it, who used to work for Rollei and he said to not force it and only ever set it to the 400 speed before cocking the shutter due to the strength of the spring. It's annoying if I've found it in to the next frame and then realise I want 1/400 but I've learnt to live with it.
The 2.8a is historically regarded as the "lemon" in the series, and Rolleiflex quickly abandoned production and replaced the glass for future models. A lot of pros were dismayed at the "poor" quality of the pictures it produced, far from the reputation F&H had amassed up to that point. Can you comment on the quality of the images? is it noticeable lacking? im curious if history judged this model to harshly
The Cantrell Project I kind of cover it a bit in the video, in that the ones made with bad lenses are not very good and were replaced by Rolleiflex with a less problematic lens. But my camera is fine and lovely and sharp even wide open.
I consider it very good and the photos I get are really special.
thanks for the response!
The 2,8 Jena Tessars were from batches made before the war for the Ikoflex III camera. It wasn't made anymore after the war, so F&H bought them for their first 2,8 Rolleiflex. During the coating process some lens elements were mixed up, so some, not all, produced less then stellar results. So those would be sent back for replacement with new West German Opton-Tessars, and the rest of the camera production got the West German lenses.
The 2,8A is a gem for collectors and users alike, and even more so with a good Jena Tessar, because of the history and rarity. Of course, the Planar and Xenotar cameras are optically better, but there are so many of them.
the problem with all 2.8A cameras is the the 4 element Tessar lens design was never intended to reach 2.8 in the medium format focal length. The best of them are going to be clearly inferior to the later Planar or Xenotar 2.8 bodies. Why did Rollei use 80mm Tessars it knew were not up to Rollei standards? The Tessars were a batch planned for Zeiss before the war but never used. After the war, Zeiss was bombed into the stone age and couldn't produce lenses Rollei needed for several years. Rollei needed to get a new camera intto the market to stay alive, so they took a chance on sliding by with these pre-war Tessars. They only made this camera with the pre-war lenses for about a year, then moved on to better, new lenses/models. For many years they sold a Rolleiflex model with the 75mm 3.5 Tessar, which did not suffer the quality problems of the 80mm 2.8.
@@randallstewart175 Yes, you are correct about the 2,8 Tessar being inferior to the 3,5 version. Schneider made a five element Xenar 2,8 (split front element) to correct for this problem. It was available in 75 mm and 50 mm (renamed 'Xenon' for the pre-war Kodak Retina cameras. Not to be confused with the six element 2,0 Xenon made at the same time).
The 2,8 A was made for a short period, and then came the 2,8 B with East German Biometar, which wasn't in production for very long either. It was first with the next model, the 2,8 C with Xenotar (and later also Planar, that the 2,8 model had "matured".