Rolleiflex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras made by the German company Rollei. The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of medium format twin lens reflex (TLR) cameras. (A companion line intended for amateur photographers, Rolleicord, existed for several decades.) However, a variety of TLRs and SLRs in medium, 35 mm, and digital formats have also been produced under the Rolleiflex label. The Rolleiflex series is marketed primarily to professional photographers.
The Rolleiflex TLR film cameras were notable for their compact size, reduced weight, superior optics, durable and simple mechanics and bright viewfinders. An ingenious tapered mirror allowed the size of the viewing lens (the top lens) 'internal compartment' to be reduced, and this smaller compartment was dovetailed with the bottom taking lens 'compartment', which decreased the overall size and weight of the camera. The high-quality lenses, manufactured by Zeiss and Schneider, further differentiated the Rolleiflex TLR from many of its competitors. The mechanical wind mechanism was robust and clever, making film loading semi-automatic and quick. A wide range of accessories made this camera a more complete system, allowing close-ups, added filters and quick tripod attachment. Some art photographers still shoot with Rolleiflex TLR film cameras and black-and-white film, the later 2.8F and 3.5F models being very popular. Modern Rolleiflex TLRs are still being manufactured; available focal lengths include 50mm, 80mm, and 135mm. The late-model cameras are collectible, particularly in Japan.
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[edit] Notable models
[edit] Original Rolleiflex
This first Rolleiflex was introduced in 1929[1] after three years of development[2], and was the first medium format roll-film camera, which was used with unpopular 117 (B1) film. It was a Twin-Lens Reflex camera.
[edit] Rolleiflex Automat
- Introduced an automatic film counter; this counter senses the thickness of the film backing to accurately begin counting frames, obviating the need for the ruby window that forced the photographer to read the frame number off the back of the film itself.
- This model won the Grand Prix award at the Paris World's Fair in 1937.
- The first Rolleiflex to offer a Schneider Kreuznach Xenar taking lens as an option, in addition to the Carl Zeiss Tessar.
[edit] Rolleiflex 2.8A
Incorporated the first f2.8 taking lens (either an 80 mm Carl Zeiss Tessar or Opton Tessar) into the Rolleiflex line. It also added an X flash synch contact.
[edit] Tele Rolleiflex
This camera used a 135 mm/f4.0 Carl Zeiss Sonnar taking lens.
The new Tele Rolleiflex uses 135mm/f4 Schneider Tele-Xenar taking lens
[edit] Wide Rolleiflex
This camera had a 55 mm/f4.0 Carl Zeiss Distagon taking lens.
The new Wide Rolleiflex uses a 50mm/f4 Schneider Super-Angulon taking lens.
[edit] Rolleiflex SL66
Rollei's first medium-format SLR, introduced in 1966.
[edit] Rolleiflex SL35
A 35 mm SLR introduced in 1970.
[edit] Rolleiflex MiniDigi
A miniature 2-megapixel digital TLR released in 2004; a red version with 3.1 megapixels was introduced in 2006, a 5MP version available in red & black was released in Feb 2008, check out this link http://www.rollei.jp/e/pd/MiniDigiAF.html The new AF5.0 version is licensed by Rollei in Germany and made in Japan. It is being distributed by Direct Source Marketing (D.S.M.). www.dsmww.com
[edit] List of models
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- the International RolleiClub with Images and specifications of all Rolleiflex TLR cameras
- Dutch Rolleiflexclub with Image Gallery
- RolleiCafe:: Rolleiflex discussion and user forum
- The most comprehensive information about all Rolleiflex SL66 camera models , Carl Zeiss lenses and original Sl66 accessories
- Rolleigraphy.org
- Identify your Rollei model by serial number
