by Ferdi Stutterheim
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| Photograph of Rolleiflex 2,8 E © 2008 Karl Keung. Photo used with permission. |
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Rolleigraphy is photography with a Rolleiflex camera. The term usually refers to photography with a Rolleiflex Twin-Lens Reflex (TLR) and originated sometime in the 1930s. "Rolleigrafie" was the name of a magazine published by the Rollei factory.
The Rolleiflex TLR was designed by Reinhold Heidecke (1881 - 1960), partner of "Franke & Heidecke" of Brunswick, Germany, in 1928 and marketed in 1929. Earlier the firm was a world famous builder of stereo cameras sold under the names Heidoscop (after its designer) and Rolleidoscop. The name Rollei is a typically German contraction of Roll film camera Heidecke. Paul Franke (1888 - 1950), owner of a Berlin photo retail shop, was Mr. Heidecke's commercial partner. The camera was an instant success. Mr. Franke's first commercial trip had to be short cut after a few weeks, as he had sold more than a year's production.
"Franke & Heidecke" evolved into "Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke". The later company was bankrupted in 1981 and the factory was re-established as Rollei Fototechnic and owned by a British group, "United Scientific Holdings". The next owner was Heinrich Mandermann who also owned the optical firm "J. Schneider Kreuznach". Eventually Mr Mandermann sold Rollei to "Samsung" of Korea. "Samsung" invested heavily in Rollei but eventually decided to sell. After a management buy-out Rollei was owned by senior staff members. In 2002 a Danish investment group took a major interest in the Rollei company. In 2005 Rollei Fototechnic was split up in two parts. For a while the Danish investors continued the sales department as Rollei GmbH in Berlin. The Rollei name is licensed to a third party for selling film etc. This part is irrelevant to us. The Brunswick factory, where the medium format cameras are built, continued as "Franke & Heidecke GmbH, Feinmechanik und Optik". As the name suggested grandsons of both founders had joined senior management as owners. The sad story continues: F&H went bankrupt again and the Brunswick factory made another re-start as DHW Fototechnik. As far as we know DHW are building the TLRs, the Hy6 with film backs and lenses and the Rollei 35. Some products seem to be special editions only. The cameras are mainly sold to the Far East.
The factory started in rented rooms at Viewegstrasse 32, Brunswick, Germany in 1920. In 1921 Franke & Heidecke moved to the present factory site at 196 Salzdahlumer Strasse. After W.W.II factory buildings were expanded on a large scale until 1981. Most of the site is now in use by other firms. Until recently F&H used the original 1921 Building One as office and the next Building Two as factory. These buildings can easily be recognised by the interconnecting bridge at 1st floor level. DHW activities are now concentrated in a part of Building Two.
Members of the now dissolved Rollei Club of the Netherlands were invited to visit the factory from time to time. In May 2003 I joined other members on the trip to Brunswick and made a report for the Members of the Rollei Users Group Mailing List.
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| Photograph of Rolleiflex 2.8 F Photo © Emmanuel Bigler. Photo used with permission. |
The TLR design itself was not a Heidecke invention. It was well known and used for what we now call large format cameras. The patented Heidecke design was much more compact than the usual TLR designs. In a clever way he used empty spaces to take the film rolls and he managed to lower the reflex mirror into unused space of the "taking chamber". In this way the two lenses could be built more closely together. This is a favourable construction to minimise parallax. Over the years the original design was improved many times. A moving metal frame in the finder construction for instance made sure the finder frame lines would nearly be the same as the ones used by the taking lens. What remained off course was that the viewing lens is slightly more "looking down" on the subject than the taking lens. In close-up situations this results in an exposure from a different angle. All these refinements were patented and that kept Franke & Heidecke well ahead of competition.
A major landmark was the Rolleiflex Automat of 1937 winning a "Grand Prix" at the Paris World Fair. At the time Automat meant automatic film loading and transport. People had not even dreamt of auto-exposure let alone auto-focus. The automatic film loading feature for roll-film was a wonder of mechanical engineering, unheard of at the time and never offered again by any other manufacturer not even after the patent had expired. The user has to feed the paper beginning of the roll film between a pair of rollers, then pass it over the film gate and finally feed it into the take-up spool. After this all he has to do is close the back and turn the crank forward until it stops, then crank backwards until it stops again. The film is at exposure 1 now. The rollers - one fixed, one moving - form the feeler mechanism for finding the bulge of the adhesive tape that fixes film to paper back. The combined height of paper, film and tape for 120 roll-film was standardised in a German Industry Norm (DIN) to make automatic film loading with a Rolleiflex happen. The hundreds of thousands of Rolleiflexes in use by professional photographers and amateurs made the entire photo industry comply with the DIN standard for 120 size film. Even today automatic film loading in a Rolleiflex works flawlessly with most modern films. In recent years some new films seem to have thinner backing paper but malfunction of film transport may be caused by the rollers being out of adjustment.
After the Second World War an expensive wide aperture 2.8 model having a Carl Zeiss Jena 2.8/80 mm Tessar was marketed, next to the standard 3.5 model and the economy "Rolleicord" model. This model as later on referred to as "2.8 A". The 2.8 was made for the American market. For post-war Europe the price was simply too steep. The 2.8 Tessar lenses were manufactured by Carl Zeiss Jena just before the war for the Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex. After the war the un-mounted lens elements were purchased by Franke & Heidecke. Before delivery they were state of the art "T coated". Before or after this process a number of elements were mixed up. At this point you have to know that at Carl Zeiss lens elements are matched to compensate for minor lens faults. One minor fault is compensated by another minor fault to achieve an optimal result. In this case about one third of the Tessars had unmatched elements, resulting in poor optical perfomance. When this became evident, Franke & Heidecke recalled all 2.8 A cameras in order to replace the CZ Jena lenses for new Opton Tessars from Oberkochen. A Rolleiflex 2,8 A with an original CZJ Tessar is a nice collector's item. In theorie there is a 2 in 3 chance for a good performing CZJ Tessar, however it is likely that satisfied customers did not take the trouble to have the lens replaced. Serious collectors should go for a 2.8 A with a bad performing Jena Tessar. :-)
So three major product lines existed. Subsequent Rolleicord models were numbered in Roman; with sub-models having added letters (Rolleicord Va and Vb for instance). Subsequent models in both Rolleiflex lines had letter codes A, B, C, D, etc. etc. Not all designations were used: a Rolleiflex 3.5 D does not exist. To add to the confusion different designations were used in different markets. "An uncoupled Selenium cell light-meter was introduced with the E models" says American literature. That is all right for the 2.8 line on a global scale and for the 3.5 line in certain export markets. Cameras sold as 3.5 E in America were sold as 3.5 C in Europe.
The pinnacle of classic TLR design was the "F" model featuring a mechanically coupled Selenium light-meter. The "F" model was produced until 1981 when the Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke went into bankruptcy. Limited numbers of a special edition were assembled from existing parts even afterwards.
A smaller TLR also referred to as the Rollei-Baby. One pre-war Baby model exists and two post-war models. The post-war grey Baby is the most common one. The post-war black Baby fetches a premium price as a collector's item. Few were made in black. When you have laid your hand on one of these babies, make sure to open the finder hood before attempting to trip the shutter. It won't fire unless the hood is opened.
One reason for the existence of the 4 x 4 was a slide format of 4 by 4 cm. These slides could be mounted in standard size slide mounts. A 35 mm slide projector can be used to show the slides. The Rollei-Baby takes 127 size roll film. For sources check the 127 Size Film on this site. General information regarding 127 size film and cameras may be obtained from www.onetwoseven.org.uk.
In the Nineteen Fifties lens interchangeability became an issue. A Rolleiflex proto-type with interchangeable lenses was developed but never made it to production stage. After the idea of lens interchangeability for the Rolleiflex was dropped, two special Rolleiflex models were developed from the standard "E" model. The Wide-Angle Rolleiflex (1961 - 1965) having a 55 mm Distagon and the Tele-Rolleiflex (1959 - 1966) with a 135 mm Sonnar. 4000 Rollei-Wides were produced and 8000 Tele-Rolleiflexes.
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| Photograph of Classic Wide-Angle Rolleiflex with Newton Finder, Photo © Ferdi Stutterheim. |
The Wide-Angle Rolleiflex has an Newton finder with a flap that opens up to the front of the camera. All Rollei-Wides have a plane glass to ensure film flatness. The last 404 pieces have 12/24 exposures capability. They are called the Second Model Rollei-Wide. The photograph shows a First Model.
The Tele-Rolleiflex has a normal "sports finder" with a smaller frame to suit the narrow angle of view of the 135 mm lens. The photograph shows a First Model Tele-Rolleiflex (6420 p.) featuring the plane glass an a pressure plate having three positions: 35 mm film, 120 film with, and 120 film without plane glass. The plane glass was meant to ensure film flatness. It works, but the glass gets dirty easily and the dirt shows fine on the perfectly kept flat film. A distinguishing mark of the First Model is the half moon shaped metal part beneath the strap hinge. Near the end of first run 12/24 exposures capability was introduced. This is called the Transition Model (452 p.) The Second Model lacks the plane glass, but has 12/24 exposures with 120/220 film (1618 p.).
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| Photograph of Tele-Rolleiflex Photo © Ferdi Stutterheim. |
The 135 mm Sonnar of the Tele-Rolleiflex was meant for portraiture. Lens panel movement however was limited to 8 mm giving a focusing scale of 2.60 m - ∞. That is too far away for tight head shots unless a Rolleinar 0.35 close-up lens is mounted. The Tele was not a commercial succes. One reason was that fine portraits could be made using a normal Rolleiflex from a distance and then just cropping the image. Photographers had done that for decades. A proto-type Tele-Rolleiflex with extended lens panel movement was constructed, but Rollei decided not to pursue this line of development any further (for the time being!) and started work on a Rolleiflex SLR with inter-changable lenses. Both Tele and Wide models had a rather long shelf life. Among today's collectors the Tele and Wide are very desirable models. The Tele and Wide models both had detachable finder hoods. When buying, make sure the camera is fitted with the proper dedicated hood not the standard finder hood. The Newton finder of the Wide cannot be missed. The square cut-out in the Tele finder is just a bit smaller than the one in a standard finder. Off course you can use these cameras with the wrong finder hood but it will affect its value when selling.
In the Nineteen Eighties the Rolleiflex 2.8 GX was introduced by Rollei Fototechnic. To cut production costs the 2.8 GX lost automatic film loading but still features automatic film transport. When loading film a mark on the backing paper has to be aligned with a red dot in the camera, just like Rolleicord loading. After this film transport is automatic. A modern light-meter with automatic TTL flash exposure was introduced with 2.8 GX. Several times the factory announced the end of TLR production, but kept on selling (Special Editions of) the 2.8 GX (model 2). In the Model 2 the classic Synchro-Compur shutter is replaced by a similar Japanese one for economic reasons. The fully mechanical shutter appears to be a very expensive part and the Prontor works would only take large orders for the Synchro-Compur. Rollei appeared to be the last remaining customer for this shutter.
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| Photograph of Rolleiflex 2.8 FX Photo © Charles Lin. Photo used with permission. |
One Special Edition was the "retro" looking 2.8 FX. This model resembles the classic 2.8 F by the use of old scissor style strap hinges. Other particulars are "Croco leather" and a chromed rim around the camera back. The name Rolleiflex is in Pre-W.W.II lettering. The technical specifications of the 2.8 FX are exactly like the ones of the preceding 2.8 GX. As from April 2002 the 2.8 GX was discontinued and only the Rolleiflex 2.8 FX remained. New Wide and Tele models were designed triggered by demand from the Far East.
The new Wide-Angle Rolleiflex 4.0 FW TLR is marketed since May 2003. The camera has a 50 mm Schneider Super-Angulon taking lens. Some glass types that would be needed for producing the original Zeiss Distagon were out of production. Reviving this classic design was not possible. Fortunately a Schneider Super-Angulon was available. The new Rolleiflex 4.0 FW lacks the original finder hood with Newton finder. Even the frame finder is gone as result of it having a standard finder hood with blocked frame finder. A bonus is that new bayonet IV lens caps and lens hoods are available for owners of the classic Rollei-Wide, at a price.
The new Tele-Rolleiflex came in 2004. The FT has improved close-focusing in comparison with the classic Tele-Rolleiflex: 1.1 meter instead of 2.6 meter. The roots for this improvement date back to a proto-type developed by Friedrich Sommermeyer in 1963 also focusing to 1.1 meter. Management decided not to build this camera. In 1969 Mr. Sommermeyer designed another Tele-Rolleiflex with the new 150 mm Sonnar lens. The prototype was a Tele-Rolleiflex 4.8/150 mm. with a bayonet IV accessories mount. By 1970 management decided that the time for small series was over and the time had come for mass production of the SL35. The new FT focuses down to 1.1 meter, has a 4/135 lens and a bayonet IV mount.
To compete with the successful Hasselblad MF single lens reflex camera Rollei introduced the S(ingle) L(ens) 66 in 1966. Like its competitor it is a fully mechanical camera. The SL 66 had a focal plane shutter, a close focusing bellows and Scheimpflug adjustment. Lenses could be reversely mounted for better close focus performance. Despite these advantages the head started Hassy 500 C could not be overtaken. Also the latter camera is more compact. For MF macro photography the SL 66 still is the camera to use.
In the same year a very small mechanical 35 mm camera called Rollei 35 was launched. At the time it was the smallest full frame 35 mm camera in the world. It still is the smallest all metal full frame 35 mm camera. Even today this camera designed by Heinz Waaske is a very desirable camera for urban use. Don't leave home without it! Revamped Classic models were built by the present day Rollei Fototechnic company. Mr. Waaske invented this small camera while working with another manufacturer who shortly after went out of camera sales. He found a job with Rollei and shortly after presented his prototype to Rollei management. It was just what they were waiting for and his design was rushed into development. After introduction at the 1966 Photokina fair it was and still is a great success. It is my favourite camera for urban use.
With the Rolleiflex SLX of the seventies the factory introduced electronics in medium format photography. From a commercial point of view the electronics were revolutionary. By present technical standards the electronics are quite primitive and even in the seventies they were not as good as they should have been. There were quality issues. The ones that still work today will be the good ones. Never the less the electronics are quite old by now. The SLX developed into the present Rolleiflex System 6000. All major camera functions are electronically controlled and the common mechanical leaf shutter was replaced by an electronically controlled direct-drive leaf shutter capable of 1/1000 s exposures. The aperture too is operated by a direct-drive motor. The shutter is an original Rollei design and unique in photography. At the time of introduction the 6008i was the most sophisticated MF camera on the market. Thanks to electronics the price was competitive with respect to the Hasselblad camera that was still a fully mechanical camera. Unfortunately that went for the SL66 as well and the 6000 killed the full mechanical SL66. For studio use a model 6001, lacking most of the refined multi-system auto-exposure module, is even more competitively priced. A unique feature of the 6008i is the new "4560" back for 4.5 x 6 cm exposures. It is possible to switch between landscape and portrait format simply by turning the back. There is no need to turn the entire camera 90 degrees! Attention: this goes for the backs labelled "4560" only. There is an earlier 4.5 x 6 cm back without the turning feature.
In February 2002 a new Auto Focus medium format Rolleiflex SLR came on the market. A world first in 6 x 6 cm photography! With new Schneider Kreuznach optics it features full Auto Focus, faster than present 645 cameras by other manufacturers. With non-AF Rollei System 6000 optics the new camera shows "in focus" indication. In medium format AF a lot more glass has to be moved. That makes medium format AF slower than 35 mm AF.
At the September 2006 Fotokina Sinar, Leaf and Franke & Heidecke surprised the world with a new medium format camera: the Hy6. It was suggested that other firms might offer this camera under their brand name as well. These are facts. The rest of this paragraph is mostly speculation.
What was going on? First it should be clear that F&H not only was a camera and slide-projector firm but also did R&D and production for third parties. Then the MF camera market was changing fast. Initially MF digital backs were mainly supplied by independent manufacturers like Phase One, Leaf and Imacon. Imacon was taken over by Hasselblad and the new Blads take brand-own digital backs only. For other digital back producers it became vital to offer a modern camera to go with their backs.
In this light Jenoptik owned Sinar, a major digital back maker, commissioned F&H to develop a new medium format SLR. From the start the intention was to offer this new camera to other interested parties as OEM equipment. For F&H this was a chance to update their dated 6008 line. Some elements like the light-meter, the AF, the 4560 film-back and the linear-motors and the shutters equipped with carbon fibre blades were still up-to-date but the rather clunky shape, the bulky transport motors and batteries needed a make over. Fortunately Sinar was able to help with smaller transport motors that could be fitted in the grip and the new Hy6 camera was born. The Hy6 was offered by Leaf and Sinar under their brand name and as Rolleiflex Hy6 by F&H in Spring 2007. The camera will take the named digital backs, the 4560 film back, a new developed 6x6 film back, the present optics and a new optics line with less mechanical parts.
The whole project went under for a number of reasons. F&H unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy again. Jenoptik pulled out and Leaf was sold. Ownership of the Hy6 project was unclear. Eventually members of F&HR&D management established DHW Phototechnik and rescued tools and stock. Special editions of the TLRs are produced to order and Hy6 cameras and optics are sold. Initially probably old new stock with updated firmware. The long promised 6 x 6 back was introduced under the DHW brand. It is fair to assume this is new production and not old stock from the bankruptcy. In that case the brand name would not be DHW. Also some new lenses have been introduced. They bare the Apogon lens name. I guess the new company has no license to use the Zeiss or Schneider lens names. The optical designs are probably free to use after all these years. A new back and some new lenses make it fair to assume that Hy6 camera production is planned and may have been resumed.
Rolleiflex TLR cameras have taking lenses by Carl Zeiss Jena or Oberkochen or taking lenses made by Joseph Schneider of Bad Kreuznach. Since 1971 the Rollei factory has the capability of building top quality lenses. In that year they took over the famous Voigtländer Optical Works from Zeiss-Ikon Voigtländer. Part of the deal was a license to build some of the Carl Zeiss lenses. The Zeiss lenses made by Rollei bare the lens name (Planar, for instance) but not the Carl Zeiss name. They are labelled "Rollei HFT". HFT stands for High Fidelity Transfer, Rollei's multi-coating "developed with Carl Zeiss". Obviously the license did not include the use of the "T*" label for multi-coating. Other Zeiss lenses for the System 6000 are made by Carl Zeiss at Oberkochen, Germany and they are T* coated but labelled "Carl Zeiss HFT" for reasons of uniformity (Source: Carl Zeiss, Camera Lens News No. 13, Spring 2001). Next to the Zeiss line of lenses ran attractive wide aperture lenses by Joseph Schneider Optical Works of Bad Kreuznach.
An economy line of lenses was introduced for the 6001. The EL series was clearly meant for studio use, but can be used on the 6008i. These EL lenses lack the inner bayonet for filters and have a screw mount instead. They do have the outer bayonet for a sun shade. Also lens barrels of the EL series do not have a window showing the aperture chosen by the camera when using program mode (6008i) or shutter preselect automatic exposure. All lenses made by Rollei have the apertures and distances scale, etc., printed rather than engraved. The process of engraving and filling the engraved areas with several colours of paint is very labour demanding and thus expensive. The Schneider lenses also lack the aperture window and have the same printed text. All lenses made by Carl Zeiss at Oberkochen have engravings. The auto-focus lenses for the 6008 AF are made by Rollei under licence from Joseph Schneider, Kreuznach (Source: Bob Shell). According to Bob's information these were the first "Schneider" lenses made by Rollei.
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| Photograph of Rolleiflex 2,8 F Photo © Emmanuel Bigler. Photo used with permission. |
The joy of Rolleigraphy starts with a modest Rolleicord, a camera of equal quality but more basic features than the Rolleiflex. A good choice would be the Rolleicord Vb. More expensive than the Va or the earlier ones. The point is the Vb has a removable view finder hood. This will give the opportunity to replace the screen yourself. For exchanging the screen of a Va or earlier Rolleicord you will need (to be) a skilled technician to make necessary adjustments. That is costly so you are better advised to spend that extra money on a Vb in the first place. Many users find the old screens too dim.
More expensive are the Rolleiflex T and even more the Rolleiflex 3.5 and 2.8 models. For user cameras also go for the ones with removable hoods. While the Selenium cell metered Rolleiflexes look better than the ones without a light-meter you have to be prepared that a forty odd years old light-meter may not be linear and therefore has limited prospects for actual use. Today replacement Selenium cells are very rare and far worse they are old too. Many Rollei Selenium meters are still fine but you must be willing to accept that exposure is different. On one hand the light-meter might be a bit off, on the other hand the metering angle is quite wide in comparison with modern cameras, possibly wider than the angle of view of the Rolleiflex lens. You can be metering more than you see in the finder. Pointing down for metering to leave out most of the sky may help. A hand held meter is a fine instrument in classic TLR Rolleigraphy.
I started with and still own a Rolleicord Va (yes, I know, dim screen) and a Gossen Sixtar. Rolleigraphy is a very relaxed way of photography, strongly advised to stressed people. I hope to see you around carrying a Rolleiflex!
I am indebted to my friend Emmanuel Bigler for composing the Comparative Chart of Twin-Lens Cameras of Rolleiflex TLR models and for his kind permission to use photographs of various Rolleiflex models. His photographs were scanned by M. Henri Peyre for use on his French web-site Galérie Photo. I would like to thank Mr. Carlos Manuel Freaza for his assistance with the paragraph on the coded serial numbers. As a matter of fact I used a few lines from his hand with permission. On a different public platform Mr. Jan Böttcher gave me a detailed explanation of the mysterious "index number". Thanks again, Jan. I have used this information to clarify the suitability of the Magazine 4560. I am grateful to Mr. S. Liu for contributing a photograph of the Krimar Photo Shop and a portrait of Mr. Maralian in his shop and to Mr. Charles Lin for his kind permission to use an image of the Rolleiflex 2,8 FX. Mr. Karl Keung gracefully provided me with a number of photographs of his mint 2.8 E still having the original factory seals. Thank you very much! All photographs are used with permission.
To the Visitors of these pages: Thank you for visiting my site! I hope some of my enthusiasm for the Rolleiflexes is transferred to you. In photography nothing is more spectacular than looking down on a medium format screen like the one in a Rolleiflex. Also a Rolleiflex TLR is much lighter than a bag full of 35 mm SLR stuff. Some of you contributed to these pages by bringing to my attention all kinds of errors and omissions. Thanks for your mail!
Last updated by Webmaster on 1 February 2012.