Rolleiflex T
My Rolleiflex T back from being repaired and serviced. This camera was made about 1960. I have owned it since the mid 90's and made some good photographs with it.
When I was very young I remember going to the studio of Robert Glover a photographer who worked in Amersham. I recall going to his studio with my mother and sister on two occasions. I found it hard to pose for the photographs, the studio was far too interesting. The main interest for me was the Rolleiflex camera he used. I remember it on a tripod and being fascinated by its two lenses, focusing hood and all its controls. I determined back then I would have one of these cameras, I saw what they could do and was sold on them.
I had no idea what camera it was back then, now I know it was a Rolleiflex F the top end camera professional photographers used with a 2.8 Plannar taking lens. Robert Glovers' black and white photographs were very good, I was impressed as a child and wanted to make photographs that good.
This camera is a Rolleiflex T, a consumer orientated model with a Tessar taking lens and the deletion of the automatic film start sensor which is of use to the commercial photographer who needs to load and reload many films in a day's work, not so much for the amateur photographer with a smaller work flow. It has the optional Rollei light meter which I like lots, it makes measuring light levels and setting the exposure quick and easy using the exposure value system. The Tessar lens makes images that have a 3D look with a rendering of depth and is able to allow every element of the composition to have its own space. The pro's liked the Plannar lens because it gives a flat plane of focus, Plannar is from the word plane, which is good for studio work.
This camera needs to be used thoughtfully. It will not produce good results if its use is rushed. It is precision made and wholly manual, any defects in the photograph are wholly down to user error. If technique is right it will produced stunning results. Time is needed to learn the camera, how to handle it and how precisely it needs to be set. Once these things are leaned it can be used over and over again and the results will be mouth wateringly life like, accurate and faithful renditions of the subject.
It only gets twelve exposures on a roll of 120 film. Thought, a critical approach, care and economy are needed, not things that restrict modern digital photography. What I do get with this camera are twelve well made, engaging, interesting and useable photographs per film.
Professional photographers like Robert Glover would use one film per sitting with most clients. I remember the contact sheets with the twelve images on for my parents to select the photographs to be enlarged and made into high quality prints. Back then a photographer would develop the film and make a contact sheet quite quickly, the contact sheet was like thumbnails on todays phone cameras but the images from the Rolleiflex are 6cm square so big enough to see lots of detail in.
Rolleiflex T
My Rolleiflex T back from being repaired and serviced. This camera was made about 1960. I have owned it since the mid 90's and made some good photographs with it.
When I was very young I remember going to the studio of Robert Glover a photographer who worked in Amersham. I recall going to his studio with my mother and sister on two occasions. I found it hard to pose for the photographs, the studio was far too interesting. The main interest for me was the Rolleiflex camera he used. I remember it on a tripod and being fascinated by its two lenses, focusing hood and all its controls. I determined back then I would have one of these cameras, I saw what they could do and was sold on them.
I had no idea what camera it was back then, now I know it was a Rolleiflex F the top end camera professional photographers used with a 2.8 Plannar taking lens. Robert Glovers' black and white photographs were very good, I was impressed as a child and wanted to make photographs that good.
This camera is a Rolleiflex T, a consumer orientated model with a Tessar taking lens and the deletion of the automatic film start sensor which is of use to the commercial photographer who needs to load and reload many films in a day's work, not so much for the amateur photographer with a smaller work flow. It has the optional Rollei light meter which I like lots, it makes measuring light levels and setting the exposure quick and easy using the exposure value system. The Tessar lens makes images that have a 3D look with a rendering of depth and is able to allow every element of the composition to have its own space. The pro's liked the Plannar lens because it gives a flat plane of focus, Plannar is from the word plane, which is good for studio work.
This camera needs to be used thoughtfully. It will not produce good results if its use is rushed. It is precision made and wholly manual, any defects in the photograph are wholly down to user error. If technique is right it will produced stunning results. Time is needed to learn the camera, how to handle it and how precisely it needs to be set. Once these things are leaned it can be used over and over again and the results will be mouth wateringly life like, accurate and faithful renditions of the subject.
It only gets twelve exposures on a roll of 120 film. Thought, a critical approach, care and economy are needed, not things that restrict modern digital photography. What I do get with this camera are twelve well made, engaging, interesting and useable photographs per film.
Professional photographers like Robert Glover would use one film per sitting with most clients. I remember the contact sheets with the twelve images on for my parents to select the photographs to be enlarged and made into high quality prints. Back then a photographer would develop the film and make a contact sheet quite quickly, the contact sheet was like thumbnails on todays phone cameras but the images from the Rolleiflex are 6cm square so big enough to see lots of detail in.