Saturday, July 28, 2012

Rolleiflex 4x4 giant replica

The photographs shown below are about a Rolleiflex 4x4 “Baby” first model from 1931, it is waiting for a restoration; the oversized promotional replica measures about  50 cm in height with the viewfinder closed, 30 cm wide and 35 cm deep, weighing about 10 kg. The replica owner, Marcelo Checoni from Sao Paulo, Brazil, explains: “The guy who sold me the “giant Rolleiflex” told me it used to sit at a photography shop’s front window located in downtown Rio de Janeiro. The shop closed in the early 1960’s and the shop owner kept the huge replica with him until he turned 90 years old. He then gave it for free to the guy who sold it for me.” Marcelo added afterwards the old man received the replica from a sales man; he had visited the F&H factory at Braunschweig and brought the replica to Brazil (Photos are Marcelo Checoni copyright, thanks for the authorization; click on thumbnails).





















The replica is aluminium made, it had leather cover and  was painted like the original, leather and paint need to be restored, the photograph above showa the leather Marcelo will use for the purpose.

                                               





















There are bright  nickel plates behind the glasses to simulate reflections


The back with the red window to advance the film to the frame 1, the replica has no mechanisms or internal parts