Saturday, May 11, 2019

ROLLEI TROPICAL METAL CASE

There were two Rollei Tropical case versions, for 6x6 with Rolleifix groove and 4x3 for the Baby Rolleiflex(click on thumbails)

posted by Carlos M Freaza @ 10:54 AM 0 comments

Saturday, August 08, 2015

ROLLEIFLEX 3,5F ERC ADAPTED TO 2,8F

My Rolleiflex 2,8F (left) needed an Ever Ready Case and I had an additional ERC for the Rolleiflex 3,5F (right). It was only necessary a slight modification for the front panel cover. The upper metal sheet between the leather and the velvet was removed and placed again with new rivets, after to stretch the leather. Results were satisfactory, it was not necessary to add or to cut the original leather.

posted by Carlos M Freaza @ 9:06 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

A SECOND ROLLEIFLEX 4X4 GIANT REPLICA

"Antique Cameras" in Buenos Aires city, Argentina, has another giant Baby Rolleiflex 4x4 replica, F&H made them for the Leipzig Fair in the '30s, you can compare its size with the true Rolleiflex in the photographs.

posted by Carlos M Freaza @ 3:43 AM 1 comments

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







posted by Carlos M Freaza @ 6:38 AM 0 comments

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Rolleitools



The tube type tools above are dedicated Rollei TLR tools for 3, 5 Planar and Xenotar lenses and 2,8 lenses, the longer ones are to remove the lens back cell and the shorter ones to remove the lens front cell. The L-1949 Rollei tool is used to adjust the film feeler mechanism in the Rolleiflex TLR camera (click on thumbnails for a larger image).

posted by Carlos M Freaza @ 4:56 AM 0 comments

Thursday, July 28, 2011

ROLLEI FILTERS

(c) Carlos M Freaza 2011 Blog cmfreaza@yahoo.com.ar



ROLLEI B&W FILTERS FACTORS AND EV NUMBERS COMPENSATING TABLE: Rollei used filter factors numbers up to about 1955/56, they were not marked on the filters ring, the table above shows these numbers and main uses for these filters, it also shows the EV compensating numbers engraved in the filters ring from 1955/56. (click on thumbnail).-
Note: Rollei TLR cameras Infra-red filters are already compensated for the IR photography focus shift.

ANTI-REFLECTION COATING: Rollei filters were coated from about 1950/51, "The practical accesories Rolleiflex Rolleicord" booklet from 1954 says: "...All Rollei optical lens accesories are treated with a hard, abrasion-resistant anti-reflection coating. In addition the coating of each filter is adjusted to enhance the effect of the filter's color and for maximum contrast..."

ROLLEI FILTERS EV COMPENSATING NUMBERS AND FILTERS EQUIVALENCES
Rollei filters rings were marked with Exposure Values compensating numbers after Rollei started to use Compur shutters and cameras with the Exposure Values System (EVS), these numbers were used for Rollei TLR, Rollei 35, Rolleiflex SL 66, Rolleiflex 35mm SLR, Rollei SLX/6000 and other cameras B&W filters (see EV numbers and equivalences in the table above, click on thumbnail).

SOME ROLLEI B&W FILTERS SAMPLES


Rollei B&W filters rings were engraved with different words along the years, pre-war filters up to about 1937 were clip-on type,  earliest Bayonet I (1938), II (1949) and III (1952) filters have the filter diameter marked in the ring, the filter type, "Rollei" and "Germany" and "Franke & Heidecke", from about 1953 a red "R" indicating coating replaced the diameter mark, a black "R" replaced the red one afterward and from 1956 the marks were "R"+bayonet size, "Rollei" and filter type, "Germany" and the EV compensating number. The photograph above shows: "A":  R(bayonet) II UV filter engraved like filters from 1956 but without EV number mark, some -0 filters have the mark anyway. "B": This B III filter is older than "A", it has the red "R" without bayonet size and it does not have the EV compensating number mark. "C": Rollei 35 Tessar UV filter marked "R00", "Rollei UV" and "Germany" without EV number, however other Rollei 35 B&W filters have the EV number mark. "D": SL66  B VI light red filter, it has engraved "Rollei-hellrot" (light red), "-2 -3.5", "R VI" and "Germany" in the filter ring edge (no visible). "E" : B III medium yellow filter marked as described for filters from 1956, this filter box is different regarding boxes from the "F&H" era, it has the "Rollei-Werke Franke&Heidecke" company name and then it is at least from 1964. "F": A BIII light red filter, it is engraved like the "E" but it is older, from the "F&H" era.(click on thumbnail).

ROLLEI INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORANGE AND RED FILTERS (SEVERAL LANGUAGES)
   
        German, English and French (click on thumbnail)


Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (click on thumbnail)


ROLLEI COLOR CONVERSION FILTERS
Rollei colour conversion filters for colour photography were made from 1956. The image shows my 2.8C Xenotar with a Rollei R1 (R10) and R5 (R50) filters fitted together on the Xenotar making an R6 (R60) filter (see the tables below to read about the Rollei colour conversion filters system, click on thumbnail).
    
The table above explains the scale and system used for the colour filters effect and filters power and mentions each filter available for the regular three TLR cameras bayonet with the commercial code, the WA Rolleiflex B IV is not included (click on thumbnail)


Tables A and B work together for the Practical Accesories printed version, you can obtain some useful info anyway (click on thumbnail) 

(c) Carlos M Freaza 2011 Blog cmfreaza@yahoo.com.ar

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posted by Carlos M Freaza @ 7:18 PM 1 comments

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Rollei Circular Tripod Head 1957

In 1957 F&H Rollei developed this interesting circular tripod head for the TLR, it was made to have a level instrument high precision and was better from this point of view than others tripod heads using different means like ball heads (f.e.); it had three main functions that could be used combined or separately, one was to offer a system for a perfect parallax correction for close-ups and macro/microphotography similar regarding the Mamiya Paramender someway but more complex (the Paramender is an accesory for the tripod head, the Rollei device was a tripod head directly), the system had different plates according the taking lens-viewing lens combo, this lens plate slid within a frontal fixed lens plate to change from the viewing lens to the taking lens via a lever, in other words the taking lens was placed in the viewing lens place after it was focused (you could do fine focusing again if necessary in the lenses new position BTW, knowing the taking lens had the right framing), the camera also slid on a rail smoothly for a more precise focusing with close-ups and macro auxiliary lenses specially. Using a dedicated tripod legs, the circular tripod head could rotate very much for reproduction work and it could also be used to take up to 10 pano frames having the circular tripod head a special 6º movement to help for the task. Since the TLR could be slid on a graduated rail, you could find the very exact exit pupil for each camera and lens combo.

The production prototype was excellent and some samples were made in 1957, but it was very expensive to manufacture, Rollei decided to abort the project, at the end of the day the Heidosmat Rolleinars offered a good parallax correction in general except for some slight perspective distortion perceptible for certain situations and F&H already manufactured the RPH from decades ago; this circular tripod head was a good accesory Rollei did not manufacture for the market.

Note: My blog about the Rolleiflex SL 35 System: http://rolleiflexsl35system.blogspot.com/2011/06/rolleiflex-sl-35-system.html

posted by Carlos M Freaza @ 4:59 PM 1 comments