Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex is the brand name for a range of analog and digital medium format cameras from DW Photo GmbH, Braunschweig , formerly DHWfotosechnik GmbH , formerly Rollei . The model series mainly includes single and double- lens reflex cameras that expose roll film in the format 60 × 60 mm , later also 40 × 40 mm, but can also be provided with digital backs .
history
In 1920 the businessman Paul Franke (1888–1950) and the technician Reinhold Heidecke (1881–1960) founded the Franke & Heidecke company in Braunschweig .
In the first years of its existence, the stereo cameras (Heidoscope) that were manufactured first provided the basis for the development of the Rolleiflex. The first Rolleiflex prototypes were developed as early as 1928.
| Company name | Period |
|---|---|
| Franke & Heidecke | 1920-1962 |
| Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke | 1962-1979 |
| Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke GmbH & Co KG | 1979-1981 |
| Rollei Fototechnic GmbH & Co KG | 1981-2004 |
| Rollei GmbH and Rollei Production GmbH | 2004 |
| Franke & Heidecke GmbH | 2005-2009 |
| DHW Photo Technology GmbH | 2009-2015 |
| DW Photo GmbH | since 2015 |
Under file number 274 IN 253/14 Braunschweig District Court / Insolvency Court, the insolvency proceedings of DHW Photo Technology in Braunschweig were opened on October 2, 2014. DHW Photo Technology in Braunschweig was represented at photokina 2012 and presented a. a. presented a new edition of the legendary two-lens 6 × 6 medium format camera as the Rolleiflex FX-N.
Models
Two-lens camera models
| model | Production period | description |
|---|---|---|
| Prototypes | 1928 | |
| Rolleiflex 1 / 4.5 | 1929-1932 | Launch of the Rolleiflex |
| Rolleiflex Standard 620/621 | 1932-1935/1938 | |
| Rolleiflex machine | 1937-1945 | |
| Rolleiflex 3.5 | 1949-1951 | |
| Rolleiflex 3.5 A | 1951-1954 | |
| Rolleiflex 3.5 B | 1954-1956 | |
| Rolleiflex 3.5 C | 1956-1959 | optionally with built-in light meter |
| Rolleiflex 3,5 F 1st mod. | 1958-1960 | with built-in light meter |
| Rolleiflex 3,5 F 2nd mod. | 1960 | with built-in light meter |
| Rolleiflex 3,5 F 3rd mod. | 1960-1976 | with built-in light meter |
| Rolleiflex 3.5 E2 1st mod. | 1959-1960 | prepared for exposure meter installation |
| Rolleiflex 3,5 E2 2nd mod. | 1961–1962 | prepared for exposure meter installation |
| Rolleiflex 3.5 E3 | 1961-1965 | prepared for exposure meter installation |
| Rolleiflex T 1. Mod. | 1958-1961 | optionally with or without light meter |
| Rolleiflex T 2nd mod. | 1961-1966 | optionally with or without light meter |
| Rolleiflex T 3. Mod. | 1966-1976 | optionally with or without light meter |
| Rolleimagic | 1960–1962 | with automatic exposure in the range from 1/30 to 1/300 s |
| Rolleimagic II | 1962-1968 | with automatic exposure in the range from 1/30 to 1/500 s |
| model | Production period | description |
|---|---|---|
| Rolleiflex 2.8 A. | 1949-1951 | First Rolleiflex with a luminous intensity of 2.8 only for the US market |
| Rolleiflex 2.8 B | 1952-1953 | for the US market only |
| Rolleiflex 2.8 C | 1952-1955 | |
| Rolleiflex 2.8 D | 1955-1956 | |
| Rolleiflex 2.8 F | 1960-1981 | |
| Rolleiflex 2.8 E2 | 1959-1960 | |
| Rolleiflex 2.8 E2 | Mid 1950s | Prototypes of the Rolleiflex with interchangeable lenses Zeiss Distagon 5.6 / 60 mm and Zeiss Sonnar 4/135 mm. The camera never appeared on the market. |
| Rolleiflex 2.8 E3 | 1962-1965 | |
| Rolleiflex 2.8F Aurum | 1982/83 | Version with gold nameplate |
| Rolleiflex 2.8F Platinum Edition 1984 | 1984/85
1989/1990 Platinum Gold Japan Edition |
Model with platinum |
| Rolleiflex 2.8GX | 1987-2002 | First Rolleiflex with TTL exposure and flash metering |
| Rolleiflex 2.8GX Edition | 1989-1990 | Special model 60 years of Rolleiflex |
| Rolleiflex 2,8GX 80 years of Rollei | 2000 | Special model for the company anniversary |
| Rolleiflex 2.8GX Helmut Newton | Special model, homage to the photographer Helmut Newton | |
| Rolleiflex 2.8FX | from March 2002–2012 | |
| Rolleiflex 2,8FX-N | from September 2012 | Close-up shortened to 55 cm |
| model | Production period | description |
|---|---|---|
| Tele-Rolleiflex | 1959-1975 | Version with telephoto lens Carl-Zeiss Sonnar 4/135 mm |
| Wide-angle Rolleiflex | 1961-1967 | Model with wide-angle lens Carl-Zeiss Distagon 4/55 mm |
| Rolleiflex 4.0 FW | 2002– | Model with wide-angle lens Super-Angulon 4/50 mm |
| Rolleiflex 4.0 FT | 2007– | Version with telephoto lens Schneider Tele-Xenar 4/135 mm |
The two-eyed Rolleiflex
The second series model: the Rolleiflex Standard (1932–1938)
equipment
- Rolleikin - a conversion kit to use 35mm films in the Rolleiflex,
- Rolleimeter - optical rangefinder (mixed image method) when using the frame finder,
- Rolleimarin - underwater housing up to 100 m depth,
- Rolleinar - auxiliary lenses for close-ups,
- Rolleimot - electric remote release,
- Rolleifix - quick fastening for tripod mounting.
- Pistol grip - with integrated Rolleifix for using the camera at eye level.
- Plate adapter - for using plates or sheet film.
- Panorama head - for creating 360 ° panoramas from 10 individual images.
- Prism attachment - for using the camera at eye level (pistol grip), provides a true-to-side focusing screen image.
- Magnifying glass shaft - for viewing the ground glass without secondary light, 2.5 times magnification of the ground glass image, adjustable from –2.1 to +0.6 diopters .
- Tele Mutar - Tele attachment 1.5 times.
- Wide angle Mutar - wide-angle attachment 0.7 times.
- Rollei-Mag 150 - batch magazine for up to 150 images, external development by Flashphot, Paris.
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Single-lens medium format cameras
In addition to the two-lens cameras, there are also two rows of single -lens medium format - single-lens reflex cameras with interchangeable magazines .
The first series is the fully mechanically controlled SL-66 series , which is characterized by the use of a focal plane shutter and bellows built into the camera . In this series, in addition to the original model without a built-in light meter , another three models with internal flash light metering, two of which also have continuous light metering, were built.
The newer Rollei 6000 series , however, is completely electrically / electronically controlled and directly used with linear motors controlled central locking and aperture . There is an exclusively electrical transmission of lens parameters from and to the camera. There is no motorized tensioning of the central lock, which is arranged in the lenses, as is the case with cameras from other manufacturers, as the lock does not require any mechanically stored energy. The first Rollei in this series was the SLX . All models offer motorized film transport. The following models have interchangeable magazines that are closed with a laminar roller blind instead of a simple slide. Based on these new principles, Rollei developed a whole range of cameras that ended with the Rollei 6008AF with autofocus. The Rolleiflex 6008 AF is still available without autofocus in the Rolleiflex 6008 Integral II variant. Building on the 6000 series is the fully digitally controlled Hy6 , which was developed together with Jenoptik and which can use the lenses and most of the accessories of the 6000 system. The new hybrid model is optimized for digital backs, but can also use (4.5 × 6 and 6 × 6) roll film with the appropriate magazines. The Sinar Hy6 and Leaf AFi models are identical to the Rolleiflex Hy6 . After clarifying open legal questions, DHW Photo Technology re-launched the Rolleiflex Hy6 as an improved Model 2 (Mod2) at the end of 2012.
Further
The Rolleicord models also represent a product line of double-lens reflex cameras that are technically simpler than the Rolleiflex models. In terms of price, they were arranged below the Rolleiflex models.
Reduced Rolleiflex models
The Rolleiflex 4 × 4 ( Baby-Rolleiflex ) was introduced in 1931 as a smaller version of the Rolleiflex. It exposes in the format 4 × 4 cm on 127 film . In 1957 a 4 × 4 Rolleiflex was brought onto the market again. The Rolleiflex 2.8F Mini is a current miniature version of the Rolleiflex 2.8F . It exposes 8 × 11 mm on miniature film . The camera is fully functional and weighs only 117 grams.
The Rolleiflex MiniDigi follows the trend towards the digitization of photography. It is also a scaled down two-eyed Rolleiflex, but records the images digitally. The maximum image size is 1760 × 1760 pixels . Market launch was October 2004.
In addition to the reduced Rolleiflex models, there was also an enlarged Rolleiflex in the pre-war period, but only as a prototype; this exposed in the format 90 × 90 mm.
| model | Production period | description |
|---|---|---|
| Rolleiflex 4 × 4 | from 1931 | |
| Rolleiflex 4 × 4 | from 1938 | Change compared to the previous model: bayonet mount on the taking lens |
| Rolleiflex 4 × 4 | from 1957 to 1968 | new construction |
See also
literature
- Claus Prochnow: Rollei Report. Franke and Heidecke. The first 25 years . 1st edition. tape 1 . Lindemanns, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 978-3-89506-105-9 .
- Claus Prochnow: Rollei Report. Rollei factories. Roll film cameras 1946–1981 . tape 2 . Lindemanns, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-89506-220-9 .
- Udo Afalter: Rolleiflex. Rolleicord. The two-eyed 1928–1991 . 2nd Edition. Lindemanns, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 978-3-928126-32-8 .
Web links
- www.dw-photo.eu - Official website of the manufacturer of the Rolleiflex Hy6 camera (digital & film), lenses and accessories.
- Information with images from Rollei cameras on the website of the International Rollei Club (English)
- Sl66.com: Everything you need to know about the Rolleiflex SL66 International Rollei Club (English)
- Overview of Rolleiflex TLRs from Guide to Classic Cameras (English)
- Rolleiflex 6008 testimonial from Philip Greenspun (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ insolvenzbekanntmachungen.de
- ^ Website of DHW Photo Technology
- ^ Announcement of DHW Photo Technology innovations for Photokina 2012
- ↑ DHW Photo Technology website for the 6000 series
- ↑ DHW Photo Technology website for the Rolleiflex Hy6
- ^ Announcement of the revised Rolleiflex Hy 6 by DHW Photo Technology