There was a time when film cameras lived in a Golden Age. I have heard this somewhere, and I totally agree with the term. There was a Golden Age of film, and certainly there was a Golden Age for film cameras. I am not an art historian (or whatever an expert in these matters is called), but I would say that the Golden Age I am speaking of has existed probably between 1935 – 1975, or thereabouts. From Dorothy Lange to W. Eugene Smith to Capa to Erwitt to Ian Berry to Adams, (and yes, I need to mention here Vivian “Lady Rolleiflex” Maier), checking so many boxes for war and journalism, famine and racism, sport and fashion, life style and politics. From the Great Depression to Indo China, Soweto to Hanoi, Havana to Korea, a brilliant number of photographers and photojournalists depicted the events, endangering their life in doing so, with many paying the ultimate price.
The rise of the famous magazines and their no less famous photographers also occurred in this age I am referring to. It has seen the rise of the 35mm film, while establishing medium and to some extent the large format as the norm for professional photography, together with a short list of legendary cameras. Among the Leica, Contax, Graflex, Nikon and suchlike legends, the Rolleiflex TLR stands out up there, with the 2.8 F version being talked of more than other models of this beautiful machine.
I am not going to write a review of this camera; many an expert, oceans of ink and miles of written words have been said already by more knowledgeable persons. No, this is but a very brief opinion on the Rolleiflex 2.8 F, which I consider to be a great camera. Not necessarily a must-have, as many claim over the internet, but a very good machine to have and use for medium format photography, if you’re into this.
I have used quite a number of TLR cameras along the last 30 yrs, and I am yet to find one to have a brighter screen and clarity/ease of focus than the Rolleiflex. The split donut is brilliant, for one whose eyes are not what they used to be. No idea if this bright screen is something similar to all Rolleiflex cameras, but this one takes the first prize in my opinion. I mean, crossing to Rolleiflex from say, a Yashica Mat is like entering a dark room and then turn on the lights. Yes, that big a change and difference.
The Zeiss Planar 2.8 / 80 is a legend, and rightly so. Bright and sharp, it handled almost anything I could throw at it. But then again, why do I wonder? It’s a Carl Zeiss glass, which is enough, I believe.
The general construction of the camera, the materials and workmanship put into it are all excellent. Even after all these years since their production, these cameras (well, many of them) are pure joy to use and behold. I have a Swiss-made watch made in late 30s, mechanical of course. It works and works, needing a CLA every few years (more out of habit than real need, to be honest). I really think of the Rolleiflex as a jewelry-like clockwork made by long gone masters of their trade. And I do not think I am wrong here.
From opening the camera, to cranking up the film and press the shutter release for that special, your very own “moment decisif”, this camera impresses everyone who is using it. How can this not be so? Everything is where it should be, it is so pleasing when one realizes the designer took every care to place that little detail exactly where it should be, without any extra bells and whistles.
Spring is almost here – Rolleiflex 2.8F, Agfa APX 400
Ease of composing, ease of setting what you need to set, taking the photograph, all these are noticeably effortless and well, easier than similar actions with other cameras. More to the point, the actions are more pleasant, if this is a factor by which we may judge a camera, which I do.
I should mention here the feeling one may enjoy when shooting with this camera: one may feel that one is shooting a scene, shoulder to shoulder with Maier, or any other photographer from old. Probably this does not make much sense, but this is how I sometime feel. Challenging feeling, at times; makes one strive to live up to the expectations of what this camera can and will deliver, if handled and loved as it deserves.