Rollei

German manufacturer of optical goods founded in 1920 by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, and maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras. Current products also include specialty and nostalgic type films for the photo hobbyist market.

Grand Prix for the twin-lens Rolleiflex

The twin-lens Rolleiflex was awarded the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in 1937. The boom in the sales of this latest versions of which delighted professionals and amateurs alike, was only interrupted by the Second World War. Who was this Reinhold Heidecke really who designed such an ingenious product? Heidecke was the type of person who knew how to combine in the best possible way the characteristics of an entrepreneur, who was prepared to take a risk, with the vast store of experience of a camera constructor. It was clear to him from the very beginning that such an ingenious idea can only grow naturally if all the conditions necessary for this are available. Heidecke's philosophy was the precise and high-quality transformation of an idea. This contributed just as much to its of the art marketing as its inherent spirit and technical state Heidecke was, however, not just an ingenious constructor, who set great store by the transformation of his ideas. At the same time, he was his own most critical customer. Professional and amateur photographers came across him at all the "photographic focal points" of the world. A passionate photographer, he popped up all over the place, and everyone's eyes were upon him. For Heidecke never travelled with a camera from the normal production programme, and was always trying out new developments or improvements.

Rolleiflex MiniDigi 

The MiniDigi AF 5.0 is a three-inch high, fully functional digicam replica of the original classic twin reflex camera.Rolleiflex introduced the original MiniDigi in 2006, but it quickly sold out. The new MiniDigi AF 5.0, which is is available with a red or black casing, has been given some significant performance upgrades, including a 5 MB image file from a 3MP CMOS sensor, autofocus, and a very clear 1.1 inch TFT monitor, located at the top of the camera as it is on the full-sized Rolleiflex TLR.It's available through specialty retailers. Pricing is expected to be $399 MSRP.A nostalgic design feature that has modern applications is the square format. The square format means no need to choose between horizontal or vertical position. You simply look downward into the viewfinder at waist level, aim, and shoot.

Rollei 35B

 

The 35B is the basic, low-cost model. Instead of the battery-operated CdS meter of its more expensive siblings, it uses a selenium "solar cell" meter which supplies its own electricity. So you don't need batteries. And given that mercury batteries are outlawed, that's most probably a good thing.

Unfortunately the Rollei 35B uses a lower-cost Triotar lens and a modified shutter system. So it's a bit more basic than a regular 35. Still, it's a gorgeous camera, especially in the mint black finish that I found this unit in.

The quirks of the Rollei 35 series are well known. The rewind dial and the flash bracket are located on the bottom of the camera. The button by the flash shoe is the rewind release button. Interestingly, on the top of the lens is the scale-focus in feet, on the bottom is the scale-focus in meters. I'm assuming you could ask a repair-person to flip the two around, depending on your preference.

Although we think of the Rollei 35 as pretty compact, compare it against the 1939 Kodak Retina I - made almost 30 years previously. I have a page extensively comparing all of the 35mm Compact Cameras of the 1960s and 1970s.

Specifics

meter	center-weighted, spot and multi-spot meter in body
shutter	electronically-controlled 30 to 1/500th of a sec, 1/3 stop increments, up to 1/1000th with some lenses, longer times with expensive auxiliary equipment
film transport	built-in motor drive
handholding	easy with action grip
engineering	electronic mechanisms that never need adjustment, but fail catastrophically
battery	constant reliance on custom NiCd pack
changing backs	brilliant dark slide design
changing film	drop-in inserts
resale value	fair
automatic exposure	aperture, shutter and program AE
film backs	6x6, 6x4.5 horizontal 120 and 220 backs, 6x6 70mm, 70mm databack and Polaroid back
viewfinder info	full information; f-stop and shutter speed to 1/3 stop, reminders of mexter mode, meter lock and exposure compensation, flash ready light and battery low indicator
service	48 hours in New Jersey
film ISO->meter coupling	film backs keyed with ISO data, exposure adjusts automatically
lens/camera coupling	electronic, so macro accessories are simple and preserve automation
documentation	sketchy owner's manual
appearance	modern, clunky workhorse
"take my picture"	can lend camera to novice for a few shots and expect good results
lenses	Zeiss lenses from 40mm to 500mm, Schneider 60, 80/2, 150 fixed, 75-150, 140-280 zooms, 55 perspective control, 2x teleconverter
renting lenses	good luck
filters	Very restricted choice of bayonet or 67mm with adaptor
price	terrifyingly expensive

 

 

Authentic Photo

Pinhole Photography

A pinhole camera is created using a small box with a tiny hole, the overall form is extremely simple with no lens. DIY pin hole cameras are often made from shoe boxes and photographic paper.

Cross Processing

Cross processed photographs are recognisable from the unusual colours and tones in the final shot. The effect was originally produced from developing the photographic film using the wrong mix of chemicals. Nowadays, a cross processed style can be simply achieved in just a few steps.

Street Photography

One of the most recognisable street photography shots is ‘Homeless Mike’ by Leroy Skalstad. The gritty, high contrast style of the image really emphasises the nature of street life.

Split Toning

The technique of split toning was originally developed from the printing process of a photographic image, using various toners to produce a subtle, multi-tone effect to the final photograph.

Rock Photography

Although not quite a photo effect itself, the style of rock photography has become a recognised approach to creating portraits of long haired rockstars.

The Dave Hill Look

Professional photographer Dave Hill has become highly acknowledged for his unique style of post-processing that gives a very strong and impactful effect to his portrait images.

Lomo Photography

The Russian made Lomo LC-A camera was manufactured a cheap alternative to the higher quality Japanese rivals. It was poorly made and the photographs it produced were just as bad, however as time passed popular culture brought the mis-coloured shots from the Lomo camera into a whole new light, which is now a very sought after effect.

Infrared Photography

Infrared film used alongside an infrared filter allows the camera to block out the usual spectrum of light, allowing only infrared light to expose the film. The result is a false colour or black and white effect, the effect is particularly stunning with shots of foliage, where the reflections from leaves and grass are made visible and give the impression of a dream-like scene.

The Velvia

Fujifilm Velvia film created highly saturated, largely contrasting and extremely sharp images, which made it particularly popular with nature and landscape photographers.

Dark Grunge Photo

The term grunge has evolved from the music genre also known as Seattle Sound, characterized by stripped down sounds and heavily distorted guitars. The term grunge also made its way into photo post processing, where the key features are muted colours and large areas of texture and grain.

HDR Photography

High Dynamic Range Imaging is a photography technique that produces an image with a much larger range of luminance between the darkest and lightest areas, making it much closer to the spectrum seen by the human eye. More recently the effect has been pushed to the max, with heavy tone mapping producing an abstract and highly stylised photo effect.

Soft Focus Photography

The effect produced by soft focus photography is actually the result of a flaw in the lens, although lenses with a specific soft focus feature have since been produced. Soft focus lenses create a slightly blurred image that retains sharp edges, often described as a dreamy or glamourous style.

Movie Photo

Alongside post processing, the video filming of movies often involves a range of camerailters.

Tilt Shift Photography

Tilt Shift is a photographic technique where the image plane is rotated, giving a very shallow depth of field but maintaining sharpness in a specific area of the shot. One of the popular post processing effects related to tilt shift photography is known as miniature faking, where the depth of field manually added to a shot gives the illusion of tiny model figures and sceneries.

copywriting from  www.blog.spoongraphics.co.uk