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| My TLRs: Yashicamat Mamiya C330 Rolleiflex-T Rolleicord IV Yashica 44
What is a TLR?
We have two eyes, so why not two lenses! Who makes TLRs? Today, only Rollei and one Chinese manufacturer still build TLRs. The Rollei 2.8 GX is the last professional quality TLR you can buy. It's expensive, because only very few are built every year, but it's equipped with a modern built-in metering system and generally acknowledged to be a superbly engineered camera built for a lifetime. Why were they so popular? Back in the 1930s, it was every serious photographer's dream to own a Rolleiflex. The 75mm Carl Zeiss Tessar lens had a reputation as the sharpest lens in the world - the "Eagle's Eye" of photography. Focusing a Rolleiflex was fast and accurate, the Compur shutter was utterly reliable, and the camera was beautifully built and easy to handle. The 35mm Leicas and Contaxes in those days also produced splendid photographs, but for big, grain-free enlargements, 120 film was hard to beat. Rollei's reputation was soon firmly established. Parallel with the professional Rolleiflex, a lower-priced TLR, the Rolleicord, was introduced soon afterwards to cater for enthusiastic amateur photographers. With its knob wind, simple shutter lever and less sophisticated taking lens, the Rolleicord was nevertheless built to the same exacting standards as the Rolleiflex and was capable of outstanding results. The Rolleiflex and Rolleicords formed the backbone of medium format cameras for nearly three decades, and are still immensely popular today.
Copyright
© 2001 by Mike Graham. All rights reserved. |
