Searching for Rollie

When looking at alternative formats to use for my FMP, I looked at all options of medium format cameras and came across the twin reflex cameras (Rolleiflex). This is a camera with two lenses of the same focal length. One lens is connected to the viewfinder system and the other is the lens that actually takes the photograph. The word 'reflex' fits into it due to the viewfinder system as you shoot with the camera at waist level. This consists of a 45 degree mirror and a focusing screen  beneath the pop up hood at the top of the camera that you look down in to. The focus shown on the focusing screen will be exactly the same as what is captured on the film.

Viewing the preview from above means that the camera is steadier rather than hand held and  it also reduced time to take a photo as you can now focus easily and quicker without having to swap the ground glass screen for the plate.

TLR's became introduced to mass marketing with the beginning production of Rolleicord and then Rolleiflex in 1929 developed by Franke and Heidecke in Germany. Obviously most of the market was taken away with imitations and copies but Heidecke's inspiration was always unique. When photographing enemy lines from the German trenches in 1916, the periscope effect happened to reduce the risk of being caught by a sniper.

The image on the matte focusing screen is reversed left to right, meaning that it is difficult to steady the composition, so most high end TLR's have a magnifying glass built in and a square panel in the back and knock out in the front where photographers could look through at the subject which is especially good for moving objects.

Compared to single reflex lenses, TLR's are better as you can constantly see the image on the focusing screen as it doesn't black out during exposure.

Mamiya's C-series are the main conventional camera found with interchangeable lenses yet 'Bayonet Mount' TLR's particularly Rolleis and Yashicas has both wide-angle and tele-supplementary front add-ons but Rollei even made separate TLR's with fixed wide-angle or tele lenses.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROLLEICORD AND ROLLEIFLEX- They were both produced by the same men yet Rolleicord was made first as an 'ameatur' version as Rolleiflex is particularly marketed to professional photographers.

I decided that I would like to experiment with this type of photography and further with 120 film, possibly 35mm adaptors as the whole concept of the TLR really fascinates me. Now it's just down to finding one of my own...
http://www.vintageclassiccamera.com/