[rollei_list] Re: Limit of Rolleicord Triotar


----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Brick" <jim@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 4:44 PM
Subject: [rollei_list] Re: Limit of Rolleicord Triotar


In 1952, when I was fourteen years old, I bought a new Rolleicord. I have no idea, at this time, which lens it had. I do know that it was the newest Rolleicord, directly from the distributor.

I photographed lots of stuff back then. But one thing in particular sticks in my mind.

I belonged to the Santa Cruz Camera Club. That's Santa Cruz California. Every year I helped the local photo company (Webber's Photo) photograph the Miss California contest. One year (I was around sixteen), I photographed one of the contestants (Dina Stearns - she was a local girl and we all knew her) sitting on an old piling, along the beach. It was a bright summer day, I had a white reflector to fill in the harsh shadows. I don't remember the film or developer, but I was using my Rolleicord on a tripod.

Later that month, there was a Camera Club meeting, the contest theme being 'still life'. I printed my photograph of Dina to 16x20 and mounted it on a 20x24 white mount board. I took it to the club meeting even though it did not qualify as a still life - hey, she was 'still', and she was full of 'life'... ;-)

Anyway, my photo was put up on the display board, to the left of all of the fruit bowl and flower still lifes. At the end of the judging, the judge (the club president) said, and I've never forgotten this, "everyone needs to come up here and look at this photograph of Dina. Jim Brick took it with his Rolleicord and printed it to 16x20. Come see how sharp, crisp, and clear this photograph is. And after seeing this, I don't ever want to hear any excuses for unsharp photographs."

I still have the box to my original Rolleicord. The price marked on it is $149.50. I wish I still had the camera. I got the camera at cost, $99, as my uncle's drug store had a photo counter and he was able to buy directly from the distributor.

My point is, a 16x20 print from my 1952 Rolleicord caught the attention of the Camera Club president. I still have the print, stored somewhere, and the negative, which is stored with a lot of other negs from back then, in the Rolleicord box.

If anybody knows what model Rolleicord, and possibly the lens type, for a new 1952 Rolleicord, I would be grateful.

Jim

I don't suppose you coppied down the serial number somewhere? Does the box have any sort of label on it?
1952 would make it a Rolleicord III and they were offered with both the Triotar and the Xenar. Since you know the price it might be possible to identify the camera from a price list of the time. The III was the last Roleicord to have the Triotar, the IV came only with the Xenar.
My Rolleicord IV was bought new from Sid Klein Camera in L.A. at a discount because it had just been discontinued. I think the price was $95.00 I still remember opening the box and the odor of the case. I saved the box for many years but it was eventually lost. The camera was stolen about 30 years ago. I have since replaced it but wish I still had the original.
Your adventure photographing a beauty contest was one of my phantasies at the same age. Wow!

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx



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