[rollei_list] Re: Paris-bound with my Art Deco Rolleicord
- From: CarlosMFreaza <cmfreaza@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 2 May 2013 08:34:18 -0300
Excellent selfportrait shot Sanders, nice camera. The Art Deco
Rolleiflex was the first Rolleicord camera, it was manufactured from
November 1933 to March 1936. It has a a Zeiss Triotar lens 4,5/7,5cm.
F&H wanted records for this model: sales figures record, production
figures record, record for optical and mechanical performance,
etcetera, and then the camera was called "Rolleicord". There was a
significant price difference between the Rolleiflex Standard and the
new Rolleicord, F&H needed to publish an article to explain the price
difference (Rolleicord and Roleiflex looked similar for the layman
Prochnow writes in the Report I). The low-price Rolleicord added some
technical improvements that the Rolleiflex would only add four years
later for the Automat model (1937): the automatic parallax
compensation, a new cam for the focusing mechanism, the film measuring
wheel and a new and simpler finder hood. BTW, automatic film advance
mechanism, automatic frames counter, f stops and shutter speeds
visibles in the upper window and the Tessar lens (the lens mainly) for
the Standard Rolleiflex had to do with the price difference regarding
the Rolleicord.
Flare was not an issue with the Triotar at the time, these old cameras
and lenses could need to renew internal paints and antireflection
materials now; a 28,5mm lens hood could help to diminish flare. The
focus issue could be specific for your camera, the "Art Deco" used for
the first time the focusing mechanism that was standard for the
Rolleiflex from 1937 and it is used even today for the FX.
The Art Deco also used the measuring wheel to count and to space the
frames for the first time ( that wheel with an eccentric axis you see
in the taking spool chamber), however the system did not have
automatic stopping yet, you need to see when the new frame number is
in the window; the Rolleiflex Standard was faster to operate from this
point of view. The Rolleicord Ia added automatic stopping for the film
advance in 1936. It was only the 1937 Rolleiflex Automat with a
dedicated mechanism to advance the film to the frame 1, eliminating
red windows and film paper back arrows for the purpose, that added the
improvements tried for the Rolleicord previously (again: automatic
parallax compensation, new simpler and more practical viewfinder hood,
new focusing mechanism and film measuring wheel).
To shoot the Rolleicord I, you need to recall to advance the film
seeing the frames counter window and to cock the shutter afterward,
from the Rolleicord Ia to the Rolleicord III you only need to recall
you advanced the film before to cock the shutter to avoid double
exposures, from the Rolleicord IV you can't cock the shutter if you
did not advance the film previously, anyway from the Rolleicord IV
there is a button or lever to allow double exposures if you want to do
it.
Carlos
2013/5/1 Sanders McNew <sanders@xxxxxxxxx>:
> So, Melanie and I are heading to Paris May 13-20. If you too happen to be in
> Paris that week, you will be able to identify me by my Art Deco Rolleicord:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/8696591043/in/photostream
>
> Paul Ebel was kind enough to put this camera back into service for me -- it
> needed a new mirror and a Maxwell screen, and lots of swearing and
> lubrication. Even so, the focus lacks the smooth movement of a modern
> Rolleiflex -- Paul reports that the build quality of early Rolleicords
> doesn't match up to the postwar cameras. If any of you on the list have any
> experience shooting this camera, I would love to hear your thoughts. My
> first roll of film taught me that (1) the Triotar doesn't much like strong
> light sources, and (2) there is no stop when you advance the film to the next
> frame. What else do I need to know?
>
> Sanders McNew
> www.flickr.com/sandersnyc---
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