Have Rollei, need advice

Melanie L Chang wrote:

Hello all,

I am a lousy photographer who has never taken anything but snapshots with
point and shoot cameras. My father died when I was 12. Unlike me, he
appreciated cameras and had an eye for equipment, and left behind a
Rolleiflex 2.8 F model K7F (according to the Rolleiclub website) dating
to 1966. As far as I can tell, it is in excellent condition. And before
anyone asks, hell no, this camera is not for sale.

It has been 21 years since my father died, and I've been thinking it's a
great shame that no one is using this camera. Up til now I have been
afraid to do so, because it is beautiful and pristine, but that would only
matter if I cared how much it was worth to other people. Its worth to me
cannot be measured in cash. So, I have decided to learn how to use it.

I don't remember my father ever using this camera, although the old,
square photos in my baby photo albums tell me he took at least some of my
baby photos with it. It probably has not been used for 30 years. What
are the odds it is still working, and how do I find out? Do I just roll
some film into it and try to use it? What should I look out for? Does
it need to be tuned up first?

I want to be very careful and don't want to hurt the camera. It is
solid, heavy, and impressive but I am afraid I will break it by handling
it, not least of all because I have no idea what any of the knobs do.

Any pointers would be welcome. Thanks, Melanie


--
Melanie Lee Chang *
Canine Behavioral Genetics Project
University of California, San Francisco
http://psych.ucsf.edu/K9BehavioralGenetics/

I'd bet the UC,SF has a camera club. I'd start there. Someone could
probably recommend a local "guru" to assist you in checking out the
camera & getting started.

In article ,
no_name wrote:

Melanie L Chang wrote:

Hello all,

I am a lousy photographer who has never taken anything but snapshots with
point and shoot cameras. My father died when I was 12. Unlike me, he
appreciated cameras and had an eye for equipment, and left behind a
Rolleiflex 2.8 F model K7F (according to the Rolleiclub website) dating
to 1966. As far as I can tell, it is in excellent condition. And before
anyone asks, hell no, this camera is not for sale.

It has been 21 years since my father died, and I've been thinking it's a
great shame that no one is using this camera. Up til now I have been
afraid to do so, because it is beautiful and pristine, but that would only
matter if I cared how much it was worth to other people. Its worth to me
cannot be measured in cash. So, I have decided to learn how to use it.

I don't remember my father ever using this camera, although the old,
square photos in my baby photo albums tell me he took at least some of my
baby photos with it. It probably has not been used for 30 years. What
are the odds it is still working, and how do I find out? Do I just roll
some film into it and try to use it? What should I look out for? Does
it need to be tuned up first?

I want to be very careful and don't want to hurt the camera. It is
solid, heavy, and impressive but I am afraid I will break it by handling
it, not least of all because I have no idea what any of the knobs do.

Any pointers would be welcome. Thanks, Melanie


--
Melanie Lee Chang *
Canine Behavioral Genetics Project
University of California, San Francisco
http://psych.ucsf.edu/K9BehavioralGenetics/

I'd bet the UC,SF has a camera club. I'd start there. Someone could
probably recommend a local "guru" to assist you in checking out the
camera & getting started.

Mud Weaver at A. Gasser should be able to help you. They are on Second.

--
To reply no_ HPMarketing Corp.

If you really have no idea what is going on with the camera I think
first comes first:

Learn the photo basics!

It would be best if you were familiar with general photography, like
shutter speeds, ISO values, apertures, etc. Of course, you can
definitely start learning all that with the rollei, but it'll be a more
expensive way to learn then...say...using a cheap old 35mm film SLR
(single lens reflex) or even a digital point & shoot camera that has
manual features on it. 120 film isn't THAT expensive, but it does add
up ($3.50/roll + $5-8 developing cost) especially when you're making a
lot of mistakes learning in the beginning. Also if you're shooting
black & white or slides (positive color film as opposed to the usual
negative orange masked color film) a nice little light box and
magnifier loupe is very useful. Down the line, a scanner that can scan
120 format film would be a good investment, but that's later on...

I actually started off with an old SLR and just this year moved on to
using a similar camera as yours (yashica mat-120 one of the myriad
clones of your rollei) and although the concepts are the same with any
manually operated camera, it still took a few rolls to get a hang of
things.

Some very basic information on TLRs (Twin Lens Reflex) - and anyone,
please feel free to correct or add onto this post:

There are two lenses.

The top one is used to view and focus on a glass plane on top of the
camera. Usually there is a flip top that reveals a glass plane with a
magnifier attached to the hood that acts like the eyepiece on a point &
shoot camera. The lens "speed" is fixed meaning the aperture has no
effect on it (thus no aperture preview) and is usually faster or the
same as the taking lens.

The bottom one is the taking lens. This focuses the light onto the
film itself when you hit that shutter button. Remember you are viewing
out of the top lens so even if you adjust the aperture there will be no
difference in what you see on the glass focusing screen.

While this twin lens design may cause some composing problems with
close up objects (usually you can't focus closer than 3 feet anyway) in
most cases there is no discrepency in what you see and what the film
will record.

The focusing knob is located on the side of the camera. The winding
knob or lever is on the other. The shutter is most likely on the
front/face of the camera, on the bottom right, below the taking/bottom
lens.

The aperture and shutter speed controls are usually on the face of the
camera.

If you have a light meter then the indicator is usually viewable on the
top front edge of the camera.

120 format film is different from 35mm and you will need a spare spool
when you start off (usually you'll find one still inside the camera!).
Follow the manual's directions to load the film. If you have a lot of
difficulty, you can usually go to a pro lab or even to a photography
teacher/professor and they should be able to help you through it and
show you.

Have fun!

In article ,
Melanie L Chang wrote:
Dave the Guy ) wrote:

: It would be best if you were familiar with general photography, like
: shutter speeds, ISO values, apertures, etc. Of course, you can
: definitely start learning all that with the rollei, but it'll be a more
: expensive way to learn then...say...using a cheap old 35mm film SLR
: (single lens reflex) or even a digital point & shoot camera that has
: manual features on it.

My father also left behind a Leica M3, and I've decided to start my
photo-education with that camera. Still not simple, exactly, but
definitely more so!

At 12 shots per roll, you'll get your results back quicker with the 'flex. ;-)

I'm not familiar with the myriad worshipped leicas but I can only
imagine the M3 is a 35mm rangefinder. Rangefinders are also different
than TLRs and SLRs so no matter what route you take there will be that
learning curve.

But if you ALREADY have a digital camera with manual settings (most of
the better ones in the last couple of years do), it will be a CHEAP and
QUICK way to learn the basics of photography. Eventually, when you're
familiar with the basics, you'll be a lot more effective when you start
using film.

Enjoy the classics!