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Rolleiflex 3.5E - A Practical Review

I have had this particular Rolleiflex 3.5E for a little over 10 years. I bought it back in high school for an unknown price, although prices now seems to be relatively affordable hovering between $500 - $1000.

Rolleiflex is part of a greater category camera known as TLRs (twin lens reflex). It utilizes two lenses, the top one being the viewing lens that projects image onto a ground glass via a mirror, and the bottom being the more important taking lens, with a leaf shutter built-in. I've always thought of this kind of camera as a hybrid between SLRs & rangefinders: it has a lens with a mirror (although no mirror slap), and what you see is not exactly what you get (parallax error). 


There are many Rolleiflex models & variations, this particular model is a Rolleiflex 3.5E, with a selenium light meter, made in the mid-1950s. Like most TLRs, it takes 120 medium format film, takes a 6x6 image yielding 12 photos per roll of film. It has a Xenotar 75mm f/3.5 lens that makes beautiful sharp images and creamy bokeh. I recently sent my Rolleiflex to Pro Camera Inc in Virginia for a CLA, aside from the light meter being non-functional, hopefully this camera will continue to produce great images for decades to come. 


There are some quirks about shooting with a TLR that turns photographers away. First the ground class image being a reflection from a mirror, is flipped left to right compared to the real world scenery that you are photographing. Second, you are shooting often from chest height instead of face height compared to cameras with a prism viewfinder. Third, TLRs are mostly fixed lens cameras with the exception of some Mamiya TLRs I believe. 


This Rolleiflex is one of my favorite cameras to shoot with. The workmanship & design often sparks conversations. The leaf shutter is quiet, and no mirror slap means you can handhold down to shutter speeds of 1/30 or even 1/15 seconds. It is also one of the most compact medium format cameras you'll find making it easy to sling it around your shoulder and go for a walk. 

There are many cheaper alternatives that could be a good introduction to the world of TLRs. Yashica, Mamiya, Minolta all made TLRs.

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