Rolleiflex Automat from 1937...

[CarlosE]

If somebody ask to me the question: "Which is the best camera that you have"?... I wouldn't doubt ! ... "It has been and it is : My Roleiflex Automat from 1937".
I know that this is something "subjective" and different persons will have different answers... and it is correct but, with all my respect, I'll give "my reason" :   "My Rollie"  is 74 years old ... but don't demostrate her age; on the contrary, She is ...Slender and well built... and She is proud because won the Grand Prix award at the Paris World's Fair in 1937,  deservedly!
She has been with me a lot of years... always ready to go to any place, trusty, silent (she isn't strident) and don't ask me nothing but She know that I love her. What she don't know is, that I'll leave this world, before she do it, and that is sad for me.
A Question:   Do you believe that, one of these "Prodigious Digital Cameras"  from today, will last74 or more years?
I respect those who use them effectively, but I think that... NO !

Here is my pretty Rollie:




and here, some photos:

[radiophoto]

Carlos, your testimonial to this very lovely grande dame is very sweet and touching.  Your portraits of her, and the photos, are both very nicely done.  Congrats on owning such a treasure!

[joho35mm]

74 years old and still going strong! Beautiful camera and photos - you're very right about the digital cameras, too. It's hard to imagine anyone using even the top digital cameras from today 70 years down the road, any more than they'd be using them 7 or 17 years in the future!

[r-brian]

Great photos from a great camera.

I had that same model, Type 1, for a short time.  The Tessar lens is as good as anything on the market today.

Brian

[Julio1fer]

Your camera and my mother-in-law were born in the same year, Carlos. Both are going strong!

Beautiful post and pictures - that uncoated Tessar is a great lens.

[lesged]

Carlos,

Great looking Rollei and photos that support your appreciation for your Automat.

I ditto your feelings. Though I've had much newer Rollei models, my current one is an Automat Model 4 (s/n 1,223,xxx). It has a coated 75/3.5 Opton Tessar and was made in 1951.

Both your Rollei thread and Joseph's (joho35mm) have created an urge for me to crank my Rollei's lever with film in it, and expose, soup the film, scan and post results in NFf, ASAP.

[br1078lum]

Just packed mine up and shipped it off this morning as a trade.  It was pretty ragged when I got it, with the film transport being jammed up.  It was missing a foot too, and that left a hole in the back.  The leather was needing to be completely replaced, and the aperture was stuck at f22.  It didn't help that I caved in the front plate when it took a header off the workbench with a big Yashica tele adapter hooked up to it.

A college student in California is getting it for the mirror to replace his, and I didn't figure I needed the rest sitting around gathering dust.  So he's sending me an Olympus 35 RC.

One day, I'll get another Rolleiflex.  Just don't know when that will be.  But I'll still have all the filters for it.  Nice camera, and great photos, Carlos.

PF

[Photoyann10]

Hello,

I have the same Rolleiflex automat 1 and I agree with you it is a great camera. The Tessar is very good. And this Rolleiflex is the first automatic model which means it can be considered as the first modern Rolleiflex. I just changed the focusing screen by myself for a brighter one and it is a real pleasure to use a such venerable machine !

Yannick

[Mike Kovacs]

Yup, even the pre-war Rollei's are nice. Yours must have a pretty clean lens because it handled the backlit tree like a champ!

[CarlosE]

Thanks very much to all those that to share here.
Pete:      Thanks you very much, my good friend!!!
Joseph:   We learned "to make" photos....People learn today, "to take photos"
Brain:      I love this uncoated Tessar. It's not comparable with the modern Rollei lens, but itsn't "bad"... it's "different, has      "character"
Julio 1fer:

Your camera and my mother-in-law were born in the same year, Carlos. Both are going strong!

                             Thanks Julio...but I prefer the camera :confused:
Les:         I appraise your words sincerely.
PF:           Thanks you Phil... and if someday you want to sell those filters, let me know, please.
Photoyann10:  Yannic, I like to know that!!!... and Yes, the Tessar it's "a very good" lens. I would like to know what focusing screen
did you put in your Rollie.
Mike:        Yes it has a very clean lens. BTW: I'm sorry that you loose your Automat,  it was a pretty camera and make beautiful photos.

[Photoyann10]

Carlos,

I used a Mamiya RB 67 focusing screen. I cut it to the same size than the original one.
My Automat 1 has also a flash socket so I can use it for studio work ! I don't know when this socket was settled but it's interesting to have.

Here is a photo taken with this automat 1 on Acros (rodinal 1+100) :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photoyann10/2783927409/sizes/l/in/set-72157622051069377/

How can I insert an image from my computer please

Thanks.

Yannick

[P C Headland]

Looks pretty well cared for considering its age.  Nice results too - the last shot of the shadows really appeals to me.

I certainly don't fancy the chances of my GF1 working in 70 years time....

[Mike Kovacs]

Carlos, I "lost" my Automat II to none other than NancyB. I wonder if she's ever posted any pictures from it?

[br1078lum]

Yannick, at the top of your photo on Flickr (when viewed in it's normally displayed size), you will see a box marked "Share". 
Left Click on this, and a menu box comes up with three options. 
Left Click on "Grab the HTML/BBCode".
Select "BBCode"
Select "Medium" size at the bottom of the box.
Right Click on the code in the window, and it will be highlighted, then a menu box will come up.
Select "Copy".
Then back here, in the body of your message, Right Click, and select "Paste".
It will then appear like this:

Untitled by Yannick Michel, on Flickr

If you want to post multiple images in the same post, copy the BBCodes to a blank document in your word proccessor, then copy the entire set of codes at once into the message here.  You can also do this prior to getting on NFf if there are more than one posts you will be making.  Saves time going back and forth to Flickr, and you will lose the message when you do that in the middle of posting.

PF

[Photoyann10]

Thank you very much for your explanation but I'm afraid my little Imac computer is too old now to do that...

Regards,

Yannick