kenneth Posted October 30, 2009 Share #1 Posted October 30, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) After considerable soul searching I have come to a decision to move to a medium format 120 system, namely a Rolleiflex SL66. As such I am parting with my Leica M system to accommodate it. Thank you all for your help in the past. I have used a MF system in the past and always been in awe of larger negative images. I weighed up the pros and cons and now I no longer climb or ski a larger bulkier camera system is not an issue. The system I am buying has been built up and treasured by a real enthusiast and is in total mint condition and comprises of 4 lenses and all the accessories I shall need so it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Rolleiflex SL66 all you want to know about these Rollei Cameras - www.sl66.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Hi kenneth, Take a look here I have decided to move to MF. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
phovsho Posted October 30, 2009 Share #2 Posted October 30, 2009 I'm a big fan of both the Leica and Rollei cameras. With respect to Rollei, I originally had a TLR and then moved to the 6008 Intergral and the fast lenses they offer. However, I found the 6008 simply too bulky, heavy and loud for my style of (street) shooting. Now have gone back to the TLRs - simply the finest MF camera ever made IMHO. Silent, best of class lenses, compact and light. Not as fast or convenient as a M though, and I love the images on the smaller neg every bit as much as the Rollei unless I'm wanting a massive print. I strongly believe the best camera is the one you have with you. In that regard, I have to favor the Leica. I take it with me everywhere. The Rollei is both bigger and less flexible, and as such I only really favor it if I know what I'm shooting in advance and the TLR is suited for it e.g., formal portraits, landscapes... So, I love 'em both and think they compliment each other nicely. But I think of Leica as the primary camera and the MF more the icing. If I could only have one? Easy, Leica M + 2 lenses. I'm sure you will be very happy with the Rollei. Just thought my experience might be of interest before you jump in. M Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShyTot Posted October 30, 2009 Share #3 Posted October 30, 2009 Terrific thread, Kenneth. Thanks for sharing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschone Posted October 30, 2009 Share #4 Posted October 30, 2009 Why don't just add a Fuji gw670 (texas leica) to your leica and then you've everything the same (rangefinder). The Fuji really has a fantastic lens (90 3.5 --> 42 mm in 35 mm terms) and is still portable enough. the 6x7 film size is great (if you want more, you can go for the gw690 which has the same body size). I wouldn't sell the leica though. jochem Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sender Posted October 30, 2009 Share #5 Posted October 30, 2009 Have you considered the Mamiya 6 or 7? I bought the 6 when it first came out - promised a MF experience closest to Leica M. While it is not a Leica, it is remarkably light weight and compact, and the lenses are incredibly sharp. It is also very easy to use, like a Leica M with a dark slide. I have negatives that no 35mm can hold a candle to. That being said, I mostly use 35mm for day to day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Pope Posted October 31, 2009 Share #6 Posted October 31, 2009 Enjoy your SL66 - it's a camera that always interested me, not least because it has the facility to tilt the lens, so you can move the plane of focus. I was lucky enough to attend a fine printing workshop held by the late Barry Thornton. He used the SL66 almost exclusively and the images he produced were beautiful. Best wishes Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted October 31, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Why don't just add a Fuji gw670 (texas leica) to your leica and then you've everything the same (rangefinder). The Fuji really has a fantastic lens (90 3.5 --> 42 mm in 35 mm terms) and is still portable enough. the 6x7 film size is great (if you want more, you can go for the gw690 which has the same body size). I wouldn't sell the leica though. jochem I will need to sell my M system to fund the purchase of the Rollei. But it is no big deal and I am staying loyal to the Fatherland I used medium format 20 odd years ago but as I was doing a lot of climbing and skiing in those days it did not suit my lifestyle. I went back to 35mm SLR's but after experiencing bigger negs 35mm didn't quite cut the mustard. Latterly I moved over to a Leica M system to try and get that holy grail but even the mighty Leitz optics could not give me what MF negs did. A similar analogy would be with loudspeakers. Size matters. You cannot get a big sound from small loudspeakers that is a given. It is the same with small negatives albeit I rarely print any larger than 10 X 8 and 5 x 7 is my norm. Now I am 62, retired on ill health and move around in a slower more deliberate manner or to quote a Buddhist term, in hopefully a more mindful way so I decided it was time to make the change. My decision wasn't taken lightly but I am convinced I made the right choice and Barry Thornton's book" Elements" was the final clincher. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted October 31, 2009 Enjoy your SL66 - it's a camera that always interested me, not least because it has the facility to tilt the lens, so you can move the plane of focus.I was lucky enough to attend a fine printing workshop held by the late Barry Thornton. He used the SL66 almost exclusively and the images he produced were beautiful. Best wishes Mark You were very lucky to have been in the presence of such a master photographer and printer who sadly is no longer with us. But interestingly this Mint condition, and Mint is not an understatement, SL66 is coming from a Hassleblad dealer who sold Barry his SL66. Have your read "Edge of Darkness"- also by Barry and available on Amazon second hand and well worth getting. And whist we are talking about the man Barry Thornton's fine print photographers workshop Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted October 31, 2009 Share #9 Posted October 31, 2009 Kenneth, you have all my sympathy... I wandered around MF from my very youth (bought a Lubitel 66 at 18... really mine, though there indeed was my father's Super Ikonta 6x9... ) , then Leica addiction entered... but I continued to look at MF when said to myself "these days, I really want to have BIG negatives for GOOD enlargements)... so times arrived for a Rolleiflex 3,5 T, than a 3,5 F (and a short relation with a fascinating Linhof Technika 70)... but never took the decision towards a SLR system... it would have meant to betray Leica... . But the SL66, given my passion for my 3,5F was a system I often tought to (more often than to the obvious swedish alternative). And I also did a lot of climbing and skiing like you... and to be true I still do... but I'm only 53: could be that approaching the '60s I'll too arrive to your conclusion... who knows ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 31, 2009 Share #10 Posted October 31, 2009 Kenneth, I have also decided to acquire a Rolleiflex SL66 outfit - also in mint condition (so the dealer tells me) - and it should arrive early next week. Here is the dealer's photo of the outfit which includes 6 lenses and 2 film backs ... ... dealer has given me permission to use his photo. I had been looking for an SL66 in reasonable condition for some time and when this outfit was offered decided to buy it. The Rox case houses the outfit nicely. However, I'm still using my Leica cameras. Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnkare Posted October 31, 2009 Share #11 Posted October 31, 2009 I had the MF vs. 35 fight a while ago. I was almost sure that I could manage with an MF outfit alone, even including no SLRs or RFs. Three to four focal lengths. Well, I decided to have them both: Leica and MF outfit. In the end, there was three reasons I couldn't manage with the MF outfit alone: 1) it would would have been physically too big and slow to operate (especially without any inbuilt light meter) for fast situations or people shooting, which I do a fair bit; 2) the lenses are slow for a non-flash person (and the flashes too hard to operate anyway) and this can be compensated only so much with faster film (and it still is a compromise), even more so, because the MF cameras I like normally have 1/500 as their fastest shutter speed; 3) all of my frames don't deserve to be on such a big original media, for the cost and space it demands. So, more money has to be invested in cameras, storage space, film and processing equipment, but what can you do. MF has a glare non-acheivable by 35 mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted October 31, 2009 Share #12 Posted October 31, 2009 Well good luck with the new outfit Kenneth. I have always used MF along with my 35mm although I did get the crazy idea a while ago of having a clear out and buying a Hasselblad or one of the newer Rolleiflexes. In fact I was browsing in a camera shop yesterday and they had a very nice looking 'blad for what seemed a good price, and I had that same thought again......... A blad or flex with WLF is really pretty compact compared to taking around an SLR or M and several lenses (I like the one lens discipline of the flex). I have a Bronica ETRS which I use with the AE finder and speed grip, its great and has earnt a living doing weddings and stuff, but I do like the 6X6 format and WLF, and a WLF is good for street photography. But I could never part with all of the Leica's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikkor AIS Posted October 31, 2009 Share #13 Posted October 31, 2009 About 15 years ago I bought Rollei SL66 with a 50 80 150 lens, Very nice combo. You will love the tilt and shift on the body with the very sharp glass. Depending on the viewfinder and the familiarity with the system the Rollie is quite fast to use. There is no denying the IQ of the images you will get with the system. I think you will love the Rollei SL 66 and Im sure you will be happy with your choice. You can always grab another Lecia in the future. Gregory Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share #14 Posted November 1, 2009 At the eleventh hour I could not go through with it. Oh the agonising I have put myself through this past few days but I guess you have all been there. I hope my suffering will be helpful to others who are maybe contemplating change. Anyway, look on the plus side, you will still have me around. You don't get rid of me that easy. Thank you all Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted November 1, 2009 Share #15 Posted November 1, 2009 As I wrote just before ... "... it would have meant to betray Leica... ." Welcome back here... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bernd Banken Posted November 1, 2009 Share #16 Posted November 1, 2009 Guys, here a warm welcome shot of my old friend with his 66 and my VW Convert.: The girl and the Rollei on Flickr - Photo Sharing! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted November 1, 2009 Share #17 Posted November 1, 2009 At the eleventh hour I could not go through with it. Oh the agonising I have put myself through this past few days but I guess you have all been there. I hope my suffering will be helpful to others who are maybe contemplating change. Anyway, look on the plus side, you will still have me around. You don't get rid of me that easy. Thank you all If in doubt then probably best not to go ahead as you might regret it. However, if the MF calling is still with you then why not consider a lesser Rolleiflex to use when the mood suits you. At the moment MW Classic have a used Rolleiflex T "just in" listed in their latest stock at a fair price. The 'T' (first available in 1958) had the revised Tessar lens which is a much better Tessar than those previously used in Rolleiflex cameras. Anyway, here is the camera provided the moderator does not delete the link MW Classic Cameras NEW ARRIVED 30th OCTOBER - CAMERAS & LENSES Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aesop Posted November 1, 2009 Share #18 Posted November 1, 2009 At the eleventh hour I could not go through with it. Oh the agonising I have put myself through this past few days but I guess you have all been there. I hope my suffering will be helpful to others who are maybe contemplating change. Anyway, look on the plus side, you will still have me around. You don't get rid of me that easy. Thank you all ...MF v. Leica M has never been an issue with me because my M has to travel under my jacket a lot of the time. I guess the moral of your story is "feed the need first, then consider the want (if you can still afford it)". Welcome back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig Gretch Posted November 1, 2009 Share #19 Posted November 1, 2009 At the eleventh hour I could not go through with it. Oh the agonising I have put myself through this past few days but I guess you have all been there. I hope my suffering will be helpful to others who are maybe contemplating change. Anyway, look on the plus side, you will still have me around. You don't get rid of me that easy. Thank you all I think you will get the urge for a digital camera next!.....then we might! Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted November 2, 2009 Share #20 Posted November 2, 2009 Kenneth, don't get too upset. I was hot after the same kit 3 times. I believe this Rollie was probably one of the finest mechanical MF cameras ever made & those lenses, with dual use was just brilliant. The Camera is a major mechanical issue: when they break (and they will break) getting the parts can be near impossible. My dealer, whom has never been wrong with me since 1973, refused to sell me one. I did get a chance to make some frames with one in a studio, where it never left it's permanent place on a tripod. Don't give up on MF. I still believe that the more I use my Ikoflex, Rollie 2.8 and especially my Hassleblads, the better an image maker I become. No doubt that the careful consideration and more contemplative approach with MF refines and pushes me to get all I can with my 35mm gear, both with film using my M2 & M3 and with my R8/film & R8/DMR. I suggest that a metered Rolleiflex 2.8F with a coupled selenium meter is a great start & an investment that you can always retrieve. Getting your funds back at any time. I have owned several through the years. The meters all worked just fine. The silence is awesome & there's no shutter shake. The real estate on those 120 negs is not to be believed. Don't hesitate. It will make you a better image maker, no doubt. AND, it's lots of fun. One last thing, the old 500C Blads are dirt cheap & putting a small kit with the stock 80 lens is a very inexpensive way to also enjoy MF. Watch out mine Blad collection has blossomed and after one shoots with the CF 50 & CFI 120, it's hard to look away. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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