Having used the Yashica-Mat and enjoyed it so much I should have known myself better…
So I now have an early 1970s Rolleiflex 3.5F type 4, serial 2820xxx with a Planar 6 element lens. Cosmetically beautiful and as far as I can tell, optically very good, plus it has a bright viewfinder (grid with a split screen). I’ve fallen for TLRs big time and the Rollei is such a fabulous piece of engineering I want to touch it all the time, it makes me smile. Compared to it, the Yashica-Mat feels like a toy (it isn’t of course, and is very capable in its own right, particularly with the Yashinon lens).
I shot a couple of rolls of HP5+ at EI200 in St Alfeges to test it. Usual themes of death and twisted views of playground equipment etc
gallows
I’m using St Alfege as a test ground because I’m very familiar with it and I am able to make comparisons with previous shoots. At 100% it is possible to make out every spider’s web on the photo below. The web doesn’t do it justice
grave
I got the Rollei from Mahendra Modi at MW Classic Cameras. Rollei 3.5Fs seem incredibly scarce at the moment so I was glad to find one, especially in such good condition. According to Mahendra, Japanese dealers are hoovering them up and he seems to be able to shift most of his stock in that direction. Film cameras of all sorts seem to be big in Japan at the moment.
I haven’t been able to get out and about so much over the last week. The weather is shite here in London and the dog lost his bollox on Monday so photo opportunities have been limited. Today we had to dodge the showers but for some reason the sun shone strongly in between them. The Planar lens on the Rollei has far fewer problems dealing with flare than the Yahica-Mat’s Yashinon. Edge to edge the Planar wins hands down too, it is a beautiful lens no question.
In my eagerness I forgot to use the hood for the shots below. The Planar seems to have taken it in its stride though. The Yashinon would have been showing considerable veiling flare. I used incident light readings with the Sekonic 208 meter which probably helped. However, the sun was in and out like, like, I don’t know what but it was difficult getting the exposures correct.
St Alfege is full of interesting gravestones and fences too
Full size, I almost feel as if I reach in and touch these. I used HC110 dilution ‘H’ for 8 minutes, 30 seconds initial agitation and 2 inversions every 30 seconds. I’ll use this combo again. In fact I prefer it to the Rodinal which is possibly a slight heresy. To me, these photos have a ‘look’ which matches the Rollei. Hard to describe and probably very subjective.
I’m faffing a bit with loading the 120 reels, it is not as smooth as I would like. Needs more practice. I’ve made the bathroom light-tight so I’m not limited to the changing bag anymore. No more sweating hands for a start. Curiously I keep my eyes shut in the ‘darkroom’, just like I did when I used to practice loading reels in front of the TV. Weird, but it feels right somehow. I’ve given up trying to clip the film onto the reels, it is too fiddly. I just hold the end down and start winding. It seems to work. Unfortunately, in my eagerness to see the results I haven’t been as scrupulous about the dust and it shows on these negs.
A couple of observations.
One thing about medium format, without labouring the bleeding obvious, is that everything is bigger and takes more space. Two 120 stainless reels take a tank that that fits 4 35mm spirals, needs double the developer, fix and wash etc. If I develop 4 120 films the tank resembles a canon, it is gigantic. There is no way I could fit all that in a changing bag anyway.
Secondly, I quite welcome having only 12 exposures on a roll. I usually have a project in mind when I photograph and like to finish a roll so I can develop it. Sometimes I find myself wasting the end of a 36 exposure 35mm roll of film just to I can instantly gratify myself and see the results of the days shooting.
I’m off to fondle the Rollei now hehe.
by skinnyvoice
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Love the way the fence almost seems to be dripping down the wall like paint in the second one up! The ones with the swings remind me of