And I here as well, really appreciated both videos, my grandmother gave me her rolleicord Vb at my birthday, I can't wait to take some photos. I think whats really fascinating about film photography is its not like digital pixel limited, all the light hitting the film is there, you can really see all the little details.
Great video thanks, but you failed to mention one of the single coolest aspects of this camera, the fact that it is a rangefinder. On the focusing knob you can see the distance it is focusing and according to the f stop you can see what will be in focus. So for example at 6 meters (my camera is in meters) at f8 my camera tells me that everything between 4 and 10 meters is in focus. This means I can eyeball a subject, puts the focusing knob at that distance and my shot will be in focus, making it extremely fast for street photography. VERY cool feature worth mentioning
+Enrique Enrique Yes, that's definitely one of the coolest things that the camera can do. What you're looking at is the distance scales (a rangefinder is a different type of camera and a different type of device.)
Thanks! Great Tutorials!!! Especially for someone like me who's trying to get into medium format photography (from 35mm). One very small comment about the music though 😂
Yes those cameras are great! Great for portraits, but also great for square landscape and even for some street photography (cf Doisneau & Vivian Maier...) I bought my Rolleicord IV 20 years ago and had it serviced a few years ago. (It's important to have it serviced if it hasn't been for a long long time...) And also a good think is to have the old screen changed for a newer and brighter one! By the way I like better the versions of the Rolleicord with the focusing on the right, but I guess it's just something to get used too...
Thank You for posting this vid, it was "very" helpful. Just one question please. Does the Rolleicord Vb Type I or II have a sliding parallax correction system like the Rolleiflex models? Years ago I had a Rolleiflex T, remembering it had a parallax system under the focusing screen.. Thanks in advance. Larry.
+LarryParamedic1 Thank you! Insofar as I recall, this model Rolleicord has it automatically. To check, you can set the camera on a tripod and focus at infinity, making sure that you have stuff in your foreground about ten feet in front of you. Then zoom in and out a few times and if the frame shifts (the stuff ten feet in front of you will help make that noticeable) then you have parallax correction and it's working.
Great video! I was recently gifted this camera by my father-in-law who was more of an SLR guy. Is there anything you can say about parallax collection, or do you discuss it in another video perhaps? I believe the vb has automatic parallax correction, so is there anything I have to "do"? Anything about it I should keep in mind as I shoot? Thanks!
+Christopher Lietz I forget whether or not the VB has parallax correction. I think the Rolleiflex bodies do (don't quote me on that), but I forget about the Rolleicords. If parallax occurs, it won't be an issue until your subject is within about eight feet of your lens. At that point, you would just need to eyeball the difference and lift your camera and inch or so to compensate.
Any ISO film will work in any camera, with a few exceptions. Since this camera does not have a light meter, you'd need to either carry your own or guess at exposures. So, to answer your questions: any ISO!
Great video for a great camera. I am about to try my first film roll on an Art Deco Rolleicord. A bit nervous, even if I do have some experience with 35mm film. How do I adapt it to fit my regular tripod? How to I safely prepare the removal of the film roll, once all the frames are exposed?
Thank you! There are 1/4-20 to 3/8-16 tripod adapters (eBay has them) and you'd want the ones without a flange. That can screw into the camera's 3/8-16 bushing. For the film, it rolls from one spool onto the other as its used, so after you shoot all 12 images, just advance until the film pops off the first spool and is wrapped on the second. Then you just seal the spool with the built-in tape (most films have this) and you're off to the races.
Hi David, can you clarify something about advancing the film at the end. In the video you had the back compartment opened as after you shot all the exposures. Then you wound the rest of the film onto the spool. Am I supposed to wind the rest of the film with the back opened? Or was that just for demonstration? Also, I have Lomography Redscale Negative XR. It says 50-200 ISO. I'm not sure what this means. So if I primarily shoot in bright settings I should leave the ASA at 50 and if I shoot indoors use 160 (my camera only goes to 160)? Will I have to tell the developers the ASA I used on my camera so they can adjust the developing times?... similar to pushing film? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks! -Brandon
+marten L Firstly, great find! As for the slowest hand-held speed, because leaf shutters induce almost no movement, give it a shot at 1/60 or 1/30th and see how you like the results.
Hi David! I've watched your great videos in hope to understand everything regarding Rolleicord, but I have to be honest and say that it's all Greek to me. Personally I've only taken pictures with mobile cameras, and even there the settings are too advanced for me. However, I have someone very dear to me that has Rolleicord (DBP DBGM) camera inherited after his grandfather. This camera has not been used for many years, but seems to be working as it should. But there is no film for the camera. I would love to see my friend putting this camera to use, as he wishes to do, so I have been trying to figure out which film to use and where to buy it. But as I do not understand anything, I'm having problems figuring this out. I'm wondering if you would be able to point me in the right direction?
I sure can. The camera needs 120 film. Freestyle Photo, B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon, and a bunch of other places sell 120. After you shoot it, if you don't develop it at home you'll need to send it to a lab. Chain stores like CVS and Costco won't accept 120. I use OldSchoolPhotoLab, but there are a lot of good labs out there.
If you can see the red dot, that means that you will take a double exposure. So you'll want to have the lever positioned so that you cannot see the red dot to advance the film.
mamiyapress Thank you. I would have liked to have used it. My upcoming Rolleicord I video will have sample images, though that camera is much different from this one.
David Hancock I have the option to buy one at 210.00 euro but I already have 3 Yashicamat 124G's, a Yashica 24 , a Rolleiflex SLR, 2 Hasselblad 500 CM's plus Mamiya RB & RZ's with 6X6 backs so I can not really justify it but it would be nice to have all the same.
Yeah, that would be good. I'm not up on what they're going for right now, so I don't know if that's a good price. But I think of the 124G bodies as being at least as good as the Rolleicords (though I've never used a 124, so I could be wrong.)
