RolleiCord (CC: Camerafiend)
My most recent camera purchase was an early model Stereo Realist from 1951. For my birthday though, I wound up with something much more current. I figure three years newer is enough. My latest camera is a Rolleicord IV from 1954. I’ve wanted a beautiful Medium Format camera for a bit to use in the studio and in nature.
What is medium format? Without getting too technical, medium format takes a 6×6cm sized negative. It’s much larger than those taken by a normal 35mm. Now there are many flavors of cameras that can take smaller or larger sized images on the medium format film but 6×6 is certainly the standard.
The camera was purchased off Craigslist for $200. This marks my second Craigslist purchase with good success. The photographer selling it was actually running a roll through it as I knocked on his door. You’ve got to love that sort of dedication and he was thrilled when I told him that it would be used and well cared for. I wouldn’t want such a beautiful camera collecting dust either! He was selling it to make some extra cash and he was offloading some less-used gear. As I left he asked if I had any film for it, when I said no he gave me two rolls of Kodak Panatomic-X film, rated at 32 ISO and expired way back in 1986. I thanked him and was on my way.
The camera needed a good cleaning and some basic cosmetic repairs. Some time with cleaner and the lenses had them as clear as the day they were manufactured. The ground glass cleaned up very nicely as well. The camera was completely disassembled, cleaned where it needed to be cleaned, oiled where it needed to be oiled and put back together. There are a few chips here and there and the brass screws are corroded under the leather coverings. Those don’t need attention right now, but I figure on a rainy day I’ll touch up the painted areas and peel off the leather, clean up the screws and re-cement the leather back to the body.
Fast forward a few days and we have a beautiful blanket of fog over everything, I didn’t think I would be shooting with the camera this soon.. I loaded up a roll of the Pan-X and filled the roll. A 120 roll of medium format film is 12 exposures. With trusty light meter in hand I made a few exposures and when I came back home I developed this 25 year old film in Agfa Rodinal 1+25 at about six minutes. I gave it an extra minute just because the film was so old.
I couldn’t be happier with the exposures, the film base was a little fogged due to age but the negatives were just stunning. Below is my favorite image of the day and once again when I think I have everything I could ever want I now need to add to that a medium format carrier and lens for my enlarger!
I used a Rollie in high school, although not quite as elegant as the Rolliecord I own an old Mamiyqflex, Yashicamat (poor mans rollie) & a RB67 + an ancient Voightlander 2-1/4.
I teach a photo 101 class and great to see that there’s still an interest in the hands-on darkroom process.