cassel
Well-known
Recently, in my Yashica D thread, I shared the news of a recent acquisition of two more TLRs - a Rolleicord V and a Grey Rolleiflex 4x4 "Baby"
The Rolleicord is on the shelf for now - not working
BUT the Rolleicord was just a bonus in the deal - what I really wanted was the Baby After hauling around the Yashica D this year- I was sure I "needed" something a little smaller
The first roll - ReraPan 127 - 100 B&W - is in! It looks decent. Shot around Seattle on a bright summer day in July with no hood or filter. The resolution is good - contrast was a bit flat so I bumped it a bit in Photoshop. That's it!
The Xenar is a good performer. I could see in a couple of frames (you get 12 on a roll - like the big brother Rolleiflex) the dreaded film flatness scanning issues but not a huge issue. Check out some samples:
Next up - ReraChrome 100 speed slide film! Got a hood on the way and some "SuperSlide" mounts. FUN FUN FUN
The Rolleicord is on the shelf for now - not working
BUT the Rolleicord was just a bonus in the deal - what I really wanted was the Baby
After hauling around the Yashica D this year- I was sure I "needed" something a little smaller The first roll - ReraPan 127 - 100 B&W - is in! It looks decent. Shot around Seattle on a bright summer day in July with no hood or filter. The resolution is good - contrast was a bit flat so I bumped it a bit in Photoshop. That's it!
The Xenar is a good performer. I could see in a couple of frames (you get 12 on a roll - like the big brother Rolleiflex) the dreaded film flatness scanning issues but not a huge issue. Check out some samples:
Next up - ReraChrome 100 speed slide film! Got a hood on the way and some "SuperSlide" mounts. FUN FUN FUN
cassel
Well-known
Now that I've had luck with the camera working as designed, I'm ready to try some color!
Next up is ReraChrome 100 E-6 film.
Also picked up some SuperSlide glass mounts and a Series V hood
Larry Cloetta
Mentor
Film Ferrania has the equipment necessary to produce 127 film, and have indicated that might be a real possibility in the future (though, admittedly, it's still early and they have to get to the future first.) That would be nice, and put a lot more cameras like this one back to work.
css9450
Mentor
I'm a new Baby owner myself... I have to tweak my scanning technique a little. I overexposed several shots but this one is probably the best. But its a nice little jewel of a camera!
cassel
Well-known
Hey Cool!
It is quite the camera --- feels very high quality in your hand. What film did you shoot (do you shoot) ? I'm about to send in 3-4 more rolls soon. Got some chrome film in the mix this time!
It is quite the camera --- feels very high quality in your hand. What film did you shoot (do you shoot) ? I'm about to send in 3-4 more rolls soon. Got some chrome film in the mix this time!
css9450
Mentor
Thanks! This is also Rera Pan 100. I probably won't try the slides... Might not have many processing options for them. But the Rera Pan B&W is easy to develop at home, even if its a little soft. I've done three rolls (just one with the Rollei) and I find it scratches easy or gets specs missing in the emulsion, a problem I don't have with 35mm.
cassel
Well-known
I'm using TheDarkroom.com for processing. Just sent in two rolls of 127 Slide film - ReraChrome 100.
Stock of ReraChrome is low at FreeStyle photo - next week, If I like what I see when the film is processed/scanned - I am going to stock up. I just love this camera too much not to shoot it and any color options are limited. Slide film generally scans well, but I probably shouldn't expect Fuji-like results!
It is an expensive habit when you add it all up - but I justify shooting my Rollei Baby and my Yashica-D because I'm NOT currently shooting any 35mm gear (expect the O-Product and bunch of old expired film that I got very cheap).
I am gathering LOTS of darkroom supplies - enlargers, trays, timers, etc. - eventually I will process at home again...
Stock of ReraChrome is low at FreeStyle photo - next week, If I like what I see when the film is processed/scanned - I am going to stock up. I just love this camera too much not to shoot it and any color options are limited. Slide film generally scans well, but I probably shouldn't expect Fuji-like results!
It is an expensive habit when you add it all up - but I justify shooting my Rollei Baby and my Yashica-D because I'm NOT currently shooting any 35mm gear (expect the O-Product and bunch of old expired film that I got very cheap).
I am gathering LOTS of darkroom supplies - enlargers, trays, timers, etc. - eventually I will process at home again...
CMur12
Well-known
If the slide film is good and you can get it mounted as super slides (probably not), I would start looking for a baby Rollei.
Neat camera.
- Murray
Neat camera.
- Murray
cassel
Well-known
Check my earlier posts - this is exactly what I'm planning! Got 40 NOS Titania Super Slides - glass holders. Fingers crossed...
CMur12
Well-known
Fingers crossed!
Super slide mounts aren't readily available, are they? Actually, for super slides, paper or plastic mounts without the glass would be just fine.
- Murray
cassel
Well-known
Super Slide Mounts seem to pop up on the internet occasionally... I figure 40 is a good start! Just hunt for words/terms like "4x4 slide mounts, 1 5/8" x 1 5/8", Super Slides, Titania, Burleigh, Perro, Rollei Slides, etc."
Like you said - some seem to be Paper/Cardboard, some are plastic.
Even metal! Some clip together, some are heat sealed, some require tape.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
You must have deep pockets - the cost of film for your 'baby' at least here in Australia, will soon add up to much more than what you paid for the camera.
My late aunt in eastern Canada had one in the early 1960s when I first got interested in serious photography. I often borrowed it for 'country weekend' shooting around my grandparents' farm. I loved using it and of course 127 film cost 50 cents a roll in those halcyon days. I still have the few hundred 127 negatives I shot over two years and am planning a printing blitz in the near future to do an album for scanning and gifting to other family in Canada.
The 'baby' Xenar was a stellar performer and every bit as good as that in the other 1950s Rolles Tessars. I don't recall enlarging anything to 8x10 but I made many 5x7s which were as sharp as those produced on my other camera, a - are you ready for it? - Yashica D which I got in 1962 and kept going til 1985 when I gave it away to someone who used it for a few more years and for all I know, may still have it.
When my aunt passed away in 2003 I asked about the 'baby' as I wanted to buy it, but her son told the camera had long since vanished from her home - For all I know she may have given it away (he thinks not) or sold it as in her 70s she often disposed of small items which we considered to be family heirlooms and greatly miss. Fortunately, she kept her negatives and her original drug store prints. Next year when I'm in Canada, I will borrow the lot for a gala printing and scanning session to ensure the images are made available to the rest of the family.
Small Rolleis were popular in the Antipodes and occasionally turn up on Ebay here (Australia), for a long time they were much cheaper than the 6x6s but of late prices have skyrocketed.
It's a shame 127 film is now difficult to find and also expensive. Legend has it the baby Rollei was designed to fit into a lady's purse and F&H wisely designed it to take series 1 accessories, which meant one could use filters, close up lenses and lens hoods from the regular Tessar range. I had a collection of Rollei 'bits' for my Yashica and still have some items left that I acquired back then. Series 1 filters cost C$9 each in the early '60s, a steal - 'tho nine bucks was a lot then to a teenager in high school and with a part time job. The fifty cent 120 and 127 Verichrome Pan films went a long way and I would save up to buy a 'brick' for ten dollars. To do this now with Ilford FP4 or HP4 pretty well breaks the bank.
The Yashica D was my first very own 'serious' camera and produced fine work in everything from newspaper images to weddings to family snaps. I souped all my films in Kodak DK60a and when I print an old negative I am pleasantly surprised at the good sharpness and mid tones.
Yashicas and especially the models from D and above were a bit tinny in build but almost as good as the hugely more expensive Rollei TLRs. They were very cheap until a few years ago when photographers seemed to suddenly realise their worth and prices then went up.
Just my reminiscences. Your images from the 'baby' look good and I am sure you are enjoying the camera, which is as it should be. Shoot on...
My late aunt in eastern Canada had one in the early 1960s when I first got interested in serious photography. I often borrowed it for 'country weekend' shooting around my grandparents' farm. I loved using it and of course 127 film cost 50 cents a roll in those halcyon days. I still have the few hundred 127 negatives I shot over two years and am planning a printing blitz in the near future to do an album for scanning and gifting to other family in Canada.
The 'baby' Xenar was a stellar performer and every bit as good as that in the other 1950s Rolles Tessars. I don't recall enlarging anything to 8x10 but I made many 5x7s which were as sharp as those produced on my other camera, a - are you ready for it? - Yashica D which I got in 1962 and kept going til 1985 when I gave it away to someone who used it for a few more years and for all I know, may still have it.
When my aunt passed away in 2003 I asked about the 'baby' as I wanted to buy it, but her son told the camera had long since vanished from her home - For all I know she may have given it away (he thinks not) or sold it as in her 70s she often disposed of small items which we considered to be family heirlooms and greatly miss. Fortunately, she kept her negatives and her original drug store prints. Next year when I'm in Canada, I will borrow the lot for a gala printing and scanning session to ensure the images are made available to the rest of the family.
Small Rolleis were popular in the Antipodes and occasionally turn up on Ebay here (Australia), for a long time they were much cheaper than the 6x6s but of late prices have skyrocketed.
It's a shame 127 film is now difficult to find and also expensive. Legend has it the baby Rollei was designed to fit into a lady's purse and F&H wisely designed it to take series 1 accessories, which meant one could use filters, close up lenses and lens hoods from the regular Tessar range. I had a collection of Rollei 'bits' for my Yashica and still have some items left that I acquired back then. Series 1 filters cost C$9 each in the early '60s, a steal - 'tho nine bucks was a lot then to a teenager in high school and with a part time job. The fifty cent 120 and 127 Verichrome Pan films went a long way and I would save up to buy a 'brick' for ten dollars. To do this now with Ilford FP4 or HP4 pretty well breaks the bank.
The Yashica D was my first very own 'serious' camera and produced fine work in everything from newspaper images to weddings to family snaps. I souped all my films in Kodak DK60a and when I print an old negative I am pleasantly surprised at the good sharpness and mid tones.
Yashicas and especially the models from D and above were a bit tinny in build but almost as good as the hugely more expensive Rollei TLRs. They were very cheap until a few years ago when photographers seemed to suddenly realise their worth and prices then went up.
Just my reminiscences. Your images from the 'baby' look good and I am sure you are enjoying the camera, which is as it should be. Shoot on...
cassel
Well-known
I have three more processed rolls from the "baby" to report. The ReraChrome color slides turned out OK- I wasn't surprised to see a yellow, vintage-looking color shift after development. I'll show you some comparisons here - straight up and color corrected in Photoshop.
Original color:
notice the reticulation of the grain in the preceeding image
Original color/scan
You get the idea! Here's some more CORRECTED images:
Overall, I'm still a fan of the camera. These images have a unique signature that's likely a result of the film and the lens (like it often/always is). I am on the fence about how much color I will shoot with the Rolleiflex Baby and I "get" why shooters of 127 film wish for more film options!
I'll post the next B&W results tonight or tomorrow!
Original color:
notice the reticulation of the grain in the preceeding image
Original color/scan
You get the idea! Here's some more CORRECTED images:
Overall, I'm still a fan of the camera. These images have a unique signature that's likely a result of the film and the lens (like it often/always is). I am on the fence about how much color I will shoot with the Rolleiflex Baby and I "get" why shooters of 127 film wish for more film options!
I'll post the next B&W results tonight or tomorrow!
farlymac
PF McFarland
The main reasons I don't have a baby Rollei is the paucity of available film, and the prices of what you can get. I've got two of its big brothers that need feeding also!
Nice to see that you continue to frame good subjects.
PF
Nice to see that you continue to frame good subjects.
PF
cassel
Well-known
It sort of sad, but film is so limited and expensive for the 127... I did some number crunching. No, I don't have "deep pockets" just a hobbyist at this point in my life.
Using my current preferred work-flow (no home processing or scanning) here's my cost analysis:
127 Color Slide film - $2.42 per shot
127 B&W film - $2.17 per shot
120 Color Slide Film - $1.80 per shot
120 Tri-X - $1.38 per shot
For my rangefinders and Point & Shoot cameras, I like Agfa 200 color and Tri-X for B&W:
35mm Color Negative film - .42 per shot
35mm Tri-X - .44 per shot
Of course, part of the issue is 12 frames per roll versus 36 !
This means 127 color shots are costing me 6 times more than a color 35mm shot
Cheapest medium format option with this work-flow is 3 times more expensive.
AND I'm not factoring in shipping when I buy the film and when it is sent back from processing....although that can be minimized with bulk orders.
Using my current preferred work-flow (no home processing or scanning) here's my cost analysis:
127 Color Slide film - $2.42 per shot
127 B&W film - $2.17 per shot
120 Color Slide Film - $1.80 per shot
120 Tri-X - $1.38 per shot
For my rangefinders and Point & Shoot cameras, I like Agfa 200 color and Tri-X for B&W:
35mm Color Negative film - .42 per shot
35mm Tri-X - .44 per shot
Of course, part of the issue is 12 frames per roll versus 36 !
This means 127 color shots are costing me 6 times more than a color 35mm shot
Cheapest medium format option with this work-flow is 3 times more expensive.
AND I'm not factoring in shipping when I buy the film and when it is sent back from processing....although that can be minimized with bulk orders.
cassel
Well-known
Here's some promised black & white:
InZoom
Established
Some of my examples, Rolleiflex baby and expired Agfa XPS Professional 160@50
css9450
Mentor
Where are you sending it, if I may ask? I am not sure I could get it processed locally, but I know places such as Dwayne's will do it. My local shop does "traditional" B&W but it isn't particularly fast - I think if its just a single roll they make you wait until they have more so they can do them at the same time. And I don't think they do 127.
That was what led me to re-start doing my own processing after not touching it in 30+ years. Took a while to find a 127 stainless-steel reel though.... Well, one of the reasons. I wanted to shoot something other than XP2 in B&W!
kevinthephotographer
Newbie
I have a Baby Rollei but it's not in "active service" as the shutter isn't totally reliable and the focus can be out. Here's a couple of shots from it's pre-retirement stage. The colour images was on Bluefire Murano 160 (aka Kodak Portra 160NC) and the mono one on Efke R100
Stained by Kevin Allan, on Flickr
Window light by Kevin Allan, on Flickr
Stained by Kevin Allan, on Flickr
Window light by Kevin Allan, on Flickr
css9450
Mentor
Rera Pan 100:
