July started with a happy event and it is something I shall treasure. When my Mum passed away she left a few quid to me and my siblings so we could treat ourselves and have something to remember her with. I had a good think about what to buy. As I have mentioned in recent blogs, it was my Mum who gave me my love for photography and a camera was the perfect thing to get, but which one? I have a few 35mm SLR’s, one or two rangefinders and several vintage folding cameras, both 35mm and Medium Format. One camera has eluded me over the years and that’s a Twin Lens Reflex camera.
I have used a Twin Lens Reflex camera precisely once and it was my mate Keith’s Mamiya C2, a beast of a camera that weighs the same as a small child. Keith is a big lad and has his mobility scooter to help carry the camera about. I am not so fortunate. I’m not the tallest bloke and have about the same strength as a wet paper bag. Carrying a big TLR around all day just isn’t happening.
I decided to have a look around and compare prices to see what I could afford. I spent quite some time doing my research and I decided to buy a Rolleicord from Soper Photographic in Plymouth, Devon here in the UK. Devon has had a big effect upon my life, my Father in Law was a Devon lad and it seemed right that I bought a TLR from there. I had a good look on their website and settled on a Rolleicord Va Type 1 for a very reasonable price.
The Rolleicord was the "consumer" range of TLR that accompanied the more advanced "professional" Rolleiflex TLR cameras made by Franke & Heidecke in Brauschweig, Germany, which later became known as Rollei. The Rolleicord Va was in production between 1957 and 1961, which was another reason to like this camera. My Mum and Dad began courting in 1957 and were married in 1961. Were the Photography Gods smiling upon me? The camera looked in good condition on the photos, so I took a leap of faith and bought it.
A few days later it it was delivered and I took my first look at my very first TLR. If I wanted one of these back in the day, I could never have afforded one. In hindsight, I could probably have got one when the film market collapsed in the noughties, but with a growing family and a motorcycle habit, I still couldn't have justified it. Today was the day that changed. I unboxed it and held it in my hands.
What are my first impressions of my Rolleicord Va?
All I can say is Soper were bang on with their description. My Rolleicord Va is in great condition for a camera pushing towards 70 years of age. I thanked my Mum and got some dust got in my eye and I had to send a few moments wiping it away. The case has seen better days, but hey, so have I. I'm not complaining. Leather is quite robust, but stitching does come apart. It's the weak link on any leather goods you care to mention. Saddles, camera cases, jackets. The stitching wears and comes apart in places. I will take it to my local cobbler for a repair and it'll be reet.
How does my Rolleicord Va perform?
I spent a little time familiarising myself with the camera as I have never held or even owned a Rolleicord before. Made a dozen years after the end of WW2, it's a very well engineered camera. I own a few German cameras made either side of WW2 and this is by far the highest quality German camera I own. At the end of WW2, Braunschweig found itself in West Germany and the Francke & Heidecke company didn't waste time rebuilding.
Such was the quality of their pre-WW2 TLR cameras, demand was high. The company could have gone for quantity over quality to get going again, but retained their reputation by opting for the quality that made Rolleiflex and Rolleicord TLR's much loved cameras by professionals and amateurs the world over. The Synchro Compur shutter is precise and the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 75mm f/3.5 lens is reputed to be sharp as a pin. The viewing lens, a Heidosmat 75mm f/3.2, gives a nice bright image on the focusing screen too. I loaded a roll of Ilford's finest HP5 and went for a walk.
Everything about the Rolleicord Va TLR oozes quality. The smoothness of the focus mechanism, the clarity of the viewing lens and the precision of the shutter gave me great confidence that I would have decent photos. The one thing missing from the Rolleicord Va is a light meter and I'm fine with that.
I really enjoyed using my Rolleicord Va, despite it being unfamiliar to me. It took me a little time to get used to, but that familiarity will come once I have shot a few more rolls of film with it. It was the same with my Goodman Zone and I soon got used to that, even though the dark slide still likes to trip me up now and then.
Sadly on my first attempt, the light I had when I left my house had simply vanished, leaving overcast sky and half a film was used just getting used to using a waist level viewfinder. A couple of days later, the sun had returned and I headed back out to finish my first roll. having plenty of sunlight to play with made the difference and I was able to use the time to build knowledge and skills on the old spoil heap and my favourite tree there. All too soon I had shot 12 photos and I put my Rolleicord back in my bag and made my way home. The brew I had after that walk was the best tasting brew ever.
I enjoyed my first taste of my Rolleicord TLR and headed out a few days later with another roll of HP5 loaded and ready to see what I could find in my favourite classroom, Mesnes Park in Wigan. The usual compositions all got a visit and also one or two that I captured on the spur of the moment. I'm trying to break my habit of using the same angles and I must admit it was a challenge to get used to the viewfinder being all topsy-turvy when composing my shots. I also managed to forget if the double exposure protection was on or off and It was a good exercise, despite the absent mindedness. I soon took 12 shots and headed on my way home for another well earned brew.
I developed my film using Bellini Euro HC, 1+31 dilution B for 5 minutes at 20 celcius in my new larger tank. I can now develop two rolls of 120 in the same tank rather than having to use two separate tanks and I don't know why I didn't get one years ago. I soon had them hanging to dry in my bathroom overnight. I
digitised my film with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5
macro lens, Valoi medium format film holder mounted on my Pixl-Latr and A5 size led light pad.
I processed the RAW files with Affinity Studio.
How did I do on my first serious use of my Rolleicord Va TLR?
See for yourself. I'm happy with my first proper use of a twin lens reflex camera. It takes a little getting used to, but once I got my eye in, I managed to get some nice shots. I also got a double exposure on a camera that is supposed to have a shutter lock on it to stop that sort of thing. I still don't know if the switch is set right. I guess I will have to RTFM and find out.
Here's a few favourites from my first 2 rolls of Ilford HP5 shot with my Rolleicord Va Type 1. I am really getting to love my first TLR and can see it getting a lot of use in the years to come. As always I have placed them and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.
Ilford HP5 - Rolleicord Va
A Brief History of Rollei
Soper Photographic
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