My Camera
![](file:///F:/Web/Home%20page/photo/rollei.jpg)
Rolleiflex 3.5F
Taking lens: Carl Zeiss Planar 75mm F3.5
Viewing lens: Heidosmat 75mm F2.8
Shutter: Synchro Compur 1/500-1s/B
(M)/X
serial number : 2 263 912
This camera was produced by Rollei between 1958 and 1978. The serial
number may indicate that it dates from 1961 or 1962. The model I have
is not equiped with the usual viewer showed on that picture, but with a
penta prism which provides a better focussing.
It is still possible to find an operating manual
on the web. However, the camera is fairly simple to use, compared to
modern electronic, automatic, autofocus cameras.
This camera was previously owned by a retired scientist from Marseille.
He used it for scientific photography with a microscope and infrared
photography with a 24x36 adapter. There does not exist any infrared 120
fiml on the market. I have all the
accessories but they are of litle use for me as I am mainly taking
outdoor photographies. The original viewer was apparently lost.
When I got it, I had to do some repairs, because tiny scratches
appeared on the film. Now it is OK. However, the incorporated light
meter does
not give proper results, so I bought a separate hand meter Lunasix
Gossen which can also be used as a flash meter.
Film processing
The Lunasix Gossen is very convenient for praticing the zone system. My
films are now correctly exposed, even in the dark zones. This type of
result was not easy to obtain, because it is the result of a
combination between an adequate exposure, a specified film and an
adapted chemical processing. I am using all the time the same film
Kodak TriX in combination with the Neofin blue developper from
Tetenal: temperature 24°, developping time 15 minutes, agitation 5
seconds every minutes. I always wet my film before with an "agent
mouillant" (ordinary washing up liquid can be used). I stop the
developping process with a special bath containing "Alum de Chrome" for
hardening the gelatin. That prevent scratches when manipulating the
film later. Finaly at the final stage of rincing, I add a few drops of
my agent mouillant and get the fiml out of the tank for drying. With
this last trick, I never get any stain on my film, because drops easily
glide away.
I was not convinced by the Tmax which I found too difficult to
process.
Some results
Marseille is a city that was
founded by the greeks. This is not by chance. Some of the sceneries on
the islands of the bay are strangely alike those that can be seen in
Greece. Those pictures were taken on these islands.
![](Frioul%20temple2.jpg)
![](CarolineTemple2.jpg)