"I really need to stop buying new cameras" said no one ever.
Ever since I watched some YouTuber do an in-camera cyanotype with a Rolleiflex I've drooled over these German beauties. I didn't care about Flex or Cord, I just wanted one. I probably couldn't justify the price of a Flex, so when a 1953 Rolleicord III popped up on my favorite auction site, I knew it was likely my only chance to snag a Rollei at a reasonable price.
$136 (item + shipping) got me a Rolleicord III with a carrying case, a fancy leather camera satchel, and three rolls of very expired Kodak Vericolor. It's always a risk when bidding on an untested camera but I figured that even if it didn't work I could Ebay it for at least $60.
After a couple of weeks of impatient waiting, she finally arrived. And immediately I noticed the film advance knob was wonky. I didn't know if there was a roll of film inside so I tucked the camera in a dark bag and popped open the back. There was in fact a roll of film in there. I took it out and stuck it into a development tank to keep it in the dark.
After tinkering with the knob and shutter for a bit I realized I just didn't know what i was doing. The film advance works fine, but I wasn't doing it right. I decided I might as well use up the mystery roll. But I hadn't checked the counter so I had no idea how many frames were left. Also, I was loading in complete darkness, so I had no way to know which way to load the spools. Oh well. I went for it.
Of course I loaded the roll backwards. The first two photos posted here are the results. Those are the only images that showed up. The rest was just frame numbers burned into the film, which is odd because the camera is completely sealed. Normally you only see numbers on films loaded in cameras with counter windows.
After that experience, I decided to load up some Kodak Gold 200 and head to the park. Actually, I loaded up some Kodak Gold 200 and headed to a cosplay convention, but those are for another day.
The Xenar lens performs admirably in sunlight, as expected. I think my Yashica Mat might take slightly sharper images, but that's a comparison I'll have to make another day.
I decided to try out a night shot, and honestly I think my light meter app lied to me, 1 sec was just too long of an exposure. Just a tiny fraction less and I think this picture would have been perfect.
One of the reasons I wanted to get a Rolleicord is that unlike my Yashica Mat, the Rollei doesn't have double exposure protection. I love a good double exposure. I decided to take one of my back door and front door. Despite my yard being a disaster, I think I lined them up pretty well!
And of course some obligatory indoor cat shots. The lighting is crap but I think they worked out as well as they could. Too bad my film rinsing isn't up to snuff so I got water spots on the scans.
Last but not least, my cameras and collectables cabinets. Again, my indoor lighting is atrocious....
All in all I'm quite pleased with the investment. I'll definitely be carrying this little lady around to many events in the future.
Camera: Rolleicord III
Film: Kodak Gold 200
Developed in Cinestill C-41 and scanned with the Epson V600.
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S. D. G.
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