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Post by andys93integra on Aug 7, 2010 21:19:10 GMT -5
Hello all i just recently found these two Rolleiflexes in a box in my house. My great Uncle used them while he was a still photographer in California in the 50s and 60s. I assume he used these cameras a lot because the look like the have been used well. He shot the stills for such movies as The Great Escape, Some Like it Hot, The Ten Commandments, The Magnificent Seven, West Side Story, and many other that i would to find the list with all the movies on it. The first camera is a 1959 Telle-Rolleiflex Type 1 with a Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135mm F4 lens. The second one is a 1962 Rolleiflex 2.8E3 Xenotar 80mm. I was not sure if the worked at the time ( a few weeks ago), and i didn't know a thing about them. So i found out what they were and basically everything about them. The crank, leaf shutter, and all the focusing, shutter and aperture dials seemed to work fine. So i got some film and put a roll in each of the cameras and snapped away, got the film developed and printed and i was shocked at how good of pictures they were. First i was shocked because my Great Uncle died in '85 so that could be the last time they were used. But i am thinking they were not used well before then, so i bet these cameras have not operated in about 30-35 years! So my question is are these particular Rolleiflexes rare? I found a site that goes over i think all Rolleiflex models which is here, antiquecameras.net/rolleiflex.htmlIt says for the 80mm there were about 2025 made and for the 135mm there were about 6420 made. After 50 odd years i think there might not be a lot of these left. Andysphotos.zenfolio.com, are some pics of the two Rollei's under the old camera gallery, towards the end. Thanks, Andy
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Aug 8, 2010 0:16:03 GMT -5
Andy, I'll say what I always say: I don't know, but there is normally someone who does. Sites such as ebay will give some idea what things are going for.
Was your great uncle a well known photographer? He certainly worked on some well known films.
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Post by andys93integra on Aug 8, 2010 1:17:41 GMT -5
Andy, I'll say what I always say: I don't know, but there is normally someone who does. Sites such as ebay will give some idea what things are going for. Was your great uncle a well known photographer? He certainly worked on some well known films. I dont think he was that well known, since photographers were rarely in the credits for movies back then. I don't think someone on the street would recognize the name. But then again he lived in California and i am in MN, so i don't know people would know him better out there. I never met my Great Uncle do to the fact i was not born until 7 years after he died. As far as selling the cameras i dont think i will, just because they have a lot of history behind them, plus i think they are really cool. I just wanted to see if someone knew a lot about these things and could tell me if in fact they are rare or sought after. Thanks, Andy
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Aug 8, 2010 2:55:04 GMT -5
Andy, I for one am glad you don't wish to sell them. It has always seemed strange to me that someone will sell the family 'silver' even if it doesn't have much value other than family history. I have never been a TLR person. I have a Lubitel (a cheap Russian camera) and (when I can locate it) and a 1950s Agfa, but I have hardly used either. In spite of the advances in digital, film at 6x6cm or 2 1/2 inches square packs a lot of 'pixels'. Rolleis were always the name in TLR: a reputation that would always seem deserved. I would think, from our side of the pond, that PeterW or Rachel would know more about them. I am sure others will too. I see, from your website, that you have something of a collection starting up. Were any of the other cameras from your great uncle? I wonder, too, if you have any of his old negatives. That too is a constant 'fear' for me: someone dies and a lifetime's work is just thrown out with the rubbish - or the trash, as you would say. p.s. google search to go with what you have already: This looks an informative website: johnsrolleionlypage.homestead.com/RolleiChronologicalHistoryindex.htmlYou might find an instruction manual at www.butkus.org/chinon/rolleiflex.htm
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photax
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Post by photax on Aug 8, 2010 8:21:26 GMT -5
Hi Andy ! Welcome to the Camera Collector ! I used some Rolleiflexes ( 2.8F and 3.5F ) decades ago, and as you say, the result had been brilliant pictures ( unfortunately most of them are lost ). I`ll try to reactivate one model this summer. I am glad to hear, that you will keep them. The Tele-Rolleiflex with the Sonnar-lens will sell here in Europe usually for ca. 1000.- up to 1200.- USD ( in mint condition with box ), but as Dave mentioned, I also would never sell the “family silver”. BTW I am sitting at my Great-Uncles Art Nouveau writing desk . MIK
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2010 9:45:25 GMT -5
I used a Rollei with the f/2.8 lens in the late '60s at the newspaper where I worked. A great camera but expensive even then. I was going out on an assignment to shoot a football game and was told if it looked like a player was going to run into me I should wrap my body around the Rollei as if was less expensive to fix me than to repair the camera!
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Post by andys93integra on Aug 8, 2010 18:20:24 GMT -5
Andy, I for one am glad you don't wish to sell them. It has always seemed strange to me that someone will sell the family 'silver' even if it doesn't have much value other than family history. I have never been a TLR person. I have a Lubitel (a cheap Russian camera) and (when I can locate it) and a 1950s Agfa, but I have hardly used either. In spite of the advances in digital, film at 6x6cm or 2 1/2 inches square packs a lot of 'pixels'. Rolleis were always the name in TLR: a reputation that would always seem deserved. I would think, from our side of the pond, that PeterW or Rachel would know more about them. I am sure others will too. I see, from your website, that you have something of a collection starting up. Were any of the other cameras from your great uncle? I wonder, too, if you have any of his old negatives. That too is a constant 'fear' for me: someone dies and a lifetime's work is just thrown out with the rubbish - or the trash, as you would say. p.s. google search to go with what you have already: This looks an informative website: johnsrolleionlypage.homestead.com/RolleiChronologicalHistoryindex.htmlYou might find an instruction manual at www.butkus.org/chinon/rolleiflex.htmI do have a shoe box full of a small portion of his work. A lot of slides that look to be personal, and also slides of what looks like a movie set. I have some negatives but when i put them up to the light there is nothing on them. I also have about a dozen little movie film rolls of what looks like original footage that he took. One of the boxes says G. escape on it, and i took it out of the box and looked at it and i can see a German camp and a few people in a jeep. So i wonder what original film footage of the Great Escape would be worth! Yes all of the cameras i have in the gallery on my site are ones that he had before he died. I found his file in my cabinet and from what i read he had a lot of cameras and lenses (a lot). My mom was originally given a small portion of his cameras after he died, then i found them and now i kinda have them since she wont do anything with them. My mom also told me that her and my dad sold a few things that they received after he died. I think they sold a camera or two and maybe a few lenses but nothing too major. My Great Uncles Sister received the most of his stuff, but then she later donated it to the University of Texas at Austin. So i think about 90% of his cameras, pictures and other things are there in Texas. I also found the list of the movies he worked on in one way or the other and there is about 57 movies on the list. I took some pics of the stuff i have so i can put it on my site if you want to take a look. Andy
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Aug 8, 2010 18:57:44 GMT -5
Andy, my grandfather was a professional photographer in the early 1900s. He worked for a while for Pathe News, and then on his own. My uncle had most of his old stuff - equipment and film. Much of it, I believe, 'went' when my uncle died. My cousin did still have numerous photos which he always promised to get to us to scan, but he has moved to Ireland and I fear that is the last we shall see of them - the photographs that is. I shall have another look at your website. Dave.
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 8, 2010 20:31:44 GMT -5
As far as selling the cameras i dont think i will, just because they have a lot of history behind them, plus i think they are really cool. I just wanted to see if someone knew a lot about these things and could tell me if in fact they are rare or sought after. Thanks, Andy Famous last words from someone who is about to be infected with the collecting virus. Mickey
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Post by andys93integra on Aug 8, 2010 21:14:27 GMT -5
My Great Uncles name is John J Harris or Jack Harris. I have Googled him and found almost nothing although i found this on IMDB, www.imdb.com/name/nm1220012/#cameraX20andX20electricalX20department1960, it says only ten of the movies his worked on. Also looking at his estate papers i read that he had at least 4 more Rolleiflex cameras and lots of Nikon cameras and lenses. Most of this stuff might be at the University in Texas. One day i will have to go down to Texas and see his stuff at the University there. I just put up some pics of the stuff that i have of my Great Uncle's, as well as the scanned list of the movies he worked on. It is in the "Uncle Jacks Stuff" gallery. Andy
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Aug 9, 2010 1:58:31 GMT -5
Andy, Wiki and imdb are only as good as the person writing the article. With your interest you will be in a position to write a more detailed appraisal of your great uncle Jack. Dave. Link to "Uncle Jack's Stuff": andysphotos.zenfolio.com/p404563823There is certainly looks to be interesting things in there. Keep us informed where you are at, Andy. p.s. the photos are of Jack Lemmon - Irma La Douce.
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Post by andys93integra on Aug 9, 2010 16:48:42 GMT -5
I just scanned more of the pics of Jack Lemmon, and posted them on my site, andysphotos.zenfolio.com/p404563823. I don't know if anybody here would know this, but do you think these could be the only copies of these pictures? They don't look like negatives because i can see color in them, plus wouldn't all the values be reversed for negatives? I think these pics were possibly taken with one of the Rolleiflex cameras i have here, so that is pretty neat. What does a roll of 120 film go for over in Europe, or does it vary. I found out very quickly that 120 is kind of spendy, for two rolls of B&W 120 was $10.36. And to get both developed and printed was like $30, so i said to myself, maybe i will just use them once in a while lol. Andy
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Aug 9, 2010 17:11:04 GMT -5
Andy, they certainly look like colour reversal (slide) film. There was another stills photographer on Irma La Douce if this site is kosher www.leofuchs.com/pages/Jack_Lemmon_icons_10.htm. If your photos are slide film they will be 'unique'. I would imagine there are others on here who would know publishing processes available at the time. I would think slides could be reproduced fairly easily for publication, so while each is unique it doesn't necessarily mean it won't have been published. Old colour stock wasn't masked, so negatives looked like a slide that had strange colours. I don't know off hand exactly when masking came in. I certainly had used some unmasked negative stock, but it could have been some I bought that was way out of date. I would think it would be sometime in the 1960s.
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Post by andys93integra on Aug 9, 2010 18:48:19 GMT -5
Is his eye patch supposed to be on the left or right for Jack Lemmon?
Andy
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Aug 9, 2010 19:03:38 GMT -5
That I wouldn't know. A constant problem with sides is getting them the right way round when they have been scanned.
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