Rolleiflex Wide 55mm f4 / A dream come true

[manray]

After so many years / I will soon be a owner of a rolleiflex wide 55mm F4 , As she makes her way via shipping .
For me this was the Rolleiflex I have always wanted in the 20 year of looking at pictures on her and hold two in my hand for less than two minutes ,
As the dealers would tell me how rare and holy and the big bucks / always being out of my reach !
So nows my time to do something with this rare fine camera ,
What I wanted to say that dreams can come true ,

Now have do some great works with her , So don ,t give up .

[JanBoettcher]

I keep my fingers crossed for you!

[manray]

Thanks Jan ,
Just got her this evening , on the whole better than the photos seller had shown ! needs a new screen/ meter not working that well / but for the rest seems to be all good , needs some TLC .

[manray]

Just out of interest anyone else got a Rollei wide , or has used one ?
Have a new screen on order , being a new old camera for me/ just geting used to her and the way she feels ?
Its seem that its more difficult to focus Than say my 3.5f which just snaps in to focus .

Will send to De Kamera for a report and CLA in time ,
Any insight would be helpful ,
Thank s .

[JanBoettcher]

I do have a Weitwinkel-Rolleiflex, but I don't use it too often. It is more of a collector's thing to me (when I "need" a wide angle, I tend to use a 50mm lens on my 6003 or 6008).

Naturally focus will not "snap" as much with a 4/55 as it will with a 2,8/80.

[manray]

Thanks Jan ,
Ok so gave the camera a good clean/ and a new screen from rollei old new stock .
Needed to cut down but saved alot of bucks . much brighter / and easy to focus .

Like a whole new camera !
will still send of , in time for a CLA .

[manray]

Ok after resetting the meter , I know have the meter working , only thing is the black meter needle is quite short ? which makes it not so easy to read ?
as the meter on my 3.5 f is long , Is this right with the meters on rolleiflex E ?

Any help with this please .

[JanBoettcher]

The black galvanometer needle should be a millimeter (or so) longer than the red index pointer.

Sometimes the "glass" broke, some part of the needle broke off, the "glass" got replaced but the needle stayed short.
In order to have perfect ballance (have the meter work independently from the orientation in space up/down/slanted/stright) and good readability you should get the needle back to old length

[manray]

Jan I take it you mean have the black needle replaced , is this a easy fix, for a Rollei repairman ?

Thank you for your insight here Jan .

[JanBoettcher]

It is not really an easy fix.

The galvanometer is a piece of watchmaking, way more delicate than the Compur shutter - and the galvanometer is matched to the selenium cell.

So, in case somebody approached me with this, I'd tell him to live with it, and in case he insisted on having it fixed, we talk about finding a good match galvanometer or a complete set (hard to find, expensive), or stretch some plastic sprue over a candle, cut off the 2-3 missing mm and crazy glue them to the existing needle (hair splitting technology) and hope the weight will be perfect - or drill out the old needle and replace it with stretched plastic sprue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw0fv6Ot7eQ

[manray]

Jan, Funny that you should say this ! As last night had a flash and did just this , works really well ,

All done with TLC ,

[JanBoettcher]

We need smileys!

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[manray]

Have now gone for taking the Meter out .
I find the way the meter works on the E not to be intuitive with my eye .
found the film dial ASA / DIN for the E / , Or so for size and carrying around / less bulk
Sunny 16 or my hand Meter now !

need now to replace the strap lug on the right / And find a strap
been a labour of love .

[JanBoettcher]

"need now to replace the strap lug on the right "
Wha that, and do you have a new one?

[manray]

The strap Lug is where the strap clips fits the camera as one of my lugs has a small marks where a strap ring was used on the strap / lug , not a rollei clip ,
It more to bring the camera back to how she should be > No do not have one as yet / the right hand side crank .

[manray]

So now made new strap using the clips from a old rollei strap / And now have a case for the body , Found that a 2.8 f case would fit the body ,
works out to be a cheaper fix than the one for the wide which is a hard find and not so cheap buy / ok so no front cover part, Which is alright as do not use anyway . these cases have also gone up alot ? ebay prices .
A new strap lug is what I now need for the right hand side , as my one has a small dent , film crank side .
up and until now only found ones that have alot of mark s / brassing . via ebay .

[JanBoettcher]

Do your strap lugs have the "half moon", the crescent below, or do they have a straight lower edge?

[manray]

Hello Jan ,

My strap lugs have the half moon crescent below / on the side of the film crank handle , this is the side that needs a new one ,
To bring her back to her former glory ,

After that she shines , And a good job done !

[JanBoettcher]

I'd have some of the new strap-lug covers (just cover), but none of the old with the crescents.

The new ones (top) are "two part" (shiny cover and the metal below holding the pin for the scissor clip), the old ones with crescent have these parts riveted (below, red arrows) together.

Wonder if it would / could work to drill out the rivets and match old an new parts (the Rolleiflex expert could still tell by the missing rivet heads, and I fear it is hard to make a rivet by yourself and make it look like the real thing)

Rolleiflex Strap Lugs.jpg (436.19 KiB) Viewed 123621 times

[manray]

Hi Jan, Thank you ,
After puting so much time and money / love and care over bringing this babe back to the way that she was ,
Would be to sad to take a short cut like this , beside Any Rollei lover would see that this is not the right LUG , the top one on pics .
If you going to do a job do it well !
And it not about the money ,
For me its about the love of this rare Babe of a camera . and doing it Right and won t cost to much etc.
one will turn up in time or will ask Mr De Kamera if he has one ?

[manray]

Jan , I see this camera like I am looking at 1960 Mercedes Benz 300SL , Then she just has that small dent on the chrome bumper ,
you have to look to see it but its there ? In my case the Lug .
And as you know there is not many Rolleiflex Wides around abit like the 300SL from 1960s ,

[manray]

After looking around for 2nd hand Lugs on the the bay , it seen that some of theses Lugs have taking alot of knocks over the years ?
For now,
fixed it my pressing out the dent with long nose pilers wrapped in gaffer tape, Then bring back with a shine with some wet tin foil .
In time will replace the lug with a newer one .

As that song , go's by whats her name , She's not a virgin and not being touched for the very first time ,

Very happy really as not cost that much to put right the Rolleifex wide 55mm F4 .
When I see the prices other are asking for this camera in a really poor state and have sold for way more than mine ,

Only time can tell if its being worth that 20 year wait , for this rare bird !

[JanBoettcher]

Maybe some day you'll come across the needle in the haystack (new old stock strap lug or complete Rolleilfex camera in poor condition with perfext strap lug

[manray]

It seems to be , that you have to pay big bucks for a rolleiflex wide in near mint / or big bucks to put one right , thats had the guts knock out of her ? which is more often the case .
Or very lucky that the seller know not what this camera is ? or what this means to some ? or just Lucky !
Thing is you never know what you get ? until its in your hands ,

After shooting a test film , The len really is a Gem .

[manray]

Have now got a strap Lug, waiting for item to be shipped,