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Every month we have hundreds of used cameras come through Seawood. And even a self-proclaimed camera junkie such as myself gets somewhat jaded looking through the myriad of gear. But every now and then someone opens a bag or a box and I have to catch my breath because inside there’s a ROLLEIFLEX!
There’s something about that marquis that makes it special. Maybe it’s the history of usage by some of the world’s greatest photographers such as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Robert Doisneau, Imogen Cunningham, Helmut Newton and such.
Or perhaps it’s just that the cameras themselves are so damn cool! Post-war Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex cameras are as good as cameras get.
While Rollei wasn’t the only manufacturer to build a quality TLR camera, (Mamiya, Zeiss, Voightlander, etc) they certainly perfected it.
There aren’t many large format cameras that that I would describe as spontaneous or hand-holdable. Linhof Technikas, Speed Graphics, Horseman Field cameras and their like are often used unencumbered by a tripod.
All employ an attached rangefinder or frame finder to view an approximation of the image. If you want to use the ground glass to see your actual image you must remove the film holder, focus on an upside down and backwards image, replace the film holder, and hope your subject hasn’t moved and you are pointing your camera in the same place…
Wouldn’t it be cool if someone would invent a Single Lens Reflex 4×5? Well, of course someone did; Graflex started selling their first version of the RB Graflex in 1923!
In this first installment of the Classic Camera Corner, I thought it fitting to discuss why we love old cameras, why they are still viable tools despite technological advances in digital photography, and what to expect from this blog in the future.
Rolleiflex 2.8F |
I don’t know when I first became interested in classic cameras; I’m not nostalgic about photography in my youth, and most of the cameras I will discuss here were manufactured well before I was born.
In my work I use the latest high-end digital cameras and strobe equipment, then edit my images in Photoshop just like 98% of the other pro photographers nowadays. I really do love the new stuff, but when I pick up a Rolleiflex 2.8F, or a Leica M3, I know I have a real camera in my hands! Anyone who appreciates fine machinery and workmanship inevitably likes old cameras. It’s a fascinating to see how they progressed from simple bellows cameras with basic shutters at the turn of the (last) century to the engineering marvels produced in the 1960’s.
Seawood Photo is Marin County's Photo Headquarters and the only real camera store in the County. We sell, buy and trade new and used cameras and photo equipment. Digital, medium and large format, collectibles, lighting, inkjet printers, darkroom supplies, tripods and more. Our knowledgeable staff can help you choose the right equipment for your needs.
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Digital cameras are amazing, yet we love old cameras here at Seawood!
commercial and stock photos at the time, and had hit a point where photography wasn’t as much fun as it used to be. Before every shot I would wonder if it was a marketable image. I stopped shooting for myself; it was all business.