Even when stopped down to working aperture the image remains bright. Focusing the camera is simple, thanks to the bright viewfinder. This means that the use of a separate meter is almost essential unless you want to trust to the ‘sunny sixteen’ rule.Īs I’m predominantly a landscape photographer, none of the above limit my use of the camera, although the weight precludes carrying it long distances.
Rolleiflex later supplied a metered prism, but as the shutter is mechanical this didn’t permit any degree of automation. Although it could be used at waist height with a strap around the neck – and indeed Rolleiflex supplied an optional hand grip – I think the camera really lends itself to tripod mounting.Īs originally manufactured, there is no built-in metering. At just over 2kg, it weighs almost half a kilo more than the rival Hasselblad. The first thing to note about the SL66 is the weight. After closing the back, the film is wound forward and automatically stops at the first frame.
Internet forums are full of tales of jammed backs, or even jammed cameras, due to problems with the film back, so I am always very careful loading and unloading the camera. However, the Rollei’s mechanism seems to be the Achilles heel of this camera. In common with medium format SLRs including Mamiyas, Bronicas and Hasselblads, the film is loaded into an insert which fits into a removable film back/magazine. Using this feature, the 80mm lens can focus down to 12cm, at which point it will yield a magnification of 1.6x. The degree of magnification is given on a scale alongside the bellows. This enables the lens to be used as a macro lens. The simplicity of the camera and the use of a focal plane shutter enables the lens to be fitted to the camera back-to-front or in “retro” mode. Camera review: the Rolleiflex SL66 - EMULSIVE Close Search for: